Davidson, North Carolina

History

The history of the town of Davidson is inextricably linked to Davidson College, which predated the surrounding community and influenced its development. Although Davidson’s growth in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries typified small railroad towns throughout the Piedmont, the presence of the college created a unique village. The tree-shaded campus filled with classically inspired architecture distinguished Davidson from other communities. The sway of the school also extended beyond the campus to the entire town, influencing commerce, culture, and the character of its architecture. The 1869 Branson’s business directory recorded four dry goods merchants in the town as well as a cabinetmaker, a miller, and three physicians.

Soon after the arrival of the railroad, Davidson became a shipping point for cash crops, especially cotton, and a service center for farmers. In common with other railroad towns in the region, textile investors constructed cotton mills and mill villages along the rail corridor. The Linden Cotton Factory, erected in 1890 on Depot Street, was the first textile plant in Davidson, and in 1908, the Delburg Cotton Mills was constructed nearby. Two thousand bales of cotton were sold at Davidson annually in the early 1900s.

In 1891, the name of the town was changed from Davidson College to Davidson, emblematic of the community’s expanding roles for town and gown alike. Davidson’s cotton mills spurred the growth of the town, and by 1910, the population of Davidson reached 500 residents, climbing to 1,500 by the 1920s. Between 1900 and the Great Depression, the business district evolved from a commingling of stores and residences into contiguous rows of one- and two-story, brick commercial buildings. The heart of downtown – opposite the college – contained a full complement of small town stores and services, including four general merchandise stores, a drug store, a laundry, tailor shop, two barber shops, a hardware store, a post office, a bank, and several restaurants. Physicians, building contractors, and milliners also had Main Street addresses. Behind Main Street along the railroad tracks stood the small 1897 Southern Railway Depot, a livery, flour mill, sawmill, cotton gins, a cottonseed oil company, a blacksmith shop, and a buggy manufacturer.

The demise of cotton farming and decline of other agricultural pursuits in the region effectively ended the town’s role as a farming service center. Meanwhile, improved highways and the advent of I-77 encouraged residents to frequent larger department stores in the cities, especially Charlotte, twenty-two miles to the south. In more recent years, the emergence of suburban shopping centers around Davidson accelerated the town's status to an all-purpose retail market.

Today, the tremendous development around Charlotte has stimulated Davidson’s growth to its current population of more than 10,000 people. Local downtown businesses, now characterized by restaurants and specialty shops, cater to this new market. Prestigious, nationally known Davidson College has made Davidson an intellectual and cultural center, drawing into its orbit a sizable professional class.

Beginning with the General Plan in 1993, continuing through the Land Plan of 1995 and the Planning Ordinance of 2001, the town has advocated for and implemented smart growth principles, including pedestrian orientation (resulting in a ban on drive-thru’s), mixed-use development, affordable housing, open space preservation, and connectivity. An emphasis on design has been a consistent theme in each resulting regulatory document. Additionally, the Town of Davidson received National Register Historic District status in 2009 for the historic core of town, which includes downtown.

Geography

Davidson is located along Lake Norman in the piedmont of North Carolina at 35°29′28″N 80°49′58″W, approximately 20 miles north of Charlotte in northern Mecklenburg County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 5.1 square miles (13.1 km²), of which, 4.9 square miles (12.6 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) of it (3.95%) is water.

Demographics

According to the 2010 census, there are 10,944 people and 4,253 housing units in the town. The racial makeup of the town is 87.8% White, 6.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 2.8% Asian, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino and 1.7% from two or more races.

There are approximately 2,429 family households out of which 34.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% are married couples living together, 7.3% have a female householder with no husband present, 2.6% have a male householder with no wife present, and 33.8% are non-families. 26.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.4 and the average family size is 3.11.

In the town, the population is spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 14.9% from 20 to 29, 21.9% from 35 to 49, 16.2% from 50 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35.7 years. 47.5% of the population is male and 52.5% is female.

The median household income is $83,730, and the median income for a family was $124,045. Males who work full-time and year-round have a median income of $93,833 versus $56,178 for females. The per capita income for the town is $49,065. About 4.8% of families and 6.4% of the population are below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Public schools

The citizens of Davidson attend the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Elementary schools include Davidson Elementary. Following the shutdown of Davidson IBMYP Middle school in 2011, there currently is no middle school located in Davidson; middle schoolers attend Bailey Middle School in the neighboring town of Cornelius. However, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools have proposed expanding nearby Davidson Elementary to a K-8 school. High school students attend William A. Hough High School, also in Cornelius.

Private schools

Charter schools

Colleges and universities

Davidson is home to Davidson College, a highly selective liberal arts college located in the heart of town on Main Street. Davidson College has been ranked the 3rd most rigorous school in the United States, the top school in the south, is consistently ranked in the top ten best liberal arts colleges in the country, and has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars. Davidson College is also notable for its Honor Code which means students are not permitted to lie cheat or steal. Some notable attendees of the college are Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States, George Osborne, former British Chancellor of the Exchequer, and current NBA player Stephen Curry.

Libraries

Davidson is served by a branch of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. The library is located on the Green in Davidson. It is located directly across from the playground where Davidson College students in the cultural diversity class play with underprivileged children twice a semester.

Notable residents

See also: List of notable Davidson College alumni

Notable former residents:

Points of interest

Awards and recognitions