Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement
Rocky Mount is a city in Nash and Edgecombe counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina.<ref name=GNIS>Template:Cite GNIS</ref><ref name="About Rocky Mount"/> The city's population was 54,341 as of the 2020 census, making it the 20th-most populous city in North Carolina.<ref name="2020CensusQuickFacts"/> The city is Template:Convert east of Raleigh, the state capital.
It is the principal city of the Rocky Mount metropolitan area—often called the "Twin Counties"—which had an estimated population of 145,383 in 2023.<ref name="Fleming2"/><ref name="PopEstCBSA">Template:Cite web</ref> Rocky Mount is also an anchor city of the Rocky Mount-Wilson-Roanoke Rapids, NC Combined Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 288,366 in 2023.<ref name="PopEstCBSA"/>
English and Scots traders encountered the indigenous people in this area of the falls of the Tar River beginning in the mid-1700s. Incorporated in 1867, the community continued to develop through the 19th century based on agriculture (cotton and tobacco), manufacturing of textiles (made possible by the water power of the falls), and development of rail transportation to link the town to major markets.
Since the late 20th century, the economy of Rocky Mount has diversified into biomedical pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and logistics.<ref name="Econ"/><ref name="Econ2"/> Rocky Mount has twice received the All-America City Award from the National Civic League: in 1969 and 1999.<ref name="NCL"/>
History
[edit]Beginnings
[edit]The region around the Tar River was continuously inhabited by various cultures of indigenous people for 12,000 years. It had long been home to the historic Tuscarora people, who spoke an Iroquoian language.<ref name="Land">Template:Cite web</ref> After English colonists and indigenous allies waged the Tuscarora War in the early 1700s; most survivors migrated to the North. The main party of the Tuscarora settled by 1722 with other Iroquoian peoples of the Five Nations, south of the Great Lakes in what became central and western New York. They became the Sixth Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy.
More English speakers began to settle the area along the Tar River.<ref name=nativeAmerican>Template:Cite web</ref> They settled along the fall line between the Piedmont and coastal plain, below which the rivers were navigable to the coast. The difference in height meant that the downstream waters could power mills.<ref name="Land"/>
The Falls of the Tar River Primitive Baptist Church was established in 1757.<ref name ="Fleming">Template:Cite book</ref> As the church was the center of community life, its records were the first civil and vital records of the developing village. Its congregation effectively administered law enforcement, with officers issuing citations for crimes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
19th century
[edit]A post office was established at the falls of the Tar River on March 22, 1816. At this point, the name "Rocky Mount" officially appears in documented history, referring to the rocky mound at the falls of the Tar River. Rocky Mount Mills, the second cotton mill in the state of North Carolina, was built there soon after in 1818.<ref name="About Rocky Mount"/> Its proprietors were two entrepreneurs and Joel Battle, grandson of an original colonial settler here. Battle bought out the other proprietors before turning over the enterprise to his cousin James Smith Battle. Until the 1850s, the mill operated with the labor of enslaved African Americans. They also comprised most of the labor on the cotton plantations.
Beginning then, the mill owners hired exclusively white women and girls as mill workers for the rest of the century.<ref name="Fleming2">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Battle family was also involved in the construction of the longest continuous railroad in the world up to that time, the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad, which ran about Template:Convert east of the mill.<ref name="Fleming2"/> It connected the area to major ports in Virginia to the north and the port of Wilmington, North Carolina to the south. The tracks first reached Rocky Mount on Christmas Eve in 1839. In 1840, a train of cars en route to Wilmington stopped in Rocky Mount to import some "Old Nash" for special toasts at opening festivities. The fame of Nash County apple brandy spread from there.
