Editing Mount Airy, North Carolina (section)

==History==
The region currently known as Mount Airy, North Carolina, was originally settled in the 1750s by predominantly English, Scotch-Irish, and German settlers. The native [[Cheraw]] people were known to inhabit the area prior to the arrival of these European settlers.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Berry |first1=Brewton |last2=Rights |first2=Douglas L. |date=December 1947 |title=The American Indian in North Carolina |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1898107 |journal=The Mississippi Valley Historical Review |volume=34 |issue=3 |pages=476 |doi=10.2307/1898107 |jstor=1898107 |hdl=2027/mdp.39015003693119 |issn=0161-391X|hdl-access=free }}</ref> As westward expansion progressed following the French and Indian War, Mount Airy started to develop, serving as a [[stagecoach]] stop on the road connecting [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina]] and [[Galax, Virginia]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |date=April 1991 |title=&lt;sc&gt;william s. powell&lt;/sc&gt;. &lt;italic&gt;North Carolina through Four Centuries&lt;/italic&gt;. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. 1989. Pp. xv, 652. $29.95 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/ahr/96.2.596-a |journal=The American Historical Review |doi=10.1086/ahr/96.2.596-a |issn=1937-5239}}</ref> The city derived its name from a plantation in the vicinity.<ref name=":0" />

Officially incorporated in 1885, Mount Airy quickly thrived due to the region's abundant natural resources, specifically granite and tobacco.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dickson |first=Scott |title=In Search of Mayberry |publisher=Parkway Publishers, Inc. |year=2005 |isbn=1-887905-98-7 |location=Boone, North Carolina |pages=75}}</ref> This led to the establishment of the North Carolina Granite Corporation, the world's largest open-face granite quarry.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our History |url=https://www.polycor.com/legacy-brands/ncgranite/ |website=North Carolina Granite Corporation}}</ref> The locally quarried granite has been used in famous structures, including the [[Wright Brothers National Memorial]] and the [[Arlington Memorial Bridge]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wright Brothers National Memorial |url=https://www.ncpedia.org/wright-brothers-national-memorial |access-date=2023-06-10 |website=NCpedia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Mount Airy granite - CAMEO |url=https://cameo.mfa.org/wiki/Mount_Airy_granite |access-date=2023-06-10 |website=cameo.mfa.org |language=en}}</ref>

Mount Airy became a significant hub for the textile and furniture manufacturing industries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Companies such as Spencer's Incorporated and Renfro Corporation established mills in the city.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Edwards |first=Pam |date=1994-01-01 |title=Review: ''The Textile Industry in North Carolina: A History'', by Brent D. Glass |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3378593 |journal=The Public Historian |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=82–84 |doi=10.2307/3378593 |jstor=3378593 |issn=0272-3433}}</ref> However, the latter half of the 20th century brought economic challenges due to increased global competition and industry automation.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=December 1989 |title=Jacquelyn Dowd Hall &lt;italic&gt;et al. Like a Family: The Making of a Southern Cotton Mill World&lt;/italic&gt;. (The Fred W. Morrison Series in Southern Studies.) Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. 1987. Pp. xxiii, 468. Cloth $34.95, paper $12.95 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/ahr/94.5.1481 |journal=The American Historical Review |doi=10.1086/ahr/94.5.1481 |issn=1937-5239}}</ref>

In 1977, Mount Airy established its official seal, representing the industries vital to its local economy: furniture manufacturing, textiles, tobacco, and granite quarrying.<ref name="mountairy.org2">{{Cite web |title=History of Mount Airy {{!}} Mount Airy, NC - Official Website |url=http://www.mountairy.org/230/History-of-Mount-Airy |access-date=2018-02-05 |website=www.mountairy.org |language=en}}</ref>

Gaining fame as the birthplace of actor [[Andy Griffith]] and the believed inspiration for the fictional town of Mayberry in the "[[The Andy Griffith Show|Andy Griffith Show]]," Mount Airy capitalized on its connection with the series. It established annual events like Mayberry Days and tourist attractions such as Floyd's Barber Shop and the Andy Griffith Museum.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Vaughan |first=Don Rodney |date=November 2004 |title=Why The Andy Griffith Show Is Important to Popular Cultural Studies |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-3840.2004.00119.x |journal=The Journal of Popular Culture |volume=38 |issue=2 |pages=397–423 |doi=10.1111/j.0022-3840.2004.00119.x |issn=0022-3840}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title=Map of California for movie studio filming locations |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/mpub.12269142.cmp.19 |access-date=2023-06-10 |doi=10.3998/mpub.12269142.cmp.19 }}</ref>

In recognition of its vibrant community life and civic achievements, Mount Airy was named an [[All-America City Award|All American City]] in 1994.<ref name="mountairy.org2" />

The [[W. F. Carter House]], [[William Carter House]], [[Edgar Harvey Hennis House]], [[William Alfred Moore House]], [[Mount Airy Historic District (Mount Airy, North Carolina)|Mount Airy Historic District]], [[North Carolina Granite Corporation Quarry Complex]], [[Renfro Mill]], and [[Trinity Episcopal Church (Mount Airy, North Carolina)|Trinity Episcopal Church]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>