Editing Sparta, North Carolina (section)

==History==
James H. Parks, an early businessman whose store stood near the present location of the [[Alcoholic beverage control state|ABC store]], was one of three men who donated land for the county seat in 1866. Parks is credited with suggesting the name "[[Sparta]]", after the Greek city-state.

Noteworthy businesses established in Sparta included ''[[The Alleghany News]]'' (1889), the Bank of Sparta (1902), and the second store purchased by home improvement giant [[Lowe's]] (1949). Sparta's first shopping center, Trojan Village, opened in 1977, followed by Sparta Plaza in 1986.<ref>{{cite web
 | last =  Lewis
 | first = J.D.
 | author-link =
 
 | title = A History of Sparta, North Carolina  
 | publisher =
 | date = 2007
 | url = http://www.carolana.com/NC/Towns/Sparta_NC.html
 | doi =
 | accessdate = }}
</ref>

The [[Alleghany County Courthouse (North Carolina)|Alleghany County Courthouse]] and [[Jarvis House (Sparta, North Carolina)|Jarvis House]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

On August 9, 2020, the town was the epicenter of [[2020 Sparta earthquake|a moderate earthquake]] that was felt as far as [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]].<ref>{{Cite web|author=Eliott C. McLaughlin|title=5.1-magnitude earthquake strikes 100 miles north of Charlotte, along Virginia border|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/09/us/north-carolina-earthquake-charlotte/index.html|access-date=August 9, 2020|website=CNN}}</ref> The earthquake, which registered as a 5.1 on the [[Richter magnitude scale]], was the largest earthquake to occur in North Carolina in over 100 years.<ref>{{Cite web|last=WRAL|date=August 9, 2020|title=Magnitude 5.1 earthquake hits NC, tremors felt across state|url=https://www.wral.com/earthquake/magnitude-5-1-earthquake-hits-nc-tremors-felt-across-state/19227133/|access-date=August 9, 2020|website=WRAL.com|language=en}}</ref>