Sanford, North Carolina

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Sanford, North Carolina
City
The Lee County Courthouse in Sanford
The Lee County Courthouse in Sanford
Nickname(s): 
Brick City
Location of Sanford, North Carolina
Location of Sanford, North Carolina
Coordinates: 35°28′52.8″N 79°10′39.2″W / 35.481333°N 79.177556°W / 35.481333; -79.177556Coordinates: 35°28′52.8″N 79°10′39.2″W / 35.481333°N 79.177556°W / 35.481333; -79.177556
CountryUnited States
StateNorth Carolina
CountyLee
Government
 • MayorChet Mann[1]
 • City managerHal Hegwer
Area
[2]
 • Total29.32 sq mi (75.93 km2)
 • Land29.06 sq mi (75.27 km2)
 • Water0.26 sq mi (0.67 km2)
Elevation
365 ft (108 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total30,261
 • Density1,041.33/sq mi (402.03/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes
27330-27332
Area code(s)919
FIPS code37-59280[3]
GNIS feature ID1022497[4]
Websitewww.sanfordnc.net

Sanford is a city in Lee County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 30,261 at the 2020 census.[5] It is the county seat of Lee County.[6]

Geography[]

Sanford is located at the center of Lee County at

 WikiMiniAtlas
35°28′33″N 79°10′32″W / 35.475881°N 79.175463°W / 35.475881; -79.175463 (35.475881, −79.175463).[7] It is 42 miles (68 km) southwest of Raleigh, the state capital, 57 miles (92 km) southeast of Greensboro, and 36 miles (58 km) northwest of Fayetteville.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.3 square miles (75.9 km2), of which 29.1 square miles (75.3 km2) are land and 0.3 square miles (0.7 km2), or 0.88%, are water.[8] Little Buffalo Creek, a tributary of the Deep River, flows northward through the center of the city. Big Buffalo Creek flows through the west side of the city, and the entire city is part of the Cape Fear River watershed. Lick Creek and its tributaries drain the east side of the city.

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1880236—
189036755.5%
19001,044184.5%
19102,282118.6%
19202,97730.5%
19304,25342.9%
19404,96016.6%
195010,013101.9%
196012,25322.4%
197011,716−4.4%
198014,77326.1%
199014,475−2.0%
200023,22060.4%
201028,09421.0%
202030,2617.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]

As of the census[3] of 2009, there were 29,922 people, which was a 28.9% increase from 2000. The population density was 1243 people per square mile (372.5/km2). There were 9,223 housing units at an average density of 383.2 per square mile (147.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 55.87% White, 29.19% African American, 0.50% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 11.93% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 19.03% of the population.

There were 8,550 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were married couples living together, 17.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 people and the average family size was 3.15 people.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,804, and the median income for a family was $39,447. Males had a median income of $30,527 versus $23,393 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,038. About 14.8% of families and 17.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.4% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.

Law and government[]

Sanford operates under a council-manager government. The city council consists of the mayor and seven council members, each with a four-year term. Five of the council seats are ward (district) representatives, and two seats are citywide representatives elected at-large.

Business and industry[]

Because Sanford sits where white beach sand from the coast meets the Piedmont clay, the city has the right ingredients to be a large producer of clay bricks. In 1959, Sanford produced 10% of the bricks in the United States and was named "Brick Capital of the USA".[10] Today large brick production continues via manufacturers such as General Shale and Lee Brick & Tile.

Sanford also produces textiles, and has since seen the influx of the biotech industry with the Wyeth Vaccines, aka Pfizer, facility becoming the area's largest employer in 2006.[11]

Situated nearly equidistant from the Greensboro, Raleigh/Durham/RTP, and Fayetteville metro areas, Sanford is well positioned to provide manufacturing, services, and housing throughout the region for business and industry.

Other large employers are:

  • 3M
  • Air System Components, Inc.
  • Alotech Inc.
  • Caterpillar Inc.
  • Coty, Inc., a cosmetics and perfume manufacturer
  • Edelbrock
  • Frontier Spinning Mills
  • GKN
  • Homes by Vanderbuilt
  • Magneti Marelli
  • Martin Marietta Inc.
  • Moen
  • Moore's Machine Company
  • Pfizer
  • Pilgrim's Corp
  • Precision Castparts Corporation
  • , residential and commercial sales
  • , manufacturer of anti-static equipment and component parts for remanufactured laser printer toner cartridges
  • Tyson Foods

Media[]

Newspapers[]

The city's newspaper of record is The Sanford Herald, which has published continuously since 1930. The newspaper is owned by Paxton Media Group, based in Paducah, Kentucky. The Herald is a five-day-a-week morning newspaper and is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations and of the North Carolina Press Association.

