Editing Bethania, North Carolina

{{Short description|Town in North Carolina, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Bethania, North Carolina
|named_for                = [[Bethany]]<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.ncpedia.org/gazetteer/search/Bethania/0 |title= North Carolina Gazetteer |accessdate= November 24, 2023 }}</ref>
|settlement_type          = [[Town]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = 
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = 
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               = Bethania, North Carolina, logo.jpg

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = Forsyth County North Carolina incorporated and unincorporated areas Bethania highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 260px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Forsyth County, North Carolina|Forsyth County]] and the state of [[North Carolina]]

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[North Carolina]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in North Carolina|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Forsyth County, North Carolina|Forsyth]]
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
| established_title        = Founded
| established_date         = 1759
| established_title1       = Incorporated
| established_date1        = 1839, 1995

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=September 20, 2022}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 1.77
|area_land_km2            = 1.76
|area_water_km2           = 0.01
|area_total_sq_mi         = 0.68
|area_land_sq_mi          = 0.68
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.01

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 344
|population_density_km2   = 195.75
|population_density_sq_mi = 506.63

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset               = -5
|timezone_DST             = EDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -4
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_m              = 
|elevation_ft             = 804
|coordinates              = {{coord|36|10|51|N|80|20|15|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 27010
|area_code                = [[Area code 336|336]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 37-05340<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2405252<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2405252}}</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|www.townofbethania.org}}
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
}}
'''Bethania''' is the oldest municipality in [[Forsyth County, North Carolina|Forsyth County]], [[North Carolina]], United States, and was most recently incorporated in 1995, upon the reactivation of the original 1838/1839 town charter. In 2009, Bethania celebrated the 250th anniversary of its establishment in 1759. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the town population was 341.<ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021">{{cite web |title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=US Census Bureau |access-date=July 9, 2022}}</ref>

==History==
The first planned [[Moravian Church|Moravian]] settlement in North Carolina, Bethania exists as the only remaining independent, continuously active Moravian village in the [[southern United States]], and is the only known existing Germanic-type linear agricultural village in the South. The {{convert|500|acre|km2|adj=on}} Bethania [[National Historic Landmark]] district is the largest such district in Forsyth County. Bethania and its 18th- and 19th-century properties are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].
[[File:Brethren with Stethoscopes - DPLA - cbc1650c6cc1824ece53f35b6f2035a3 (page 23).jpg|thumb|left|Map of early Bethania.]]
Bethania was founded June 12, 1759, by the [[Moravian Brethren]] of [[Wachovia Tract|Wachovia]] as a congregational, agricultural, and trades community. Bethania was the first planned Moravian settlement in Wachovia, and members of a "Society", under the care of the Bethania congregation, were permitted to reside in the village after July 1759. Today, Bethania's eighteenth-century German-type linear agricultural village design remains visible and intact, and most town lots and roadways have remained in continuous use since 1759. The name "Bethania" is the German form of [[Bethany (biblical village)|"Bethany"]], the name of a village near [[Jerusalem]] recorded in the [[New Testament]] as the home of [[Mary of Bethany|Mary]], [[Martha]] and [[Lazarus of Bethany|Lazarus]], as well as that of [[Simon the Leper]].<ref>Jennifer Bean Bower (2006), ''Moravians in North Carolina'', p. 14. Arcadia Publishing, {{ISBN|0-7385-4329-2}}.</ref>

During the Revolutionary War, this town was for a time considered by locals not as "Bethania" but as "HauserTown" (pronounced Hooz-er) because of the significance of families with the last name Hauser that resided there. Mary Hauser was one of the first people buried in Bethania's God's Acre cemetery.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.carolana.com/NC/Towns/Bethania_NC.html|title=Bethania, North Carolina|website=www.carolana.com}}</ref>

In March 2007, the town of Bethania opened a visitor center and museum, Historic Bethania, to welcome friends and guests, and to promote education and cultural resource preservation in the community. The center's facilities include a relocated and restored Moravian farmstead home, the Wolff-Moser House, dating to ca. 1792, one of the earliest known surviving rural Moravian farmstead homes in North America. The Wolff-Moser House can be visited by the public during the center's open hours. The visitor center, located at 5393 Ham Horton Lane, at the intersection of Main Street and Bethania Road, also serves as an orientation center for those wishing to explore the Bethania National Historic Landmark District. Visitors to the c. 1759 [[Bethania Historic District]] can obtain a tour map and additional information at the visitor center.

In addition to the Bethania Historic District, the [[Dr. Beverly Jones House]], [[John Henry Kapp Farm]], and [[Samuel B. Stauber Farm]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

Bethania Mill and Village Shoppes, the only shopping center within the city limits, opened October 18, 2008, at the site of an old seed mill. The center contains a [[general store]] and plans to have a restaurant. They currently are renting out office space.

==Geography==
Bethania is located in northwestern Forsyth County and [[enclaves and exclaves|is entirely surrounded]] by the city limits of [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina|Winston-Salem]]. It is {{convert|10|mi|0}} northwest of the city center.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|1.8|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|0.01|sqkm|order=flip|3}}, or 0.80%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US3705340| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001), Bethania town, North Carolina| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| work=American FactFinder| accessdate=June 24, 2016| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213082205/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US3705340| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 105
|2000= 354
|2010= 328
|2020= 341
|estyear=2021
|estimate=346
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021"/>
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2016}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Bethania racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US3705340&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 20, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| [[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
| 277
| 80.52%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 32
| 9.3%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 1
| 0.29%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
| 2
| 0.58%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 11
| 3.2%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 21
| 6.1%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 344 people, 146 households, and 115 families residing in the town.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 354 people, 139 households, and 111 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|490.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 148 housing units at an average density of {{convert|204.8|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 81.92% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 15.82% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.28% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], and 1.98% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.54% of the population.

There were 139 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.8% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.1% were non-families. 15.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.4% under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $51,875, and the median income for a family was $55,357. Males had a median income of $45,500 versus $27,813 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $25,702. About 7.3% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.townofbethania.org/ Town of Bethania official website]

{{Forsyth County, North Carolina}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Moravian settlement in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Towns in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Towns in Forsyth County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1759]]
[[Category:1759 establishments in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Enclaves in the United States]]