The railroad stimulated development of the town. In 1871, the county line was moved from the Tar River to its present location in the center of the tracks.<ref name="About Rocky Mount"/> The Raleigh-Tarboro stage route also passed just south of Rocky Mount (roughly where I-95 and U.S. 64 run today), and for a time was the logical debarking point for railroad travelers wishing to proceed east or west.<ref name="About Rocky Mount"/>
During the Civil War, the surrounding region was raided in 1863 by Union troops under the command of Brigadier General Edward E. Potter. They burned down the mill, which supplied Confederate yarn and cloth. After the war ended, the owners rebuilt the mill.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On February 19, 1867, the village outside the mill, which was largely devoted to worker housing, was incorporated as a town.<ref name="About Rocky Mount"/>
In the latter half of the 19th century, the tobacco industry became established in the state. Adjacent to the sandy coastal plain, Rocky Mount was well situated to take advantage of the rapidly rising demand for brightleaf tobacco that grew best in the sandy soil.<ref name="Biles">Template:Cite journal</ref> Tobacco also shaped the city's social life. Warehouses where tobacco was stored and marketed began hosting balls for the community in the 1880s; these became known as "june germans" for the time of year and style of dance. June Germans eventually transformed into all-night dance parties and attracted musicians and socialites from miles around well into the 1900s.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By the end of the 19th century, tobacco had surpassed King Cotton as the town's primary agricultural product.<ref name="Biles"/>
20th century
[edit]
_-_Nash_County_-_Rocky_Mount_-_ED_64-42_to_61_-_NARA_-_22117974.jpg){kind=link}
At the turn of the 20th century, Rocky Mount became the northern headquarters of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, which located its major repair shops and yard facilities in the town. With it came an influx of railroad workers.<ref name="Fleming"/> In 1900, Rocky Mount's population was around 3,000.
On February 28, 1907, with a population around 7,500, Rocky Mount was officially incorporated as a city. A main railroad line, a well-established cotton mill, and productive farmland for brightleaf tobacco were major contributors to the area's growth and prosperity over the next decades.<ref name="About Rocky Mount">Template:Cite web</ref> A vibrant central business district arose.<ref name="Cent0">Template:Cite news</ref>
As in the rest of the South, North Carolina had imposed legal racial segregation, including restrictions and discrimination in housing. White suburbs developed largely on the west side of town, such as Villa Place and West Haven. Black neighborhoods, such as Crosstown and Around the "Y", where jazz musician Thelonious Monk was born,<ref name="Kelley">Template:Cite book</ref> were concentrated on the east side of town.
Several notable Civil Rights events occurred in Rocky Mount. In 1946, African-American tobacco warehouse workers voted to organize in Rocky Mount as part of a broader nationwide movement known as Operation Dixie. It included voter registration to fight against the disenfranchisement of blacks and to take other political action against segregation.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> On November 27, 1962, Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech at Booker T. Washington High School; he used his refrain "I have a dream" a year before his better known delivery at the March on Washington, which became famous.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Sanitation workers went on strike in 1978 when government sanitation workers protested their black co-worker being wrongfully arrested. He was acquitted in court on the charges. In 2018 the city council officially apologized to him for the case.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
After WWII, the city continued to grow. In the 1950s and 1960s the city's economy diversified to include banking, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and the headquarters of a fast food chain known as Hardee's.<ref name="Cent1">Template:Cite news</ref>
New higher education facilities were founded, including North Carolina Wesleyan College in 1956 and Nash Community College and Edgecombe Community College in 1968. In 1970, Rocky Mount received an All-America City Award. In the 1970s the city's hospitals were consolidated under Nash General Hospital. That was also the period of completion of Rocky Mount–Wilson Regional Airport.<ref name="Cent2">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="About Rocky Mount"/>
From the 1980s, the inner city suffered urban decay, as businesses had moved out to suburban highway locations. Rocky Mount's downtown deteriorated as new neighborhoods and shopping malls were built, such as Golden East Crossing. The city expanded its boundaries by annexation; for instance, in 1996, annexing the town of Battleboro to the north of the city.<ref name="Cent3">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="ANNEX">North Carolina General Assembly, Battleboro/Rocky Mount merger, House Bill 1177, 1995 Session, Retrieved Aug. 16, 2017.</ref> In 1999, the city won its second All-America City Award.<ref name="NCL">Template:Cite web</ref>
