Editing Elon, North Carolina

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Elon, North Carolina
|named_for                = Hebrew word for [[oak]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.ncpedia.org/gazetteer/search/Elon/0 |title= North Carolina Gazetteer |accessdate= November 24, 2023 }}</ref>
|settlement_type          = [[Town]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    = "Deep Roots. New Horizons."

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Elon, North Carolina.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = North Williamson Avenue
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = NCMap-doton-ElonCollege.PNG
|mapsize                  = 250x200px
|map_caption              = Location of Elon, North Carolina
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             = 
<!-- 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        = [[Alamance County, North Carolina|Alamance]]
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
| established_title        = Founded
| established_date         = 1881
| established_title1       = Incorporated
| established_date1        = 1893

<!-- 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           = 10.94
|area_land_km2            = 10.81
|area_water_km2           = 0.13
|area_total_sq_mi         = 4.22
|area_land_sq_mi          = 4.17
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.05

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 11336
|population_density_km2   = 1049.03
|population_density_sq_mi = 2717.16

<!-- 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_ft             = 705
| coordinates              = {{coord|36|07|36|N|79|29|44|W|region:US-NC_type:city|display=inline,title}}

<!-- Area/postal codes & others -->
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 27244
|area_code                = 
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 37-21095
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2406445<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2406445}}</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|www.townofelon.com}}
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
}}

'''Elon''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|iː|l|ɔː|n}}) is a [[town]] in [[Alamance County, North Carolina|Alamance County]], [[North Carolina]], United States. It is part of the [[Burlington, North Carolina|Burlington]] [[Metropolitan Statistical Area|metropolitan statistical area]]. The population as of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]] was 11,324.<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> The town of Elon is home to [[Elon University]].

==History==
Elon began in 1881 as a [[North Carolina Railroad]] depot in between the stations of Goldsboro and Charlotte, called "Mill Point” because it was envisioned to be a shipping point for area cotton mills. Locals called it “Boone’s Crossing.” Because of a growing population, a post office was built, which established a more permanent residency in 1888.<ref name="townofelon.com">{{Cite web |url= https://www.townofelon.com/our-community/history-of-elon/ |title=History of Elon
|website=townofelon.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405092746/https://www.townofelon.com/our-community/history-of-elon/ |archive-date=2024-04-05 |url-status=dead}}
</ref>

In 1889, the local Christian Assembly created an institution of higher learning called the “Graham Normal College”. The founders of Elon College named the school “Elon”, because they understood that to be the Hebrew word for oak, and the area contained many oak trees.<ref name="townofelon.com"/> The town was called "Elon College" until the college known as Elon College became Elon University. The town then changed its name officially to Elon.

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|10.2|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|10.1|sqkm|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.1|sqkm|order=flip}}, or 1.23%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US3721095| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212192047/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US3721095| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Elon town, North Carolina, revision 08-09-2012| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=July 1, 2013}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1900= 638
|1910= 200
|1920= 425
|1930= 373
|1940= 494
|1950= 1109
|1960= 1284
|1970= 2150
|1980= 2873
|1990= 4394
|2000= 6738
|2010= 9419
|2020= 11324
|estyear=2021
|estimate=11350
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021"/>
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{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"
|+Elon racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US3721095&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)
| 9,090
| 80.19%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 916
| 8.08%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 15
| 0.13%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 286
| 2.52%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 437
| 3.85%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 592
| 5.22%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 11,336 people, 3,465 households, and 1,888 families residing in the town.

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2010, there were 9,419 people, 2,794 households, and 1,357 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|2,415.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 3,063 housing units at an average density of {{convert|785.4|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 86.7% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 8.5% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.1% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 2% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.03% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.1% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.6% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.6% of the population.

There were 2,794 households, out of which 18.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.2% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.4% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.1% under the age of 20, 30.7% from 20 to 24, 9.5% from 25 to 44, 13.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21.8 years.

The median income for a household in the town was $49,542, and the median income for a family was $86,985. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $23,313. About 0% of families and 18.2% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

== Education ==
Public schools in Elon are part of the [[Alamance-Burlington School System]], which was created by a merger between the Alamance County School System and the Burlington City School System in 1996.

Local public schools in Elon include:
* Altamahaw-Ossipee Elementary School
* Elon Elementary
* Western Alamance Middle
* Western Alamance High

[[Elon University]] is also located in Elon, North Carolina.

== Transportation ==
{{main|North Carolina Highway 100}}
Elon University provides a bus system known as the Biobus for use by both students of the university as well as the general public. Certain routes travel from the campus to destinations within the town of Elon as well as the surrounding area.<ref>http://org.elon.edu/transit/biobus/</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.elonnc.com }}

{{Alamance County, North Carolina}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Towns in Alamance County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Elon, North Carolina| ]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1881]]