- Lowell, North Carolina
Infobox Settlement
official_name = Lowell, North Carolina
settlement_type =City
nickname =
motto =
imagesize =
image_caption =
image_
mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Lowell, North Carolina
mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name = flagicon|USAUnited States
subdivision_name1 = flagicon|North CarolinaNorth Carolina
subdivision_name2 = Gaston
government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Judy Horne
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title = Incorporated
established_date = 1879unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 6.8
area_land_km2 = 6.8
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 2.6
area_land_sq_mi = 2.6
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 2662
population_density_km2 = 390.7
population_density_sq_mi = 1011.8timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 249
elevation_ft = 817
latd = 35 |latm = 16 |lats = 2 |latNS = N
longd = 81 |longm = 6 |longs = 4 |longEW = Wpostal_code_type =
ZIP code
postal_code = 28098
area_code = 704
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 37-39480GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0989086GR|3
website =
footnotes =Lowell is a city in Gaston County,
North Carolina ,United States . The population was 2,662 at the 2000 census.Geography
Lowell is located at coor dms|35|16|2|N|81|6|4|W|city (35.267346, -81.101210)GR|1.
According to the
United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 2.6square mile s (6.8km² ), all of it land. TheSouth Fork Catawba River borders Lowell on the north and the city is part of the Cramerton Watershed.History
Lowell was incorporated in 1879. It was named after
Lowell, Massachusetts , in hopes the city would become a similar textile center. The settlement dates back to 1850, when Woodlawn Mill was built on theSouth Fork Catawba River . When grading was done for theAtlanta and Richmond Air Line Railway in 1870 and a small depot was built in the community, it was given the name "Wright’s Station", because the nearest resident was William Wright. [http://www.belmontchamber.com/lowell.html. Retrieved on 2008-07-04] [http://www.lowellnc.com/history.htm.Retrieved on 2008-07-04]Demographics
As of the
census GR|2 of 2000, there were 2,662 people, 1,085 households, and 748 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 1,011.8 people per square mile (390.8/km²). There were 1,137 housing units at an average density of 432.2/sq mi (166.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.40% White, 6.46% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.19% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.31% of the population.There were 1,085 households out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 85.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,586, and the median income for a family was $39,143. Males had a median income of $30,750 versus $24,063 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $15,809. About 10.1% of families and 11.0% of the population were below thepoverty line , including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.Government
Lowell is governed by a mayor and a five-member city council. It is run by a full-time City Administrator. Lowell operates its own Police Department. Fire protection is provided by the Lowell Volunteer Fire Department (Station 17).
Lowell is in South Point Township.
Education
Public education in Lowell is administered by the
Gaston County Schools public school system. The public schools in Lowell are [http://www.gaston.k12.nc.us/schools/lowell/ Lowell Elementary School] , Kindergarten through Grade 5, and [http://www.gaston.k12.nc.us/schools/holbrook/ Holbrook Middle School] , Grades 6-8.Most of Lowell is in the attendance district for Lowell Elementary School. Southeastern parts of the city are in the attendance district for [http://www.gaston.k12.nc.us/Schools/mcadenville/ McAdenville Elementary School] in McAdenville, and a small area in southwestern Lowell is in the attendance distinct for [http://www.gaston.k12.nc.us/Schools/gardnerpark/ Gardner Park Elementary School] in Gastonia. All of the city is in the attendance district for Holbrook Middle School.
High School age students attend
Ashbrook High School in Gastonia, except for a small part of southeastern Lowell which is in the attendance district for South Point High School in Belmont.Private schools in Lowell include the elementary school of
Gaston Christian School . New middle school and high school facilities are currently under construction at the Lowell campus. In the meantime, the school has been renting facilities for the middle school and high school programs at the former campus of Sacred Heart College in Belmont since 1994.Transportation
The primary east-west highway passing through Lowell is
Interstate 85 . Other important highways includeU.S. Route 29 /U.S. Route 74 (Wilkinson Blvd./Franklin Blvd.) andNorth Carolina Highway 7 (McAdenville Rd./3rd St./Main St./1st St./Lowell Rd.).Freight rail service is provided by the
Norfolk Southern Railway . WhileAmtrak 's passenger train also follows the Norfolk Southern main line, the nearest station is in Gastonia.Points of Interest
* [http://www.co.gaston.nc.us/ParksAndRec/GeorgePoston.HTM George Poston Park] is located northwest of Lowell on Lowell-Spencer Mountain Road. This Gaston County-operated park includes a playground, 4 lighted softball/little league fields, 4 lighted soccer fields, and a mountain bike trail.
* The Lowell Teacherage at 503 W. First St. in Lowell is a Designated Gaston County Historic Property. It was built in 1924 to house teachers when the local school was not in session. [Piper Peters Aheron. Gastonia and Gaston County, North Carolina, pg. 66. Mount Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2001. ISBN 0738506737.]Famous Residents
*
Whitey Lockman (born 1926), a retiredMajor League Baseball player, primarily with theNew York Giants . Lockman also managed theChicago Cubs for 2½ seasons.References
External links
* [http://www.lowellnc.com/ City of Lowell] official government website
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.