In the fall of 1999 two hurricanes made landfall in eastern North Carolina. Both passed over Rocky Mount: Hurricane Dennis as a tropical storm in August with Template:Convert of rain and Hurricane Floyd in September with nearly Template:Convert of rain. Floyd is especially memorable because most localized flooding happened quickly overnight. Many residents were not aware of the flooding until the water came into their homes, and many required rescue. The hurricane resulted in the worst flooding in history of the Tar River, which had become saturated in August. It exceeded 500-year flood levels along its lower stretches, and many homes and businesses were destroyed.<ref name="Cent3"/><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
21st century
[edit]During the first decades of the 21st century, the city has encouraged efforts to revitalize the historic downtown. It has supported projects to renovate buildings such as the train station and Douglas Block, or repurpose them, such as the Imperial Centre for Arts and Sciences.<ref name="APA">Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2007, Capitol Broadcasting Company bought Rocky Mount Mills. It is adapting it as a mixed-use campus of breweries, restaurants, residential lofts, and event space.<ref name="ULI">Template:Cite news</ref> Major new community projects include the Template:Convert sports complex and Template:Convert downtown event center.<ref name="Cent3"/> In 2019, CSX, the successor company of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, broke ground on a new intermodal cargo terminal that is expected to stimulate the local economy in the next decade.<ref name="CSX">Template:Cite news</ref>
Geography
[edit]Template:Maplink Rocky Mount is located in northeastern North Carolina, at the fall line between the Atlantic Coastal Plain to the east and the Piedmont region to the west. The city is Template:Convert east of Raleigh, the state capital, Template:Convert northeast of Fayetteville, Template:Convert north of Wilmington, Template:Convert north of Wilson, Template:Convert south of Roanoke Rapids, and Template:Convert south of Richmond, Virginia.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.47%) is water.<ref name="TigerWebMapServer"/> The Tar River passes through the city from west to east, crossing the fall line at Upper Falls and Little Falls and descending Template:Convert within the city limits. The city boundaries straddle the line between Edgecombe and Nash counties, which follows the railroad tracks through the center of the city running north to south.
Neighborhoods
[edit]Historic Rocky Mount Mills Village
[edit]Template:Main Situated near the Tar River, the Rocky Mount Mills Village grew in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a small community of tenants working for the mill. Built between 1885 and 1940, each house in the historic district is recognized by the National Register of Historic Places.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Changes in industrialization eventually forced the closing of the mill. The workers had to find other housing. However, when the mill closed, the property remained intact. Though the property has been a rental for its entire existence, covenants are placed on the property to assure home ownership and owner occupancy and protect the historical integrity.<ref name = nrhpinv>Template:Cite web</ref>
Climate
[edit]Rocky Mount has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by cool, sometimes moderately cold winters, and hot, humid summers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The average high temperatures range from Template:Convert in the winter to around Template:Convert in the summer. The average low temperatures range from Template:Convert in the winter to around Template:Convert in the summer.<ref name="weather.com"/>
Demographics
[edit]2020 census
[edit]| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref> | Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | % 2000 | % 2010 | Template:Partial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 22,548 | 18,610 | 14,470 | 40.34% | 32.38% | 26.63% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 31,175 | 35,069 | 34,426 | 55.78% | 61.01% | 63.35% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 170 | 329 | 298 | 0.30% | 0.57% | 0.55% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 375 | 540 | 757 | 0.67% | 0.94% | 1.39% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 12 | 10 | 26 | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.05% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 69 | 68 | 238 | 0.12% | 0.12% | 0.44% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 511 | 745 | 1,454 | 0.91% | 1.30% | 2.68% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,033 | 2,106 | 2,672 | 1.85% | 3.66% | 4.92% |
| Total | 55,893 | 57,477 | 54,341 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 census, there were 54,341 people, 22,260 households, and 14,334 families residing in the city.
2010 census
[edit]At the 2010 census, there were 57,477 people, 23,097 households, and 14,639 families residing in the city. The population density was Template:Convert. The city had 26,953 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 61.3% African American, 32.4% White, 0.6% Native American, 1.0% Asian, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3.7% of the population.