"The Rant"[12] was founded in 2008 by former journalists with experience at several print publications, including The Sanford Herald. Initially a radio show, it became an online news site in 2014. In 2019, it began publishing a monthly print edition.

Radio stations[]

  • WFJA Classic Hits and Oldies 105.5 FM - classic hits and oldies
  • WWGP 1050 AM Today's Best Country – country, The Swap Shop and local news
  • W204AV 88.7 – Christian
  • WDCC 90.5 – variety (owned by Central Carolina Community College)
  • WLHC 103.1 – pop standards
  • 107.9 – beach, oldies, and gospel
  • WXKL 1290 – gospel

Schools[]

The Lee County campus of Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) is located in Sanford. CCCC awards degrees, diplomas and certifications in a variety of programs and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the North Carolina State Board of Education, and by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Sanford is home to three high schools: Lee County High School, Lee Early College on CCCC's campus, and Southern Lee High School. Lee County High School, home of the yellow jackets, is also locally known as Lee Senior. Southern Lee High School, home of the Cavaliers, opened its doors during the 2005–2006 school year. Lee Early College also opened for the first time during the 2005–2006 school year. In the program, students attend classes at the Lee County campus of Central Carolina Community College, and within a 4 to 5 year time frame earn not only a high school diploma, but an associate degree as well. Attending Lee Early College requires an application process.

There are three middle schools: West Lee Middle School, East Lee Middle School and SanLee Middle School. SanLee Middle School first opened its doors for the 2008–2009 school year. An alternative school, Bragg Street Academy, serves students in grades 6 through 12.

The Lee county school system has seven traditional elementary schools: B.T. Bullock Elementary, Broadway Elementary, Deep River Elementary, Greenwood Elementary, J. Glenn Edwards Elementary, J.R. Ingram, Jr, and W.B. Wicker. Elementary. Lee County is also home to an optional year round elementary school: Tramway Elementary.

Sanford is also home to a private Montessori school, Griffin Academy, which provides education from pre-school through fifth grade.[13] Also within the county are two private Christian schools, serving preschool through 12th grade: Grace Christian and Lee Christian as well as a charter school, Provisions Academy. Warren Williams Child Development Center serves pre-kindergarten students, and Floyd L. Knight the Children's Center serves severe and profoundly handicapped students.

Located in the neighboring town of Southern Pines, and offering bus service from Sanford, is the O'Neal School.[14] It provides education from pre-K3 through 12th grade.

History[]

Steele Street in downtown Sanford

Sanford was named for C.O. Sanford, a railroad civil engineer instrumental in the building of the rail lines through the area that formed the foundation of what became the city of Sanford.

Sanford is located in Lee County, North Carolina, which was formed from parts of the surrounding three counties in 1907. On creation of the new county, Sanford and Jonesboro were the major towns in the area. Rather than decide which would be the county seat, the decision was to place the county's new courthouse directly between the two towns. For decades, Lee County was the only county in the United States to have a courthouse with an RFD address. In the late 20th century Sanford had grown to such an extent that it eventually merged with Jonesboro. The town of Jonesboro became Jonesboro Heights, and the name of Sanford was kept for the town.

The general Sanford area played key roles in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, specifically regarding sites like the House in the Horseshoe and Endor Iron Furnace. Over the following decades, the Sanford area became an important source of coal, brownstone, and brick. In particular brownstone and subsequent brick production made Sanford a key provider of these building materials for areas throughout the United States.[15]

For seven seasons, 1941–42 and 1946–50, Sanford fielded a professional minor league baseball team. In 1941–42, the Sanford Spinners played in the Class D level Bi-State League. After the war, a new Spinners team was a member of the Class D level Tobacco State League from 1946 to 1950. Home games were played at Temple Park. Led by manager Zeb Harrington, the Spinners won the regular season pennant three times.[16]

On April 16, 2011 a large tornado ripped through Sanford, demolishing a Lowe's hardware store and a warehouse, and destroying multiple homes and buildings before moving into Wake County.

