King, North Carolina

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

King is a town in Stokes County, North Carolina, United States. Portions of the town are also in Forsyth County. The population was 5,952 at the 2000 census.

King is also a part of the Piedmont Triad metropolitan area, located northwest of Winston-Salem.

The City of King has two large public parks: Recreation Acres and Central Park.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Demographics
4 External links

[edit] Geography

King is located at 36°16′25″N, 80°21′12″W (36.273555, -80.353460)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.5 km² (5.2 mi²). None of the area is covered with water.

[edit] History

The town was originally called King's Cabin. Charles and Francis King lived in a cabin owned by Francis's father for a short time in the 1830's. Being Quakers and anti-slavery the King family moved to the free North. According to television journalist and historian Chad Tucker's book Images of America, King, (2006) after the King family left their home it was used by locals as a landmark or reference point in giving directions. Several decades later when a post office was established in 1888 it was named for that reference point, King's Cabin. The railroad laid tracks a few years later and shortened the name to King in its business transactions and to eliminate confusion the post office followed on September 26, 1894. Charles and Francis King never returned to Stokes County and never knew their former home became the namesake of a town. According to Tucker, the community grew into an unincorporated town of churches, a school and businesses. With the first automobile arriving by train in October 1911, new highways followed. With new roads, the town's proximity to Winston-Salem, and a new four lane highway 52 built in the 1960s, King opened its doors to growth, turning farmland into subdivisions. Community groups acted as an unofficial town council, providing services such as a fire department, water and sewer. On September 13, 1983, King became an incorporated town, 95 years after the King's Cabin post office opened.

Tucker, Chad. Images of America, King. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2006.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 5,952 people, 2,303 households, and 1,697 families residing in the city. The population density was 441.1/km² (1,141.6/mi²). There were 2,438 housing units at an average density of 180.7/km² (467.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.59% White, 1.73% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.05% of the population.

There were 2,303 households out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.8% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $48,897, and the median income for a family was $55,767. Males had a median income of $38,443 versus $27,992 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,257. About 0.8% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.5% of those under age 18 and 16.1% of those age 65 or over.