Of the 23,097 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.7% were married couples living together, 22.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were not families. About 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals living alone, and 26.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city, the population was distributed as 27.5% between the ages of 1 and 19, 6.4% from 20 to 24, 24% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38.7 years. 45.8% of the population are males compared to 54.2% for females.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,059, and for a family was $39,929. The per capita income for the city was $21,779. About 19.0% of the population is below the poverty line.<ref name="USCensus">Template:Cite web</ref>
Religion
[edit]Rocky Mount's population is 40.3% religiously affiliated, below the state average of 48.9%.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Christianity is the largest religion, with Baptists (13.3%) making up the largest religious group, followed by Pentecostals (4.5%) and Methodists (3.5%). Presbyterians (1.5%), Episcopalians (0.9%), and Catholics (0.8%) make up a significant amount of the Christian population as well. The remaining Christian population (15.2%) is affiliated with other churches. Islam (0.5%) has the second-largest percentage of adherents after the total for Christian sects.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Economy
[edit]
The economy of the Rocky Mount metropolitan area, historically dependent on agriculture and textile manufacturing, has diversified into pharmaceuticals and manufacturing. As the city is located near the juncture of a number of highways and railway, distribution and logistics are important to local businesses. The area has a strong service sector and a number of financial and customer support centers are located here.<ref name="Econ">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Econ2">Template:Cite news</ref>
Rocky Mount is located Template:Convert from the state capital Raleigh and the associated Research Triangle. This has helped attract new companies to Rocky Mount seeking skilled labor and a lower costs of living and doing business.<ref name="Econ"/>
The metropolitan area was named in a 2020 study as the third-highest in the United States where manufacturing is thriving, with a manufacturing output of $6.2 billion, or $42,270 per capita. Between 2014 and 2018, manufacturing grew in the Rocky Mount area by 11.8%, and there were 108% more manufacturing jobs than the national average.<ref name="AdvisorSmith">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2019, CSX Transportation began construction of a $200 million cargo terminal in Rocky Mount.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="CSX"/>
Largest employers
[edit]Below is a list of some of the largest employers in the metropolitan area as of 2018.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
| # | Employer | No. of employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pfizer | 3,200<ref name=Pfizer>Template:Cite press release</ref> |
| 2 | Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools | 2,275 |
| 3 | Cummins–Rocky Mount Engine Plant | 1,800 |
| 4 | Nash UNC Health Care | 1,600 |
| 5 | Edgecombe County Public Schools | 1,100 |
| 6 | QVC Distribution center | 1,100 |
| 7 | CenturyLink | 1,000 |
| 8 | Sara Lee Frozen Bakery | 950 |
| 9 | Alorica | 885 |
| 10 | City of Rocky Mount | 850 |
Shopping
[edit]Rocky Mount is a regional shopping destination with many big-box retailers and specialty shops located in the city. Rocky Mount's shopping centers are generally congregated along and around US 301 (Wesleyan Boulevard). Two examples are Golden East Crossing and Englewood Square.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the downtown, the Douglas Block is a commercial area that was a former African-American business district.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Station Square is a shopping area located next to city hall and the train station.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Arts and culture
[edit]
The city is home to multiple venues for the performing arts. The Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences hosts the Maria V. Howard Arts Center, a Children's Museum and Science Center, and a community theater.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Dunn Center for the Performing Arts at Wesleyan College regularly has college arts performances and touring acts, and is also the home of the Tar River Orchestra and Chorus.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Most recently, the Rocky Mount Event Center opened in downtown with space for up to 5,000 seats for entertainment and sporting events.<ref name=RMEC>Template:Cite web</ref>
Rocky Mount Mills is a craft brewery incubator, the first of its kind on North Carolina. It now holds many up-and-coming breweries and restaurants. In addition, the mill hosts summer music festivals and other events throughout the year. Since 2014 it has been in redevelopment by Capitol Broadcasting Company, which also owns the popular American Tobacco campus in downtown Durham, North Carolina. Nearby are dozens of historical homes for rent in the Rocky Mount Mills Village.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The next phase of development is Goat Island on the Tar River, which will offer public access to hiking trails, sandy beaches, and rafting/canoeing.<ref name="Econ2"/>
A Rocky Mount Railroad Museum has been in the planning stages for a number of years. The railroad was basic to the city's development: in the early to mid-1900s the Emerson Shops of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad employed more than 2,000 people. The museum organizers are seeking a suitable facility.<ref name="Cent1"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It has been proposed for location inside the train station.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
National Register of Historic Places
[edit]The area includes individually recognized properties, such as the Bellamy-Philips House, Bellemonte, Benvenue, Machaven, The Meadows, Rocky Mount Electric Power Plant, Rocky Mount Mills, and Stonewall.
