Wilson, North Carolina

Information about Wilson, North Carolina

City of Wilson
Nickname: Wide-Awake-Wilson
Enlarge picture
Location of Wilson shown within North Carolina
Location of Wilson shown within North Carolina
Coordinates:
Country United States
State North Carolina
County Wilson
Area
 - City  23.4 sq mi (60.7 km)
 - Land  23.3 sq mi (60.3 km)
 - Water  0.2 sq mi (0.4 km)
Elevation  108 ft (33 m)
Population (2004)
 - City 47,441
 - Density 1,906.9/sq mi (736.3/km)
Time zone Eastern Time Zone (USA/Canada) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) -4 (UTC-4)
Zip Code 27893/27896/27894/27895
Area code(s) 252
FIPS code 37-74540GR2
GNIS feature ID 1023273GR3
Website: [1]
Wilson is a city in Wilson County, North Carolina, it is located in the Coastal Plain region of North Carolina. United States. The 17th largest city in the state, Wilson's city population (as of the 2004 census) was 47,441. It is the county seat of Wilson County.GR6 The city is one of fastest growing cities east of Raleigh, and is also one of the most beautiful cities in the state of North Carolina.

Geography

Wilson is located at (35.731093, -77.923509).GR1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 60.7 km² (23.4 mi²). 60.3 km² (23.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (0.64%) is water.

Wilson is located at the intersection of Interstate 95 and US 264; approximately 40 minutes east of Raleigh, the state capital.

Population

Wilson has a population of 47,441 (U.S. Census, 2004) and continues to see steady growth. New shopping centers are springing up across the region and many new homes are being built.

Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 44,405 people, 17,296 households, and 11,328 families residing in Wilson.

For more information, see Wilson, North Carolina (demographics).

Infrastructure

In 2006, Wilson was ranked first in North Carolina for economic strength among micropolitan cities(<50K population)by the Policom Corporation [2]. Wilson was ranked 13th nationally.

The city has a large supply of water (seven billion gallons capacity) thanks to the 1999 expansion of Buckhorn Lake. City leaders say it should provide water for the next 50 years of growth. The city provides electrical service (since 1893), natural gas, water, wastewater, recycling and garbage collection.

The city of Wilson is building a fiber to the premise (FTTP) network [3]that will make high-speed Internet available to homes (up to 20M) and businesses (up to 1G). The first customers will be business customers. The first residential customers are expected to receive service in early 2008. City leaders believe the all-fiber system will lure new employers and provide a boost to existing employers, although the costs and results of a fiber optics network of this scale are debatable. City facilities have operated on a fiber backbone since early 2006. The system will enable citizens to subscribe to high-speed broadband Internet, cable TV and/or telephone service.

Transportation

Wilson is served by three airports: Wilson Industrial Airport, Rocky Mount-Wilson Airport (RWI) about 15 minutes from town, and Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) about 55 minutes from town. The city has an Amtrak station. The city of Wilson owns and operates a bus transit system. The following highways travel through Wilson: I-95, U.S. 264, U.S. 301, U.S. 117, N.C. 42, and N.C. 58. Ward Boulevard is a local 5-lane loop road that circles the original city limits (circa 1970).

Entertainment

Imagination Station is a children's interactive science museum located in the Beaux Arts building in downtown Wilson.

The Edna Boykin Center for Performing Arts is owned by the city of Wilson, and operated by the Arts Council of Wilson. The restored Vaudeville theater, built in 1919, seats about 1,000 guests. During the 1970s it was an X-rated Adult theater. It was restored in the 1990s and is just beautiful now. In 2006 and 2007 the theater was home to the Theater of the American South, a production that celebrated southern history and culture. Live plays are a mainstay in the Boykin Center, some of which involve youth actors.

The City of Wilson operates Wilson TV [4], a public information cable television channel announcing upcoming events and activities. Wilson TV features original programming such as "City Talk" and "Around Town", both of which address issues and events in the community. Wilson TV also shows meetings of the Wilson City Council and the city Planning Board and Board of Adjustment.

