# Butner, North Carolina

Butner is a town in Granville County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,397 as of the 2020 census. Butner was managed by the state of North Carolina from 1947 through 2007.

## History

The area eventually comprising the town of Butner was originally land along the Occaneechi Path, a Native American trade route. Following the arrival of European settlers, it became a rural community populated by farmers. In August 1941, the U.S. federal government beginning planning for the development of a military facility in the area, motivated partly by its proximity to a rail line. Following the United States' entry into World War II that December, planning hastened and in January 1942 the government began ordered locals to vacate their land. The government ultimately evicted between 400 to 500 families and razed most of their homes and agricultural buildings to make way for a U.S. Army camp. Construction commenced in March and Camp Butner officially opened in August 1942. It was named for Major General Henry W. Butner (1875–1937), a North Carolina native. Thousands of soldiers were trained at the camp for service overseas. By April 1946, activity at the facility had declined significantly and it was officially closed in January 1947.
Following the camp's closure, its land was divided up among the U.S. War Assets Administration, the North Carolina National Guard, the state of North Carolina, and the dispossessed farmers who had once lived in the area. The state converted its former infirmary into a psychiatry hospital. A civilian community subsequently developed around the hospital's new workforce. Some former camp facilities were retained by the residents for their own use such as its recreation center and churches, others were repurposed as homes, and some were demolished so their materials could be used in new construction. The state government assumed responsibility for governance in the town and provided police and firefighting services. Overall authority rested with State Board of Mental Health while most mundane administrative decisions were executed by the hospital's business manager. In the early 1970s, control of the town passed to the North Carolina Department of Human Resources.
In 2003, a seven-member elective Butner Advisory Council was created to advise the North Carolina Secretary of Health and Human Services on governance of the town. Following legislation passed by the North Carolina General Assembly, Butner became an incorporated community effective November 1, 2007 and the advisory council was turned into a town council. The town assumed responsibility for local police and firefighting services from the state in 2013.

## Geography

* Gazebo Park
* Lake Holt
Butner is located in southwestern Granville County. Interstate 85 passes through the town, southeast of the town center, with access from Exits 186, 189, and 191. I-85 leads northeast 16 miles (26 km) to Oxford, the Granville County seat, and southwest 13 miles (21 km) to Durham. Butner is bordered to the east by the city of Creedmoor.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 13.9 square miles (36.1 km$^2$), of which 0.02 square miles (0.06 km$^2$), or 0.18%, is water. The town's layout is heavily influenced by the original development of Camp Butner. Central Avenue serves as the community's main street, and many other streets in the town are named with numbers and letters.

## Demographics
### 2020 census

Butner racial composition :
| Race | Number | Percentage |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 3,421 | 40.74% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 2,663 | 31.71% |
| Native American | 27 | 0.32% |
| Asian | 46 | 0.55% |
| Pacific Islander | 2 | 0.02% |
| Other/Mixed | 324 | 3.86% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,914 | 22.79% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,397 people, 2,865 households, and 2,022 families residing in the town.

### 2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 7,591 people in 2,767 households. The population density was 1,150.2 inhabitants per square mile (444.1/km$^2$). There were 2,999 housing units at an average density of 454.4 per square mile (175.4/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the town was 59.5% White, 30.1% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 6.5% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.7% of the population.
There were 2,767 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them. The average household size was 2.74. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 13.8% from 25 to 34, 23.3% from 35-49, 18.8% from 50 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 97.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $45,437, and the mean income for a household was $51,466. The median and mean incomes for families were $53,186 and $55,847, respectively. The per capita income for the town was $17,654. About 4.1% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

## Infrastructure

The area surrounding Butner includes:
* Camp Butner Training Center (Run by the North Carolina National Guard, consisting of roughly 5,000 acres)
* Federal Correctional Complex, Butner (4 units and one medical center, consisting of Camp Butner for males only, FCI Butner Low, FCI Butner Medium I, FCI Butner Medium II, and Federal Medical Center)
* Granville Correctional Institution, a facility of the North Carolina Department of Correction
* C.A. Dillon Youth Development Center, a juvenile facility of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (formerly the North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention)
* Several facilities of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (Murdoch Developmental Center, Whitaker School, R. J. Blackley Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center, and Central Regional Hospital replacing John Umstead Hospital in Butner as well as Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh).