Hillsborough, North Carolina
From Free net encyclopedia
Hillsborough is a town located in Orange County, North Carolina. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 5,446. It is the county seat of Orange CountyTemplate:GR.
Contents |
History
Hillsborough was surveyed and mapped by William Churton (a surveyor for Earl Granville) in 1754, and was originally named Corbin Town (for Francis Corbin, a member of the governor’s council and one of Granville’s land agents) soon thereafter in 1754, and again renamed Childsburgh (in honor of Thomas Child, the attorney general for North Carolina from 1751-1760 and another one of Granville’s land agents) in 1759. It wasn’t until 1766 that it was named Hillsborough, after the Earl of Hillsborough, the British secretary of state for the colonies and a relative of royal Governor Tryon’s.
It was an earlier Piedmont colonial town where court was held, and was the scene of some pre-Revolutionary War tensions (such as during the Regulator uprising). The town was used as a base by (British General) Cornwallis in February of 1781 during the American Revolution. Its name was unofficially shortened to "Hillsboro" over the years (beginning in the 19th century) but was changed back to its original spelling in the late 20th century.
An early map of the town was produced in 1768 by Claude Joseph Sauthier.
Occoneechee Speedway, just outside of Hillsborough, was one of the first two NASCAR tracks to open and is the only track remaining from that inaugural, 1949 season.
Geography
Image:NCMap-doton-Hillsborough.PNG Image:Eno River.jpg
Hillsborough is located at 36°4'29" North, 79°6'15" West (36.074794, -79.104183)Template:GR, along the Eno River.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 11.9 km² (4.6 mi²). 11.9 km² (4.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.22% is water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 5,446 people, 2,101 households, and 1,428 families residing in the town. The population density was 459.1/km² (1,188.7/mi²). There were 2,329 housing units at an average density of 196.3/km² (508.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 60.26% White, 34.83% African American, 0.51% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.62% from other races, and 2.20% from two or more races. 2.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 2,101 households out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, 20.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% 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 2.99.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,111, and the median income for a family was $46,793. Males had a median income of $36,636 versus $29,052 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,818. 12.6% of the population and 11.0% of families were below the poverty line. 16.1% of those under the age of 18 and 16.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.