Wilson also hosts the Whirligig Festival [5], which celebrates local and regional artists in an event held the first weekend in November. Whirligigs are wind-driven works of art, many of which have been created by nationally recognized folk artist Vollis Simpson of Wilson County.

The City of Wilson Human Relations Commission [6] hosts the "1st Fridays" events [7] each August through October on the library lawn. Musical entertainment and children's activities are featured, and refreshments are available. This year (2007) has seen the largest crowds since the events were created several years ago.

Wilson is also home to the Carmike 10 Cinema which opened in 2006 at Wilson Mall [8].

Shopping

Wilson Mall (formerly Parkwood Mall) recently completed a major renovation. The 25-year old mall is attracting new clients after several years of decline under a previous owner. Major anchors include J.C. Penney, Sears and Steve and Barry's University Sportswear.

Heritage Crossing Shopping Center includes a new Target, Marshall's, Belk, Omega Sports, Ross' Dress for Less, and rue 21. A Bed Bath and Beyond is planning to locate there. There are several acres available that will be developed in the next year or two. The shopping center will create additional retail jobs.

Wilson includes three new Starbucks Coffee locations and one more is on the way.

Wilson's downtown, which at one time was the main shopping area and cultural hub, has remained in decline. Downtown streets and sidewalks were renovated in the 1990s and utilities were buried. There are still many older buildings that would make good storefronts, but will require investment. Free WiFi service is now provided by the city in parts of the downtown area.

Wilson also hosts a wide variety of grocery store chains. Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Piggly Wiggly, Fred's Food Club, Aldi and Wal-Mart all have locations in Wilson. A Farm Fresh store is currently being built in a former Winn Dixie.

Home Depot is currently under construction on a site that used to be known as KMart. The new store will be 95,000 square feet.

Real Estate

The cost of living, approximately 12% less than that of the Raleigh-Durham area, makes Wilson an attractive alternative. Average homes cost less, enabling a willing commuter (40 minutes to the Raleigh Beltline) to have much more house for his/her dollar. Since January 2005, a typical 3 bedroom house sold for approximately $132,000, and larger 4 bedroom homes average $225,000.

In addition to new homes, Wilson is known for its numerous and varied historic bungalows. Historic homes dating from the mid-19th century feature outstanding architectural details and charm. They range from "fixer-uppers" (under $50,000) to beautifully restored (over $350,000). Some feature large front porches, some of which were included in Michael Dolan's book entitled "The American Porch". Unfortunately, the pace at which these homes have been purchased and renovated is slow due to the decline of some of the areas in or around Downtown.

Education

Public Schools

Wilson County Public Schools

Elementary Schools (K-5): Wells, Margaret Hearne, Vick, New Hope, Vinson-Bynum, B.O. Barnes, Winstead, Elm City, Stantonsburg, Lee Woodard, Lucama, Rock Ridge.

Middle Schools: Darden, Forest Hills, Toisnot, Elm City, Speight, Springfield.

High schools: E. T. Beddingfield, Ralph L. Fike, James B. Hunt.

Alternative Schools: Adams Learning Center (K-5), Daniels Learning Center (6-8).

Sallie B. Howard School for the Arts and Education.

Deaf Education

Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf

Private Schools

Wilson is home to several private schools: Community Christian School (K-12), Garnett Christian Academy, Wilson Christian Academy (K-12), St. Therese Catholic School (K-5) and Greenfield School (Pre-K-12) (non-sectarian).

Colleges

Wilson is also home to Barton College, a liberal arts college, and Wilson Technical Community College.

Notable Citizens

  • Bunn Hearn, major league pitcher.
  • G.K. Butterfield, U.S. Congressman for North Carolina's First Congressional District.
  • Jim Hunt, only person to serve four terms as the Governor of North Carolina, (1977-1985, 1993-2001).
  • The O'Kaysions, an R&B sextet known for their 1968 Top 5 pop hit "Girl Watcher."
  • Ryan McNamara, synth player extraordinaire.
  • Ryan High, who is much more homosexual than Ryan McNamara. So homosexual, that it's notable.

