Lexington, North Carolina

Lexington is a city in the state of North Carolina, United States.  It is near the larger city of Winston-Salem. 18,978 people live in the city.

History

People from Europe first moved to the area in 1775.  The town is named after the city of Lexington, Massachusetts, where the first battle of the American Revolutionary War happened. Lexington became a city in 1828. Until the late 1990s, Lexington's economy was based on  textile and furniture manufacturing.  Since then, most local manufacturers have moved their production facilities to Asia and Mexico to reduce costs.   This caused most textile and furniture factories to close, creating economic difficulties in the area.

The oldest remaining house in Lexington is The Homestead, built by Dr. William Rainey Holt (1798–1868), a physician born in Alamance County.   Dr. Holt was the President of the North Carolina Agricultural Society and was one of the first to introduce purebred livestock to North Carolina.

Local Culture

Barbecue

Lexington calls itself the "Barbecue Capital of the World".  Starting in 1984, the city has the Lexington Barbecue Festival each year, one of the largest street festivals in North Carolina.  In 2012, the US News and World Report ranked Lexington as #4 on its list of the best cities for barbecue.  Lexington-style barbecue is made with pork shoulder cooked slowly over a hardwood fire, usually hickory wood. It is served with a sauce made with vinegar, ketchup, water, salt, pepper and other spices.  There are many different way to make this sauce, mild, tangy, sweet or spicy.

Pigs in the City 
Pigs in the City is a public art display managed by Uptown Lexington, Inc., a non-profit organization that has the goal of increasing the usage of the downtown area of Lexington.  Pigs in the City began in 2003 and 40,000 visitors from all over the state came to see the event in the first year. Since 2006, the event has been held every year. There are usually 20 or more of these statues on display during the event.  Companies pay $1,000 each to sponsor one of the pigs, which pays for the event.

High Rock Lake 

High Rock Lake is the second largest lake in North Carolina and located near Lexington.  Its water surface covers  and there are  of shoreline. It begins where the Yadkin River and the South Yadkin River come together.  High Rock Lake has long been considered one of the best fishing lakes of North Carolina.  There have been a number of national fishing tournaments held at the lake, such as  Bassmaster Tournaments, like the Bassmaster Classic in 1994, 1995, 1997 and 2007.  The lake has large numbers of fish, including channel, blue, and flathead catfish, plus crappie and several different sunfish such as bluegill, shellcracker and others.  Striper and their hybrids as well as white bass are also abundant.  The lake is best known for its quantity and quality of largemouth bass.

The Bob Timberlake Gallery 
The Bob Timberlake Gallery is in Lexington.  It opened in 1997, and features original artwork, reproductions, personal memorabilia, as well as home furnishings from the artist Bob Timberlake.

Geography 

Lexington is in the Piedmont. It is centered at 35°49'0" North, 80°15'31" West (35.816768, -80.258643), in the valley of the Yadkin River. Lexington is  northeast of High Rock Lake, part of the Yadkin-Pee Dee chain of lakes in central North Carolina.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which,  of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.

It is bordered to the north and west by Interstate 85 Business, to the south and east by Interstate 85.  Both interstates come together just southwest of the city.  Additionally, 4 U.S. Highway Routes, U.S. Route 29, U.S. Route 64, U.S. Route 52, U.S. Route 70 and state highways NC Highway 8 and NC Highway 47 intersect the city.

Climate 
Thunderstorms are common during the spring and summer months, including some severe storms.  Being in central North Carolina, between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mid-Atlantic coast, Lexington has a humid subtropical climate, with moderate temperatures during spring and autumn and warm to hot summers. Winters are relatively mild and wet with highs typically in the 40s to 50s and overnight lows averaging just below freezing.

Demographics 

As of the census of 2010, there are 18,931 people in the city, organized into 7,376 households.  This represents a population reduction of 1022 persons, or 5%, when compared to the 2000 census.  The median age is 37.4 years for all persons (39.4 for females, 35.2 for males).

Of the total population, 15.1% are at least 65 years old, 24.6% are under the age of 18, with the remaining 60.3% of the population being persons from 18 to 64.  Males comprise 48.1% and females make up 51.9% of the total population.  Caucasians make up 54.7% of the total population (including 16.3% that are Latino), African-Americans 28.4% and Asians represent 2.9% of the population.  Fully 10.7% of the population identifies itself as Some other race while 2.6% are Two or more races.  Other races each represent less than 1% each of the total population.

Of the total 7,376 households, 4,581 are considered Family households, including 2067 that have children under 18. The average household size is 2.44 persons, and the average family size is 3.08 persons.   There are 8,938 total housing units, of which the 7376 are households, for an occupancy rate of 82.5%.  47.6% of these households are owner-occupied, while 52.4% are renters.

According to the 2000 census, The median income for a household in the city is $26,226, and the median income for a family is $32,339. Males have a median income of $25,555 versus $20,939 for females. The per capita income for the city is $15,310. 21.2% of the population and 16.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 31.7% of those under the age of 18 and 18.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. The global outsourcing of textile and furniture manufacturing has damaged Lexington's economy.

Notable people
Bob Timberlake, local artist,
Robert Sink, Lieutenant General for the United States Army during World World II. Sink was portrayed in the television miniseries Band of Brothers by Captain Dale Dye.
Johnny Temple,  6 time All-Star and former MLB 2nd Baseman for the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, and Houston Colt .45s
Perry Tuttle, former NFL wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Deems May, former NFL tight end for the San Diego Chargers and the Seattle Seahawks
Mike Dillon, former NASCAR Busch Series race car driver. Spotter for RCR driver Clint Bowyer
Terry McMillan, musician
Rick Terry, NFL defensive tackle for the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers.
Richard "The Old Man" Harrison of the famous reality TV Show Pawn Stars.
Josh Williams of the band Your Name In Vain Tragic Hero Records.

Images gallery

References

Other websites
 Official website
 Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce
 Lexington Tourism Authority
 Lexington's Annexation
 About Lexington's annexation 
 Uptown Lexington, Inc.
 Arts United for Davidson County 
 Lexington's Barbecue Festival 
 Davidson Co. Tourism and Recreation
 Images and Feature Articles 
 Photographs of Lexington buildings from the Library of Congress "Built in America" collection

Cities in North Carolina
1828 establishments in the United States
County seats in North Carolina
19th-century establishments in North Carolina