It also has numerous recognized districts: Edgemont Historic District, Falls Road Historic District, Lincoln Park Historic District, Rocky Mount Central City Historic District, Rocky Mount Mills Village Historic District, Villa Place Historic District, and West Haven Historic District; all are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.<ref name="nris">Template:NRISref</ref>
Parks and recreation
[edit]
Rocky Mount is a major center for youth sports tourism, as it is a midpoint between New York and Florida along I-95.<ref name="Tourism">Template:Cite news</ref> The Rocky Mount Sports Complex, maintained by the Parks and Recreation department, includes seven outdoor baseball fields, four softball fields, eight soccer fields, a professional disc golf course, basketball courts, and volleyball courts. The complex is used for numerous statewide and interstate baseball and soccer tournaments.
It also has a football stadium, home to the NCWC Battling Bishops football team and Elizabeth City State University's annual Down East Viking Classic.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Rocky Mount Event Center administered by the city has added eight indoor basketball courts, sixteen volleyball courts, a ropes course, a climbing wall, and a family entertainment center, with plans to host indoor basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics competitions.<ref name="Tourism"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Tar River Trail is a Template:Convert greenway running east to west along the namesake river that connects with multiple parks, city landmarks, and the sports complex. There are designated boat ramps for access to recreational paddling trips on the river. Notable among the connected parks is City Lake Park, built in 1937 during the Great Depression by the Works Progress Administration, and the Template:Convert biodiverse Battle Park centered on the falls of the Tar River.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The trail also includes a Template:Convert long, clear-span, wooden bridge, believed to be the longest such wooden bridge in the United States.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Government
[edit]
The city of Rocky Mount has a council-manager form of government. The city is divided into seven wards with a total of seven council members elected to the city council, one from each ward. Members of the city council serve four-year terms with staggered elections every two years, while the mayor is elected at-large by citizens and serves a four-year term. The mayor is ex officio chair of the city council and votes only in case of a tie. The council appoints a city manager to serve as chief administrative officer of day-to-day affairs of government. As of 2022, the current city manager is Peter Varney.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Since the city straddles the Nash County-Edgecombe County border, the commissions of both counties are also involved in governance of the city.<ref name= fernelius>Template:Cite web</ref>
City council
[edit]- Sandy Roberson (Mayor)
- Andre Knight (Ward 1)
- Reuben C. Blackwell, IV (Ward 2)
- Richard Joyner (Ward 3)
- T. J. Walker (Ward 4)
- Lige Daughtridge (Ward 5)
- Tom Harris (Ward 6)
- Jabaris Walker (Ward 7)
Education
[edit]
North Carolina Wesleyan University is a four-year private liberal arts college located in Rocky Mount and home to the Eastern North Carolina Center for Business and Entrepreneurship. The center's programs are free, open to the public, and focus on business development, entrepreneurship, and community engagement.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The city is also served by Nash Community College, which has a brewing, distillation, and fermentation program in partnership with the Mills.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Edgecombe Community College has a downtown campus specializing in biotechnology and medical simulation, one of only two such centers in the state.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Shaw University's College of Adult and Professional Education (C.A.P.E.) has a satellite campus in Mills Village.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The city of Rocky Mount is primarily served by the Nash-Rocky Mount Public School System, which as a whole has 15,000 students in 28 schools.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Parts of the city in Edgecombe County are also served by the Edgecombe County Public Schools system.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Public high schools include Nash Central High School, Northern Nash High School, Rocky Mount High School, Southwest Edgecombe High School and Southern Nash High School.
Three non-traditional public schools are Tar River Academy, The Center for Industry Technology and Innovation and its sister school, the Nash Rocky Mount Early College. The one local charter school is Rocky Mount Preparatory School. There are also a number of private schools in the area.
Braswell Memorial Library serves the community as its major public library with affiliated libraries throughout the Twin Counties. It recently became part of the State Library's NC Cardinal consortium of public libraries. These share an integrated system allowing books and other materials to be checked out from other libraries across the state.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Media
[edit]Rocky Mount is considered part of the Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville television and radio media market, the 25th largest in the United States. However, multiple broadcast stations in the Greenville-New Bern-Washington market also cover the city.
