Mooresville, North Carolina

Geography

Mooresville is located at 35°35′4″N 80°49′13″W (35.584337, −80.820139).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 14.7 square miles (38 km²), of which, 14.7 square miles (38 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) of it (0.20%) is water.

History

The area that would develop into the town of Mooresville was originally settled by English, German, and Scot-Irish families who moved into the area from nearby Rowan County, as well as Virginia, Pennsylvania and elsewhere. Many were seeking new lands on which to establish farms. Many of the early families such as the Wilsons, Davidsons, Cowans, Sherrills, Torrances, and others came to the area as early as the mid-1700s. They formed small communities that eventually grew into the community known as Deep Well, which took its name from a large natural well that was found in the area. Many of these families established large farms, primarily of cotton, which grew into small plantations by the 1850s. Major Rufus Reid was considered by far the most successful planter in the area, owning 81 slaves on over 2,000 acres of land. His plantation was known as Mount Mourne Plantation, and was named after the Mourne mountains of Co Down Northern Ireland. Several other historic plantation homes set in the area as well, such as the elegant Johnson-Neel House, the Cornelius House, Forest Dell Plantation, and the colonial era Belmont Plantation.

In 1856, a railroad was placed on a natural ridge that happened to go through the land of a local farmer by the name of John Franklin Moore. A small scale planter, Moore set up a Depot on his land, and encouraged others to help establish a small village on the location in the late 1850s. The little village, known as Moore's Siding was born. The Civil War hampered developments however, with the railroads track being removed to aid the Confederate efforts in Virginia. After the war, the tracks were returned, and Moore's Siding slowly began to prosper. Shortly after the Civil War, John Franklin Moore saw the need for the village to incorporate into a town. The town was incorporated as Mooresville in 1873. Mr. Moore also helped to establish the first brick making factory in Mooresville, and built some of the first brick buildings on Main Street. Mr. Moore died in 1877 and his wife, Rachel Summrow Moore, continued the development of the town.

In 1883 the railroad lines were run back through the town with the addition of a new depot. The railroad brought growth to the town, which continued to grow with the addition of the first water plant in the early 1890s, the establishment of a library in 1899, a phone company in 1893 and the first of many textile mills in 1900.

In 1938, artist Alicia Weincek painted the mural, North Carolina Cotton Industry, in the town's post office having won a WPA competition for the commissioned work.

From textile mills to NASCAR; over the years, many business and industries have called Mooresville home. One of the more notable being, a professional minor league baseball team, the Mooresville Moors who played in the Class D North Carolina State League from 1937–1942. The league ceased operations for two seasons due to World War II but was reorganized in 1945.

Mooresville has also been home to many famous people over the years as well such as Dr. Selma Burke, who created the bust of President Franklin D. Roosevelt for the Four Freedoms plaque on the Recorder of Deed Building in Washington, D.C. It would later be used for the image on the dime, and many others. Mooresville has continued to grow over the years to become a major attraction for sports companies, businesses, the movie industry and many others since its incorporation.

On December 11, 2014, Duke Energy, to repair a rusted, leaking pipe, received approval from North Carolina to dump Coal Ash (containing arsenic, lead, thallium and mercury, among other heavy metals) from the Marshall Steam Station into Lake Norman.

On October 3, 2015, Duke reported that a sinkhole had formed at the base of the Marshall Steam Station dam north of Charlotte on Lake Norman. The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) says Duke placed a liner in the hole and filled it with crushed stone.

Race City USA

Mooresville is also branded as Race City USA. The town is home to more than 60 NASCAR teams and racing related businesses, along with an INDYCAR team. Mooresville features two automotive museums: The Memory Lane Motorsports and Historical Automotive Museum and the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame. The Mooresville Convention & Visitors Bureau is the official resource for travelers.

Demographics

In the 2000 census, there were 18,823 people, 7,139 households, and 5,082 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,281.6 people per square mile (494.7/km²). There were 7,741 housing units at an average density of 527.1 per square mile (203.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 81.54% White, 14.23% African American, 0.36% Native American, 1.66% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.14% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.55% of the population.

There were 7,139 households out of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the town, the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 34.3% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $42,943, and the median income for a family was $51,011. Males had a median income of $39,524 versus $24,939 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,549. About 5.6% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Mooresville is governed by a Board of Commissioners which is chaired by the mayor, Miles Atkins. He was elected in November 2011.

In addition to Atkins, the current Board is composed of:

Schools

Mooresville is primarily served by the Mooresville Graded School District, but is also partly in the Iredell-Statesville school system. A proposal in the 2007 North Carolina state budget could have possibly consolidated the two systems. It states that only one school system in a county would be funded. It was stalled in committee though and failed passage. Previous attempts to consolidate have been defeated.

By 2010, every student in the fourth through twelfth grades in the Mooresville Graded School District had a MacBook laptop. Mooresville recently built a new intermediate school and elementary school, then moved the middle school to Mooresville Intermediate School, and is using the old middle school as an extended campus of the Mooresville High School, known as the Magnolia Street Campus.

In 2010, Mooresville Graded School District dedicated and renamed the high school's football stadium after Coach Joe Popp. Coach Popp and the 1961 Mooresville Blue Devils won the NC State High School Football Championship and remain the only team from Mooresville to have that honor. Coach Popp is also a member of the Catawba College Sports Hall of Fame. Coach Popp Stadium is located behind the Magnolia Street Campus of Mooresville High School.

Mooresville is also the location of a campus of Mitchell Community College, whose main campus is in Statesville, the county seat of Iredell County.

In addition to having top notch schools, the Mooresville community has a class 5A Marching Band, Pride in Motion, that is revered as one of the best in the state.

The Mooresville Graded School District

Iredell-Statesville School District

Private schools

Charter schools

Historic districts

In addition to a number of historic sites including Mount Mourne Plantation, Johnson-Neel House, Cornelius House, and Espy Watts Brawley House, Mooresville is home to the following historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

Sister cities

Notable residents