Country United States County Lee Area code(s) 919 Elevation 108 m Population 29,470 (2013) | State North Carolina Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) FIPS code 37-59280 Local time Tuesday 10:00 AM | |
Weather 16°C, Wind W at 10 km/h, 53% Humidity University Central Carolina Community College | ||
Sanford is a city in Lee County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 28,518 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Lee County.
Contents
- Map of Sanford NC USA
- Geography
- Demographics
- Law and government
- Business and industry
- Newspapers
- Radio stations
- Schools
- History
- Air
- Designated routes and highways
- Commercial rail service
- Public transit
- Bicycle and pedestrian
- Museums
- Performing arts
- Notable people
- References
Map of Sanford, NC, USA
Geography
Sanford is located at 35°28′33″N 79°10′32″W (35.475881, -79.175463).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.1 square miles (62 km2).24.1 square miles (62.3 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (0.33%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2009, there were 29,922 people which was a 28.9% increase from 2000. The population density was 1243 people per square mile (372.5/km2). There were 9,223 housing units at an average density of 383.2 per square mile (147.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 55.87% White, 29.19% African American, 0.50% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 11.93% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.03% of the population.
There are 8,550 households, out of which 34.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were married couples living together, 17.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 people and the average family size was 3.15 people.
In the city, the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,804, and the median income for a family was $39,447. Males had a median income of $30,527 versus $23,393 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,038. About 14.8% of families and 17.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.4% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.
Law and government
Sanford operates under a council-manager government. The city council consists of the mayor and seven council members, each with a four-year term. Five of the council seats are ward (district) representatives, and two seats are citywide representatives elected at-large.
Business and industry
Because Sanford sits where white beach sand from the coast meets the Piedmont clay, the city has the right ingredients to be a large producer of clay bricks. In 1959, Sanford produced 10% of the bricks in the United States and was named "Brick Capital of the USA". Today large brick production continues via manufacturers such as General Shale and Lee Brick & Tile.
Sanford also produces textiles, and has since seen the influx of the BioTech industry with the Wyeth Vaccines aka-Pfizer facility becoming the area's largest employer in 2006.
Situated nearly equidistant from the Greensboro, Raleigh/Durham/RTP, and Fayetteville metro areas, Sanford is well positioned to provide manufacturing, services, and housing throughout the region for business and industry.
Other large employers are:
Newspapers
The city's newspaper of record is The Sanford Herald, which has published continuously since 1930. The newspaper is owned by Paxton Media Group, based in Paducah, Kentucky., and it has been run by three generations of the Horner family:
The Herald is currently a six-day-a-week morning newspaper and is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations and of the North Carolina Press Association. In 2011, The Herald named R.V. Hight as editor.
Sanford and the rest of Lee County are also covered by the Lee County Star-Tribune, an online paper published by Apex, North Carolina-based Peak Media Group.
Radio stations
Schools
The Lee County campus of Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) is located in Sanford. CCCC awards degrees, diplomas and certifications in a variety of programs and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the North Carolina State Board of Education, and by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Sanford is home to three high schools: Lee County High School, Lee Early College on CCCC's campus, and Southern Lee High School. Lee County High School, home of the yellow jackets, is also locally known as Lee Senior. Southern Lee High School, home of the Cavaliers, opened its doors during the 2005-2006 school year. Lee Early College also opened for the first time during the 2005-2006 school year. In the program, students attend classes at the Lee County campus of Central Carolina Community College, and within a 4 to 5 year time frame earn not only a high school diploma, but an associate degree as well. Attending Lee Early College requires an application process.
There are three middle schools: West Lee Middle School, East Lee Middle School and SanLee Middle School. SanLee Middle School opened its doors for the first time during the 2008-2009 school year. An alternative school, Bragg Street Academy, serves students in grades 6 through 12.
The Lee county school system has six traditional elementary schools: B.T. Bullock Elementary, Broadway Elementary, Deep River Elementary, Greenwood Elementary, J. Glenn Edwards Elementary, and J.R. Ingram, Jr. Elementary. Lee County is also home to an optional year round elementary school: Tramway Elementary.
Sanford is also home to a private Montessori school, Griffin Academy, which provides education from pre-school through fifth grade. Also within the county are two private Christian schools, serving preschool through 12th grade: Grace Christian and Lee Christian as well as a charter school, Provisions Academy. Warren Williams Child Development Center serves pre-kindergarten students, and Floyd L. Knight the Children's Center serves severe and profoundly handicapped students.
Located in the neighboring town of Southern Pines, and offering bus service from Sanford is The O'Neal School. The O'Neal School provides education from Pre-K3 through 12th grade.
History
Sanford was named for C.O. Sanford, a railroad civil engineer instrumental in the building of the rail lines through the area that formed the foundation of what became the city of Sanford.
Sanford is located in Lee County, North Carolina, which was formed from parts of the surrounding three counties in 1907. On creation of the new county, both Sanford and Jonesboro were the major towns in the area. Rather than decide which would be the county seat, the decision was to place the county's new courthouse directly between the two towns. For decades, Lee County was the only county in the United States to have a courthouse with an RFD address. In the late 20th century Sanford had grown to such an extent that it eventually merged with Jonesboro. The town of Jonesboro became Jonesboro Heights, and the name of Sanford was kept for the town.
The general Sanford area played key roles in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, specifically regarding sites like the House in the Horseshoe and Endor Iron Furnace. Over the following decades, the Sanford area became an important source of coal, brownstone, and brick. In particular brownstone and subsequent brick production made Sanford a key provider of these building materials for areas throughout the United States.
For seven seasons, 1941-'42 and 1946-'50, Sanford fielded a professional minor league baseball team. In 1941-'42, the Sanford Spinners played in the Class D Bi-State League. After the war, a new Spinners team was a member of the Class D Tobacco State League from 1946-'50. Home games were played at Temple Park. Led by manager Zeb Harrington, the Spinners won the regular season pennant three times.
On April 16, 2011 a very large tornado ripped through Sanford demolishing a lowes hardware store, warehouse and destroying multiple homes and buildings before moving into wake county.
On October 21, 2014, Sanford established a formal sister city relationship with Yixing, China under the representation of Sanford Mayor Chet Mann.
The Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Cemeteries, Downtown Sanford Historic District, East Sanford Historic District, Euphronia Presbyterian Church, Farish-Lambeth House, Hawkins Avenue Historic District, Lee Avenue Historic District, Lee County Courthouse, Lee County Training School, John D. McIver Farm, Railroad House, Rosemount-McIver Park Historic District, Sanford High School, Former, Seaboard Milling Company, and Temple Theatre are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Air
Raleigh Exec Jetport (ICAO: KTTA, FAA LID: TTA), formerly known as Sanford-Lee County Airport is located approximately 7 miles northeast of Sanford via U.S. 1. The airport opened in 2000, replacing the Sanford Lee County Brick Field, and provides both recreational and corporate services.
Designated routes and highways
Commercial rail service
Public transit
The County of Lee Transit System (COLTS) is a coordinated transit system that provides transportation services in Sanford and Lee County.