Locally, WHIG-TV, founded in 1997 and now hosted at Wesleyan College, and WNCR-LD, founded in 2002 and located in downtown, are Rocky Mount's community television stations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> WRQM 90.9 FM is the repeater station of public radio station WUNC, the local NPR affiliate. In the 1990s, it was known as "Down East Radio" and also hosted at Wesleyan College.<ref name=rdu>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Rocky Mount Telegram serves as the main daily newspaper for the city of Rocky Mount and surrounding areas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Infrastructure
[edit]Transportation
[edit]Roads and highways
[edit].jpg){kind=link}
The city is served by three major highways:
- Template:Jct to its west.
- Template:Jct (Future I-87) as its main east–west corridor.
- Template:Jct (Wesleyan Boulevard) as its main north–south corridor.
In the downtown area, both US 64 Bus. (Sunset Avenue / Thomas Street) and US 301 Bus. (Church Street) serve as major thoroughfares. State highways NC 4, NC 43, NC 48 and NC 97 serve the city by connecting to nearby towns.
Airports
[edit]The Rocky Mount–Wilson Regional Airport Template:Airport codes serves the general aviation needs of the surrounding counties. It is on NC 97, Template:Convert southwest of downtown Rocky Mount. The closest airport with scheduled commercial service is Pitt–Greenville Airport (PGV), Template:Convert to the southeast. Cargo and charter flights in the area also use the Kinston Regional Jetport (ISO), Template:Convert to the south. Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), is Template:Convert to the west.
Rail
[edit]
Amtrak provides three north and three southbound trains per day at the Rocky Mount station located in downtown. Service is to Washington, D.C., New York City, Miami and Philadelphia. Freight service is provided by CSX. Trains travel to destinations in eastern North Carolina and also to points west and south of the city.
Public transit
[edit]Tar River Transit provides public transportation in and around the city of Rocky Mount, and operates 10 fixed bus routes throughout the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Health care
[edit]Nash UNC Health Care is a non-profit hospital affiliated with UNC Health Care, which it joined in 2014. It has 345 beds at four different locations. Its flagship facility is Nash General Hospital.<ref name="Nash">Template:Cite web</ref> When Nash General opened in 1971, it consolidated four different hospitals in the Rocky Mount area, and was the first all-private-room hospital in North Carolina.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Other hospitals operated are Nash Day Hospital, Bryant T. Aldridge Rehabilitation Center, and Coastal Plain Hospital. Nash UNC has added more facilities in recent years: a Surgery Pavilion in 2004, a renovated Emergency Department and Nash Heart Center in 2014, and Nash Women's Center in 2016. In 2018, the Danny Talbott Cancer Center facility opened, named in honor of a Rocky Mount athletic legend and cancer survivor.<ref name="Nash"/><ref name="Talbott">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Notable people
[edit]- Andrew B. Anderson Jr., U.S. Air Force lieutenant general and chief of staff, born in Rocky Mount<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Lloyd W. Bailey, faithless elector in the 1968 Presidential election<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Thurbert Baker, the first African-American Attorney General in the State of Georgia born in Rocky Mount
- F. C. Barnes, gospel musician born in Rocky Mount<ref name="Barnes">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Luther Barnes, gospel music producer born in Rocky Mount<ref name="Barnes"/>
- Gardner Bishop, barber and civil rights activist, born in Rocky Mount
- Herman Boone, coach depicted by Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans, born in Rocky Mount<ref name="Fleming2"/>
- Benjamin Bunn, former U.S. congressman and first mayor of Rocky Mount, lived in historic Benvenue<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Jim Clack, NFL football player who won two Super Bowl championships with the Pittsburgh Steelers, born in Rocky Mount<ref name="Fleming2"/>
- Jeff Collins, former member of the North Carolina General Assembly<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Roy Cooper, governor of North Carolina<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Elijah L. Daughtridge, 12th lieutenant governor of North Carolina, born in Rocky Mount
- Harold Denton, nuclear physicist, born in Rocky Mount, who advised the President during the Three Mile Island accident<ref name="Fleming2"/>
- Harold Bascom Durham Jr., recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Vietnam War<ref>2LT Harold Bascom Durham, Jr.. Military Hall of Honor. Retrieved October 19, 2020.</ref>
