Editing Taylorsville, North Carolina

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Taylorsville, North Carolina
| image_skyline      = Taylorsville, North Carolina.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = Main Street in Taylorsville
| image_seal         = Taylorsville, NC Town Seal.jpg
| image_flag         = 
| image_map          = NCMap-doton-Taylorsville.PNG
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location in North Carolina
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = 
| named_for          = [[Zachary Taylor]]
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|United States}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{flag|North Carolina}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in North Carolina|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Alexander County, North Carolina|Alexander]]
| population_total   = 2320
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| settlement_type    = [[Town]]
| established_date   = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = George Holleman
| established_title  = 
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 6.21
| area_land_km2      = 6.20
| area_water_km2     = 0.01
| area_total_sq_mi   = 2.40
| area_land_sq_mi    = 2.40
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.00
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft       = 1175
| coordinates        = {{coord|35|55|03|N|81|10|32|W|region:US-NC|display=inline,title}}
| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 28681
| area_code          = [[Area code 828|828]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 37-66960<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 2406720<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2406720}}</ref>
| footnotes          = 
| website            = {{URL|www.taylorsvillenc.com}}
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| population_est     = 
| population_density_sq_mi = 968.68
| population_density_km2 = 373.94
| 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>
| population_footnotes = 
}}
'''Taylorsville''' is a town in [[Alexander County, North Carolina]], United States.<ref name=gnis/> The population was 2,098 at the 2010 census.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US3766960| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212184935/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US3766960| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Taylorsville town, North Carolina| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| accessdate=July 2, 2013}}</ref> It is the [[county seat]] of Alexander County.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|accessdate=2011-06-07|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref>

Taylorsville is part of the [[The Unifour|Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area]].

==History==
The town of Taylorsville was formed in 1847 along with Alexander County. A commission of William Dula of [[Caldwell County, North Carolina|Caldwell County]], Dr. James Calloway of [[Wilkes County, North Carolina|Wilkes County]], Milton Campbell of [[Iredell County, North Carolina|Iredell County]], and Robert Allen, Reuben Watts and Robert L. Steel of Alexander County were named to select a site as near the center of the county as possible for the seat of justice.<ref>Alexander County Genealogical Society, ''The Heritage of Alexander County''</ref> The town was named Taylorsville in honor of General [[Zachary Taylor]] who at that time was in [[Mexico]] engaged in the [[Mexican–American War]].

The land for the town was donated by J.M. Bogle who gave {{convert|22|acre|m2}}, William Matheson who gave {{convert|13|acre|m2}} and James James who gave 11{{frac|3|4}} acres for a total of 46{{frac|3|4}} acres. Most of the land was woodland, and the road from [[Statesville, North Carolina|Statesville]] to [[Morganton, North Carolina|Morganton]] passed to the south of town.

A commission of Alexander C. McIntosh, R.L. Steel, Sion Harrington, J.H. Newland, and George Swain, treasurer, were appointed to lay out the town of Taylorsville and sell lots to raise money for the building of a courthouse and jail. An auction of lots was held August 11, 1847, and 47 lots were sold. The second sale was November 30, 1847, and 10 lots were sold. At a third auction on March 8, 1848, five lots were sold. The total amounted to $6,674.75 ({{inflation|US|6674.75|1848|fmt=eq}}).

The town of Taylorsville was incorporated in 1851. The first mayor was John Watts and was appointed by the commissioners. The boundaries of the incorporated town were square, with each side 160 poles or one-half mile long.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Town of Taylorsville - Taylorsville, NC |url=https://www.taylorsvillenc.com/history.htm |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=www.taylorsvillenc.com}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|6.1|km2|disp=flip}}, of which {{convert|0.01|sqkm|disp=flip}}, or 0.17%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

