Kernersville, North Carolina

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Kernersville, North Carolina
settlement_type = Town
nickname =
motto =

imagesize =
image_caption =


image_

mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Kernersville, North Carolina


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = North Carolina
subdivision_type2 = Counties
subdivision_name2 = Forsyth, Guilford
government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Dawn H. Morgan
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title =
established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 31.5
area_land_km2 = 31.3
area_water_km2 = 0.2
area_total_sq_mi = 12.2
area_land_sq_mi = 12.1
area_water_sq_mi = 0.1

population_as_of = 2007
population_footnotes =
population_total = 22,309
population_density_km2 = 546.6
population_density_sq_mi = 1415.7

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 317
elevation_ft = 1040
latd = 36 |latm = 6 |lats = 58 |latNS = N
longd = 80 |longm = 4 |longs = 55 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP codes
postal_code = 27284-27285
area_code = 336
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 37-35600GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0987932GR|3
website = [http://toknc.com/ www.toknc.com]
footnotes =

Kernersville is a town in Forsyth and Guilford counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 17,126 at the 2000 census. Kernersville is located at the heart of the Piedmont Triad metropolitan area, which consists of the cities of Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem. Although Kernersville has traditionally been considered a suburb of Winston-Salem, the arrival of new industries (particularly the Dell Computer plant), has given the city a booming population and a character all its own. However in recent months there have been talks of closing the plant which could have a big impact on the city. Much of the rural farmland surrounding the town has been sold and turned into upper-class housing developments, and numerous shopping centers have been built in the town over the past few years.

Geography

Kernersville is located at coor dms|36|6|58|N|80|4|55|W|city (36.116240, -80.081963)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 12.2 square miles (31.5 km²), of which, 12.1 square miles (31.3 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.58%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 17,126 people, 7,286 households, and 4,663 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,415.7 people per square mile (546.5/km²). There were 7,950 housing units at an average density of 657.2/sq mi (253.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 84.11% White, 8.74% African American, 0.32% Native American, 1.26% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.33% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.36% of the population.

There were 7,286 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,520, and the median income for a family was $52,266. Males had a median income of $36,777 versus $26,873 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,506. About 6.3% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.6% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.

History & Current Events

The site was first settled by an Irishman named Jacob Story in 1756. Around 1770 the site was purchased by William Dobson and was called Dobson's Crossroads. George Washington was served breakfast at Dobson's tavern on June 2, 1791. Joseph Kerner bought the property in 1871 and the town became known as Kerners Crossroads. Eventually the town became Kernersville. [Powell, William S. "The North Carolina Gazetteer: A Dictionary of Tar Heel Places", Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, 1968.]

In late 2005 President George W. Bush visited Kernersville's Deere Hitachi plant to give a speech about the American economy.

Improvements

Starting in July of 2008, Main Street was closed through downtown Kernersville. The improvements include widening the road and adding parking along the street. Main Street was re-opened on October 2, 2008.

Education

Kernersville is served by five public elementary schools, three public middle schools, and two public high schools - Glenn Senior High School and East Forsyth Senior High School. These public schools are all a part of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school system. Kernersville is also home to four private schools, most prominently the Brookside Montessori School and Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School; it is one of only three Catholic High Schools in North Carolina. Kernersville also contains a branch of the Forsyth Technical Community College. Numerous private high schools and colleges are located within easy driving distance of Kernersville; among the colleges and universities located nearby are Wake Forest University and Winston-Salem State University in Winston-Salem, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Guilford College, and North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, and High Point University in High Point.

Attractions

[http://www.kornersfolly.org/index.htm Körner’s Folly] was built in 1878 by Jule Körner. It is now a minor tourist attraction, as a result of its very unusual design and architecture. It also housed the first private Little Theatre in the US. The house was recently featured in the New York Times (March 10, 2006), and has been featured in Southern Living Magazine (May 2004) and in a televised Our State Magazine production. Click on the links to see a picture of Körner's Folly and one of its rooms. [http://24.199.224.25/images/village%20profile%20006.jpg] [http://24.199.224.25/images/village%20profile%20007.jpg] A model of the house was made into an ornament to represent North Carolina on the White House Christmas Tree in 2001.

A new attraction to grace the streets of Kernersville is the new ownership and conversion of the Julius S. Harmon House. The Harmon House, which was previously used as the location for a local business, Lizzie's Herb Shop, has recently been bought by Imogene Lambe. The house has been refurnished and redecorated to provide a beautiful, antiquated events center. Its most common functions are receptions and conferences. The new Harmon House can be seen here [http://www.harmon-house.com] .

References

External links

* [http://toknc.com/ Official website of Kernersville, NC]
* [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051205-4.html G. W. Bush speech in Kernersville]
* [http://kernersvillenc.com Chamber of Commerce With Visitor Information Package]
* [http://www.kernersvilleliving.com Kernersville Living Magazine]