- Mike Easley, former governor of North Carolina and state attorney general, born in Rocky Mount<ref name="Explore">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Phil Ford, UNC and NBA basketball player, born in Rocky Mount<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Jim Gardner, businessman and politician, former U.S. congressman and lieutenant governor, who co-founded Hardee's in the city<ref name="Fleming2"/>
- Maureen Garrett, soap opera actress born in Rocky Mount
- Alberta Gay, mother of Marvin Gaye, born in Rocky Mount<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- Kaye Gibbons, novelist who attended Rocky Mount Senior High School and wrote Ellen Foster<ref name="Fleming2"/>
- Billy Godwin, former head baseball coach for East Carolina University born in Rocky Mount<ref name="Explore"/>
- Brian Goodwin, MLB baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates
- Allan Gurganus, author who wrote Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All born in Rocky Mount<ref name="rockymountreview.com">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Bill Harrison, former CEO and chairman of JPMorgan Chase born in Rocky Mount<ref name="Explore"/>
- Damariscotta Helm, international whistling champion<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Matt Hill, electric blues musician born in Rocky Mount
- Chuck Hinton, MLB baseball player born in Rocky Mount<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Earle Hyman, actor born in Rocky Mount who portrayed Cliff's father on The Cosby Show<ref name="Fleming2"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Terrence J, actor and co-anchor of E! News lived in Rocky Mount and attended nearby Northern Nash High School<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Jack Kerouac, father of the Beat Generation who resided with family off and on and referred to city as "Testament, Virginia" in On the Road<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Kay Kyser, big band musician, radio and film personality born in Rocky Mount<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Buck Leonard, Negro league baseball player; member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Westray Battle Long, second director of Women's Army Corps under Dwight D. Eisenhower during World War II born in Rocky Mount<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Bill Mathis, American Football League football player who was a running back for the New York Jets
- Mae Mercer, Blues singer, actress and producer born in annexed former town of Battleboro
- Thelonious Monk, jazz pianist born in Rocky Mount<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- William Murray, former football player and head coach at Duke University born in Rocky Mount<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Vann R. Newkirk II, journalist and staff writer for The Atlantic born in Rocky Mount<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Thomas J. Pearsall, attorney, politician, and philanthropist. He was the main instigator of the Pearsall Plan and was a co-founder of North Carolina Wesleyan College.
- Charles Pittman, NBA basketball player born in Rocky Mount<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Chuck Robbins, CEO of Cisco Systems who attended Rocky Mount High School<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Etaf Rum, The New York Times best-selling author of A Woman is No Man who lives in Rocky Mount<ref name="RMT">Template:Cite news</ref>
- Susie Sharp, first female North Carolina Supreme Court justice born in Rocky Mount
- Don Stallings, NFL football player who played for the Washington Redskins and for the University of North Carolina in college
- Danny Talbott,UNC and NFL quarterback who led Rocky Mount High School to state championships in football, basketball, and baseball<ref name="Talbott"/>
- Ken Thompson, former CEO and chairman of Wachovia born in Rocky Mount<ref name="Explore"/>
- Jim Thorpe, Olympic gold medalist who played minor league baseball for the Rocky Mount Railroaders<ref name="Fleming2"/>
- Mike Tyson, MLB baseball player born in Rocky Mount<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Phil Valentine, talk show radio host was born in Rocky Mount but grew up in nearby Nashville<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Tim Valentine, former U.S. congressman born in Rocky Mount<ref name="Fleming2"/>
- Harold Vick, jazz musician known for his work in the film School Daze (1988) born in Rocky Mount
- Buck Williams, NBA basketball player born in Rocky Mount<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Emmy Award winning actress born in Rocky Mount<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Adrian H. Wood, educator and blogger who was born and raised in Rocky Mount<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
[edit]- List of municipalities in North Carolina
- Rocky Mount Pines, a former minor-league baseball team of the Carolina League
- List of U.S. communities with African-American majority populations
References
[edit]External links
[edit]Template:Edgecombe County, North Carolina Template:Nash County, North Carolina Template:North Carolina