===Climate===
{{Weather box   <!-- Infobox begins -->
| single line = Y
| location    = Taylorsville, North Carolina (1991–2020)
<!-- Average high temperatures -->
| Jan high F  =48.7
| Feb high F  =52.7
| Mar high F  =60.1
| Apr high F  =69.5
| May high F  =77.0
| Jun high F  =84.2
| Jul high F  =87.2
| Aug high F  =85.5
| Sep high F  =79.7
| Oct high F  =70.1
| Nov high F  =60.0
| Dec high F  =51.4
<!-- Mean daily temperature -->
| Jan mean F  =39.0
| Feb mean F  =42.2
| Mar mean F  =49.3
| Apr mean F  =57.9
| May mean F  =65.7
| Jun mean F  =73.4
| Jul mean F  =76.7
| Aug mean F  =75.5
| Sep mean F  =69.6
| Oct mean F  =59.1
| Nov mean F  =49.1
| Dec mean F  =41.6
<!-- Average low temperatures -->
| Jan low F  =29.2
| Feb low F  =31.6
| Mar low F  =38.6
| Apr low F  =46.4
| May low F  =54.4
| Jun low F  =62.6
| Jul low F  =66.2
| Aug low F  =65.5
| Sep low F  =59.4
| Oct low F  =48.1
| Nov low F  =38.3
| Dec low F  =31.8
<!-- Total precipitation, this should include rain and snow. -->
| precipitation colour    =  green
| Jan precipitation inch  =4.36
| Feb precipitation inch  =3.57
| Mar precipitation inch  =4.26
| Apr precipitation inch  =4.73
| May precipitation inch  =4.56
| Jun precipitation inch  =5.07
| Jul precipitation inch  =4.33
| Aug precipitation inch  =5.42
| Sep precipitation inch  =4.47
| Oct precipitation inch  =3.77
| Nov precipitation inch  =3.75
| Dec precipitation inch  =4.27
<!-- Snowfall -->
| Jan snow inch  =1.7
| Feb snow inch  =0.4
| Mar snow inch  =0.2
| Apr snow inch  =0.0
| May snow inch  =0.0
| Jun snow inch  =0.0
| Jul snow inch  =0.0
| Aug snow inch  =0.0
| Sep snow inch  =0.0
| Oct snow inch  =0.0
| Nov snow inch  =0.0
| Dec snow inch  =1.5
<!-- Mandatory fields, source -->
| source = NOAA<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/us-climate-normals/#dataset=normals-monthly&timeframe=30&station=USC00318519 |title=NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access |publisher=NOAA |access-date=2025-03-05 }}</ref>
}}<!-- Infobox ends -->

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|align=right
|1870= 169
|1880= 180
|1900= 413
|1910= 662
|1920= 1122
|1930= 926
|1940= 1122
|1950= 1310
|1960= 1470
|1970= 1231
|1980= 1103
|1990= 1566
|2000= 1799
|2010= 2098
|2020= 2320
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Taylorsville racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US3766960&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=2021-12-21|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| [[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
| 1,776
| 76.55%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 238
| 10.26%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 4
| 0.17%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 17
| 0.73%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 110
| 4.74%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 175
| 7.54%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 2,320 people, 927 households, and 573 families residing in the town.

===2000 census===
[[File:Taylorsville town hall.jpg|thumb|right|Taylorsville Town Hall]]
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 1,798 people, 746 households, and 446 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|897.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 819 housing units at an average density of {{convert|408.6|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 82.71% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 11.40% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.11% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.06% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 3.50% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.22% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 6.17% of the population.

There were 746 households, out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1% were non-families. 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.6% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 25.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $24,875, and the median income for a family was $34,063. Males had a median income of $29,737 versus $20,135 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $14,876. About 12.7% of families and 21.3% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 26.8% of those under age 18 and 21.2% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
The students of Taylorsville are served by the [[Alexander County Schools]] district. There are two high schools in the district, [[Alexander Central High School]] and Alexander Early College, both of which are located in the town.<ref>{{cite web|title=Schools|url=http://www.alexander.k12.nc.us/pages/Alexander_County_Schools/Schools|publisher=Alexander County Schools|accessdate=December 2, 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130421172513/http://www.alexander.k12.nc.us/pages/Alexander_County_Schools/Schools|archivedate=April 21, 2013}}</ref>  However, 9% of students at [[Challenger Early College High School]] (a public high school in [[Hickory, North Carolina]] operated by [[Catawba County Schools]]) reside in [[Alexander County, North Carolina|Alexander County]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Challenger Early College High School Data|url=http://www.catawbaschools.net/schools/Challenger/About%20Us/Challenger%20Early%20College%20At%20A%20Glance,%202012.pdf|accessdate=December 31, 2012}}</ref>

==Notable people==
* [[Charles E. Allen]], former Undersecretary for Intelligence and Analysis at the US [[Department of Homeland Security]]
* [[Henlee Hulix Barnette]], American social activist and professor of [[Christian ethics]]
* [[Zach Brzykcy]], [[Major League Baseball|MLB]] pitcher<ref>[https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/player/213239/ Zack Brzykcy]. ''thebaseballcube.com''. Retrieved November 21, 2024.</ref>
* [[Harry Deal and the Galaxies]], longtime "[[beach music]]" band
* [[Harry Gant]], former [[NASCAR]] [[NASCAR Cup Series|Cup Series]] driver
* [[Wesley Harris]], member of the [[North Carolina House of Representatives]]
* [[Romulus Zachariah Linney|Romulus Z. Linney]], U.S. congressman from 1895 to 1901
* [[Jim Poole (first baseman)|Jim Poole]], MLB first baseman
* [[Jerry Rushing]], bootlegger and inspiration for ''[[The Dukes of Hazzard]]''
* [[Guppy Troup]], former professional [[Ten-pin bowling|ten-pin bowler]]
* [[Kyle Troup]], professional ten-pin bowler
* [[Onur Tukel]], filmmaker
* [[William Vanderbloemen]], entrepreneur, pastor, speaker, and author
* [[Rex White]], former NASCAR [[NASCAR Cup Series|Grand National Division]] (now Cup Series) champion

==See also==
* [[Taylorsville Times]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

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

{{Alexander County, North Carolina}}
{{North Carolina county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Alexander County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:County seats in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1847]]