Wilson

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City of Wilson
—  City  —
Motto: (
Location of Wilson shown within North Carolina
Coordinates: 35°43′52″N 77°55′25″W / 35.73111°N 77.92361°W / 35.73111; -77.92361
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Wilson
Area
- Total	23.4 sq mi (60.7 km2)
- Land	23.3 sq mi (60.3 km2)
- Water	0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation	108 ft (33 m)
Population (July 2007 census)
- Total	47,380
- Density	1,906.9/sq mi (736.3/km2)
Time zone	Eastern Time Zone (USA/Canada) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	-4 (UTC-4)
Zip Code	27893/27896/27894/27895
Area code(s)	252
FIPS code	37-74540[1]
GNIS feature ID	1023273[2]
Website	http://www.wilsonnc.org

Wilson is a city and the county seat of Wilson County^[3] in the Coastal Plain region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The 17th largest city in the state, Wilson had a population of 47,380 at the 2007 census.

Geography

Wilson is located at 35°43′52″N 77°55′25″W / 35.73111°N 77.92361°W / 35.73111; -77.92361 (35.731093, -77.923509).^[4]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.4 square miles (60.7 km²), of which, 23.3 square miles (60.3 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (0.64%) is water.

Wilson is located at the intersection of Interstate 95 and US 264; approximately 45 minutes east of Raleigh, the state capital.

Demographics

United States census^[1] data from 2007 report a population of 47,804 people, 17,296 households, and 11,328 families residing in the city. The population density was 736.1/km² (1,906.9/mi²). There were 18,660 housing units at an average density of 309.3/km² (801.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 47.53% African American, 46.67% White, 0.31% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.89% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.29% of the population.

There were 17,296 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 19.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,169, and the median income for a family was $41,041. Males had a median income of $30,682 versus $22,363 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,813. About 16.5% of families and 25.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.5% of those under age 18 and 20.4% of those age 65 or over.

Infrastructure

The city is working on plans to deal with future water shortages.^[5]

The city has built its own municipal cable provider known as GreenLight which provides cable TV, digital phone and internet to its residents. As of October 2009, the local government claims that the speeds of its Greenlight internet service are the fastes in the state.^[6]

Transportation

Wilson is served by two airports: Wilson Industrial Airport and Rocky Mount-Wilson Airport (RWI).

The following highways travel through Wilson: I-95, I-795, U.S. 301, U.S. Route 264, U.S. 117, N.C. 42, and N.C. 58. Five-lane roads include Hines Street, Tarboro Street, and Ward Boulevard.

Real Estate

The Wilson Preservation Commission [2]oversees the protection of the local historic districts and the landmark properties including the Boykin Center [3] the Jacob Tomlinson House [4] the Arts Council Building [5] The Charles Coon School and the Davis-Whitehead-Harriss House [6].

Healthcare

Hospitals

Wilson Medical Center is a 330 bed hospital.^[7]

Culture

Sports

Wilson is home to the Wilson Tobs of the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The Tobs play at Fleming Stadium in Wilson. The Tobs began play for the league's inaugural 1997 season.

Education

Public Schools

Wilson County Public Schools

14 Elementary Schools (K-5): Wells, Margaret Hearne, Vick, New Hope, Vinson-Bynum, B.O. Barnes, Winstead, Elm City, Stantonsburg, Lee Woodard, Lucama, Rock Ridge, Gardners, Jones.

6 Middle Schools: C H Darden, Forest Hills, Toisnot, Elm City, Speight, Springfield.

3 High schools: E. T. Beddingfield, Ralph L. Fike, James B. Hunt.

2 Alternative Schools: Adams Learning Center (K-5), Daniels Learning Center (6-8).

Sallie B. Howard School for the Arts and Education.

Deaf Education

Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf

Hair Schools

Mitchell's Hairstying Academy

Private Schools

Wilson is home to several private schools: Community Christian School (Daycare - Pre-K -12), Garnett Christian Academy, Wilson Christian Academy (K-12), and Greenfield School (Pre-K-12) (non-sectarian).

Colleges

Wilson is also home to Barton College, a liberal arts college, and Wilson Community College.

Notable Residents

• Anthony Atkinson - Harlem Globetrotter
• Everette Brown- Defensive End for the Carolina Panthers
• G.K. Butterfield, U.S. Representative from North Carolina (2004-Present).
• Bunn Hearn, major league pitcher.
• Will Hesmer Major League Soccer goalkeeper for the Columbus Crew.
• Jim Hunt Governor of North Carolina, (1977-1985, 1993-2001).
• The O'Kaysions, an R&B sextet known for their 1968 Top 5 pop hit "Girl Watcher."
• Julius Peppers (NFL Defensive End for Carolina Panthers), born in Wilson
• Frederick Augustus Woodard, U.S. Representative from North Carolina (1893-1897).

References

External links

• Wilson Medical Center Homepage
• Official website of Wilson, NC
• Wilson Chamber of Commerce
• Wilson Visitors Bureau
• Imagination Station Science Museum of Wilson

• Wilson, North Carolina is at coordinates 35°43′52″N 77°55′25″W / 35.731093°N 77.923509°W / 35.731093; -77.923509 (Wilson, North Carolina)Coordinates: 35°43′52″N 77°55′25″W / 35.731093°N 77.923509°W / 35.731093; -77.923509 (Wilson, North Carolina)

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Wilson County, North Carolina County seat: Wilson City Wilson Towns Black Creek | Elm City | Kenly‡ | Lucama | Saratoga | Sharpsburg‡ | Sims | Stantonsburg Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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