Tallest Buildings

  1. BB&T 11 floors
  2. Wilson County Nash Street Office Building 8 floors
  3. BB&T Raleigh Road Parkway (under construction) 6 floors
  4. Wilson Medical Center 6 floors
  5. Cherry Apartments 6 floors
  6. Hampton Raleigh Road Parkway (under construction) 5 floors
  7. Holiday Inn 5 floors
  8. Belle Meade cooperative (under construction) 4 floors
  9. Hampton Inn U.S. 264 4 floors
  10. Candlewood Inn and Suites (under construction) 4 floors
  11. Imagination Station Science Museum Building,Formerly Wilson's First Post Office & Courthouse from 1920-1975 4 Floors

External links

  •  • [ e] Municipalities and communities of
Wilson County, North Carolina
County seat: Wilson
City Wilson
Towns Black Creek | Elm City | Lucama | Saratoga | Sims | Stantonsburg
 •  • [ e]
State of North Carolina
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The State of North Carolina

Flag of North Carolina Seal
Nickname(s): Tar Heel State; Old North State;
The Rip Van Winkle State
''Motto(s): Esse quam videri (Latin: To be, rather than to seem)''

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North Carolina has 100 counties, the eighth most of any U.S. State.[1] Prior to 1729, North Carolina was part of the Province of Carolina along with what would later become South Carolina.
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Wilson County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the est population is 73,814. The county seat is Wilson6.

History

The county was formed in 1855 from parts of Edgecombe County, Johnston County, Nash County, and Wayne County.
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Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. The term Surface area is the summation of the areas of the exposed sides of an object.

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Units for measuring surface area include:
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city is an urban settlement with a particularly important status which differentiates it from a town.

City is primarily used to designate an urban settlement with a large population. However, city may also indicate a special administrative, legal, or historical status.
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square mile is an imperial and US unit of area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. It should not be confused with the archaic miles square, which refers to the number of miles on each side squared.
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Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol km², is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of surface area, the square metre, one of the SI derived units. 1 km² is equal to:
  • 1,000,000 m²
  • 100 ha (hectare)
Conversely:
  • 1 m² = 0.

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1 metre =
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1000 mm 0 cm
US customary / Imperial units
0 ft 0 in
The metre or meter[1](symbol: m) is the fundamental unit of length in the International System of Units (SI).
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city is an urban settlement with a particularly important status which differentiates it from a town.

City is primarily used to designate an urban settlement with a large population. However, city may also indicate a special administrative, legal, or historical status.
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Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, humans in particular.

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area code 252 covers the northeastern corner of the State of North Carolina and includes the cities of Greenville, Kitty Hawk, and Rocky Mount.

See also

  • List of North Carolina area codes
  • List of North American area codes

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Wilson County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the est population is 73,814. The county seat is Wilson6.

History

The county was formed in 1855 from parts of Edgecombe County, Johnston County, Nash County, and Wayne County.
..... Click the link for more information.
The State of North Carolina

Flag of North Carolina Seal
Nickname(s): Tar Heel State; Old North State;
The Rip Van Winkle State
''Motto(s): Esse quam videri (Latin: To be, rather than to seem)''

Official language(s)
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Motto
"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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A county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there.
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Wilson County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the est population is 73,814. The county seat is Wilson6.

History

The county was formed in 1855 from parts of Edgecombe County, Johnston County, Nash County, and Wayne County.
..... Click the link for more information.
The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title 13 U.S.C.   11 ) is a part of the United States Department of Commerce.
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Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol km², is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of surface area, the square metre, one of the SI derived units. 1 km² is equal to:
  • 1,000,000 m²
  • 100 ha (hectare)
Conversely:
  • 1 m² = 0.

..... Click the link for more information.
square mile is an imperial and US unit of area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. It should not be confused with the archaic miles square, which refers to the number of miles on each side squared.
..... Click the link for more information.

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