On October 21, 2014, Sanford established a formal sister city relationship with Yixing, China, under the representation of Sanford Mayor Chet Mann.[17]

The Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Cemeteries, Downtown Sanford Historic District, East Sanford Historic District, Euphronia Presbyterian Church, Farish-Lambeth House, Hawkins Avenue Historic District, Lee Avenue Historic District, Lee County Courthouse, Lee County Training School, John D. McIver Farm, Railroad House, Rosemount-McIver Park Historic District, Sanford High School, Former, Seaboard Milling Company, and Temple Theatre are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[18][19]

Transportation[]

Air[]

Raleigh Executive Jetport (ICAO: KTTA, FAA LID: TTA), formerly known as Sanford-Lee County Airport, is located 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Sanford via U.S. 1. The airport opened in 2000, replacing the Sanford Lee County Brick Field, and provides both recreational and corporate services.

Designated routes and highways[]

Commercial rail service[]

Public transit[]

The County of Lee Transit System (COLTS) is a coordinated transit system that provides transportation services in Sanford and Lee County.[20]

Bicycle and pedestrian[]

  • The Maine-to-Florida U.S. Bicycle Route 1 passes through downtown Sanford and Lee County.
  • A half-mile greenway trail is located in the Kiwanis Family Park with additional mileage under development.
  • features several miles of mountain bike trails, ranging from intermediate to advanced, as well as hiking trails, just a few miles from downtown Sanford.[21]

Culture[]

Museums[]

Performing arts[]

  • Temple Theatre

Notable people[]

  • Hardy Boyz, WWE wrestlers (older brother Matt was born in a Sanford hospital, and both lived there for a few months)
  • Bill Briggs, NFL defensive end[22]
  • Britton Buchanan, runner-up on the fourteenth season of The Voice
  • Floyd Council, blues musician
  • Lita (Amy Dumas), former WWE Diva; now resides in Atlanta, Georgia
  • Bill Harrington, MLB pitcher[23]
  • Ricky Hurtado, NC House District 63 Representative[24]
  • J. D. McDuffie, NASCAR driver
  • Wayne Judd, Celebrity Chef, star of CookItUp! With Chef Wayne television, former principal trumpet Lee County Community Orchestra, former youth pastor Abundant Life Christian Center
  • Jack Pittman, illustrator and cartoonist
  • ACHES (Patrick Price), professional eSports player, best known for playing Call of Duty[25]
  • Robert T. Reives II, member of the North Carolina House of Representatives[26]
  • Akeem Richmond, professional basketball player[27]
  • Herb Thomas, NASCAR driver
  • Dennis Wicker, former lieutenant governor; partner at Nelson Mullins Law Firm; board member of Coca-Cola Consolidated and First Bank

Sister city[]

Sanford has one sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International:[28]

References[]

  1. ^ "City of Sanford, North Carolina". City of Sanford, North Carolina. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  2. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  5. ^ "US Census Bureau QuickFacts, Sanford city, North Carolina". data.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  6. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  7. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  8. ^ "U.S. Gazetteer Files: 2019: Places: North Carolina". U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  9. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  10. ^ "Brick Capital, USA". 2007-05-05. Archived from the original on 2007-05-05. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  11. ^ "Lee County Major Manufacturers (2012)". Lee County. Archived from the original on 29 January 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  12. ^ "The Rant"
  13. ^ "About the Griffin Academy". The Griffin Academy. Archived from the original on 5 January 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  14. ^ The O'Neal School
  15. ^ "History of Downtown Sanford". Downtown Sanford, Inc. Archived from the original on 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2008-11-06.
  16. ^ Holaday, Chris (2016). "The Tobacco State League; A North Carolina Baseball History, 1946–1950".. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-6670-9.
  17. ^ Trogdon, Kathryn (November 13, 2014). "Starting with pottery: Sanford delegation foresees fruitful relationship with Chinese sister city". The Sanford Herald. Archived from the original on December 30, 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  18. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  19. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 12/27/10 through 12/30/10. National Park Service. 2011-01-07.
  20. ^ COLTS
  21. ^ "San Lee Park". TriangleMTB. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
  22. ^ Bill Briggs Stats. Pro-Football-Reference. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  23. ^ Bill Harrington Stats. Baseball-Reference. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  24. ^ Larson, David (2020-11-03). "Ricky Hurtado wins NC House District 63". The North State Journal. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
  25. ^ Sanford gamer guns for a top prize in Major League Gaming event. wral.com. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  26. ^ Rep. Robert Reives - Chatham County Democratic Party. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  27. ^ Akeem Richmond, East Carolina, Shooting Guard - 247 Sports. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  28. ^ Martinez, Logan. Mann: Community should run sister city program. growsanfordnc.com. Retrieved Jul 21, 2020.

External links[]

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