Morganton, North Carolina

Morganton is a city in and county seat of Burke County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 17,474 at the 2020 census. Morganton is approximately 75 mi northwest of Charlotte and 57 miles (92 km) east of Asheville.

Morganton is one of the principal cities in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History


An influx of European settlers over the Blue Ridge Mountains led Morganton to become the first chartered town in western North Carolina in 1784.

On April 17, 1865 there was a small skirmish fought in Morganton, as part of Stoneman's 1865 raid through North Carolina.

Public welfare facilities, such as the North Carolina School for the Deaf: Main Building and Western North Carolina Insane Asylum, were first authorized by the state legislature in the late 19th century.

In the early 20th century, textile mills were developed in the Piedmont as industry left union-dominated areas of the Northeast United States. During the century, however, these industrial jobs gradually moved offshore.

In the late 20th century, Morganton and Burke County, was still largely rural and with big poultry farms, which became locations for industrial-scale poultry processing plants. These jobs attracted many new immigrants to the state from Central America, leading to an increase in the Latino population in the area.

In 2006, an explosion at Synthron, a paint additive chemical manufacturer in Morganton, left 13 injured and one dead.

Geography
Morganton is located in central Burke County in the Catawba River valley in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and is part of Appalachia. According to the United States Census Bureau, Morganton has a total area of 49.6 km2, all land.

Climate
Morganton has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) and is located in hardiness zone 7b.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 17,474 people, 6,181 households, and 3,907 families residing in the city.

The median household income is $47,715 with an owner-occupied housing rate of 51.6%.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 16,918 people, 7,618 households, and 4,117 families residing in the city. The population density was 953.0 PD/sqmi. There were 7,313 housing units at an average density of 402.6 /sqmi. The racial composition of the city was: 75.67% White, 12.76% Black or African American, 11.16% Hispanic or Latino American, 1.99% Asian American, 0.55% Native American, 0.81% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 6.64% some other race, and 1.58% two or more races.

There were 7,618 households, out of which 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.1% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,836, and the median income for a family was $42,687. Males had a median income of $29,118 versus $24,723 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,906. About 9.7% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
State-operated facilities in Morganton include Broughton Hospital (a psychiatric hospital), the North Carolina School for the Deaf, and the second campus of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. Other employers include furniture manufacturing facilities and tourists traveling on Interstate 40 to attractions in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Founded in 2015, the Industrial Commons is an incubator in Morganton for regional co-ops and service programs working to revive the textile and furniture industries in the area.

Events and venues
Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church hosts an annual Parish Food Festival in the first week of November.

The Morganton Festival takes place the weekend after Labor Day, featuring local vendors and live music.

The City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium is a public auditorium that hosts performances and events.

Morganton hosts summer concerts on the Burke County Courthouse Square, featuring local and regional performers.

Parks and recreation

 * Catawba Meadows Park is very close to downtown Morganton and has several baseball diamonds, beach volleyball courts, and other facilities.
 * Martha's Park in downtown Morganton features a splash pad, playground, and picnic area.
 * Freedom Park, adjacent to Freedom High School in Morganton, is a 30-acre park with multiple sports practice facilities (sand volleyball, football, soccer, baseball/softball), lighted tennis court, picnic shelters with grills, and a one-mile lighted track.

Golf courses

 * Mimosa Hills Golf and Country Club

Colleges and universities

 * Western Piedmont Community College
 * Foothills Higher Education Center, occupied by Western Piedmont Community College's Division of Continuing Education and serves as a satellite campus for certain courses of study offered by Appalachian State University, Lees-McRae College, Montreat College and Western Carolina University.

Public schools

 * Freedom High School
 * Robert L. Patton High School
 * Table Rock Middle School
 * Liberty Middle School
 * Walter R. Johnson Middle School
 * Glen Alpine Elementary School
 * Mull Elementary School
 * Hillcrest Elementary School
 * Chesterfield Elementary School
 * W. A. Young Elementary School
 * Burke Alternative School
 * College Street Academy
 * Salem Elementary School
 * Forest Hill Elementary School
 * Oak Hill Elementary School
 * Burke Middle College
 * Mountain View Elementary School
 * East Burke High School
 * Draughn High School

Private schools

 * Morganton Day School
 * Silver Creek Adventist School

Charter schools

 * New Dimensions Charter School

Specialized STEM schools

 * North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

Special education

 * North Carolina School for the Deaf
 * North Liberty Middle School

Other institutions

 * J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center

Radio

 * WCIS / 760 AM / Religious
 * WMNC / 1430 AM / Country
 * WMNC / 92.1 FM / Country
 * WHGW / 100.3 FM / Religious

Print

 * The Morganton News Herald is a daily newspaper (circulation 12,000).
 * The Paper is a community-owned weekly newspaper dedicated exclusively to covering Burke County news, founded in 2023.

Highways

 * Interstate 40
 * U.S. Route 70
 * U.S. Route 64

Notable people

 * W. Ted Alexander, member of the North Carolina Senate
 * Alphonso Calhoun Avery, jurist, military officer, and politician
 * Isaac E. Avery, most remembered for the blood-stained note he wrote to his father before dying at Gettysburg during the American Civil War
 * William Waightstill Avery, North Carolina politician and lawyer; brother of Isaac E. Avery
 * Etta Baker, guitarist and singer of the Piedmont Blues
 * Johnny Bristol, musician and Motown producer
 * Donald Brown, former CFL defensive back
 * Tod Robinson Caldwell, governor of North Carolina from 1871 to 1874
 * Joe Cheves, professional golfer and member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame
 * Warren Daniel, North Carolina State Senator
 * Kony Ealy, NFL defensive end
 * Robert C. Ervin, North Carolina Superior Court judge
 * Sam Ervin, U.S. senator from 1954 to 1974, notable during the Joseph McCarthy hearings and Watergate hearings
 * Kerri Gardin, WNBA player
 * Alfreda Gerald, vocalist and recording artist
 * Leon Johnson, former NFL running back for the New York Jets, Chicago Bears, and San Diego Chargers
 * Gray Leadbetter, racing driver
 * Dwayne Ledford, offensive line coach for the Atlanta Falcons
 * Bill Leslie, TV anchor WRAL News, New Age recording artist
 * Chad Lawson, classical and jazz pianist
 * Billy Joe Patton, amateur golfer and member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame
 * Woody Rich, former MLB player for the Boston Red Sox and Boston Braves
 * Tommy Giles Rogers Jr., lead singer and keyboardist for the metal band Between the Buried and Me
 * Siiickbrain, singer and model
 * Frankie Silver, the first white woman to be capitally executed in North Carolina
 * Paige Summers, model
 * Isaac M. Taylor, physician and academic; father of musician James Taylor
 * Gladys Avery Tillett, political organizer, active in UNESCO and Equal Rights Amendment activism