Burgaw, North Carolina

Burgaw is a town in and the county seat of Pender County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,088 at the 2020 census. Burgaw is part of the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Before Burgaw was established, a small trading post called Cypress Grove was established along the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad, in January of 1854 the post office department began to call this location, Burgaw Depot. After Pender County was separated from New Hanover County in February, 1875, A man named W.H. James, a civil engineer who was employed at the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad examined land beside the railroad and Burgaw Creek, and reported it to be a good place for the town and well situated for drainage. On February 6, 1876 the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad company deeded the plot of land to the Pender County Board of Commissioners to establish modern Burgaw and to the courthouse. The town of Burgaw was incorporated by an act of the North Carolina General Assembly (Private Laws, Chapter 23) on February 25, 1879, and on December 8, 1879, the name of the post office was changed from "Burgaw Depot" to just plain "Burgaw". The town most likely derives its name from nearby Burgaw Creek. The Bannerman House, Burgaw Depot, Burgaw Historic District, and Pender County Courthouse are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.1 km2), of which 3.4 square miles (8.9 km2) is land and 0.29% is water. Demographics 2020 census As of the 2020 census, Burgaw had a population of 3,088. The median age was 43.0 years. 21.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 24.4% were age 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 88.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas. There were 1,233 households in Burgaw, including 682 families, and 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 38.9% were married-couple households, 17.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 37.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 1,418 housing units, of which 13.0% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.8%. 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 3,337 people, 954 households, and 649 families residing in the town. The population density was 971.6 inhabitants per square mile (375.1/km2). There were 1,051 housing units at an average density of 306.0 per square mile (118.1/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 51.21% White, 44.89% African American, 0.69% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 2.10% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.50% of the population. There were 954 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% were married couples living together, 22.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.92. In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.8% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 128.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 137.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $28,819, and the median income for a family was $36,813. Males had a median income of $29,750 versus $21,792 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,831. About 13.0% of families and 19.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.1% of those under age 18 and 20.2% of those age 65 or over. References External links Official Burgaw, NC website