Dallas, North Carolina

Dallas, North Carolina
Town
Location of Dallas, North Carolina
Coordinates: 35°19′02″N81°11′00″W / 35.31722°N 81.18333°W / 35.31722; -81.18333
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Gaston
Founded	1846 [1]
Incorporated	1863 [1]
Named for	George M. Dallas [1]
Government
• Mayor	Rick Coleman[ citation needed ]
Area [2]
• Total	3.06 sq mi (7.93 km2)
• Land	3.06 sq mi (7.93 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation [3]	787 ft (240 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,927
• Density	1,935.66/sq mi (747.39/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	28034
Area code(s)	704, 980
FIPS code	37-16180 [4]
GNIS feature ID	2406350 [3]
Website	www.dallasnc.net

Dallas is a town in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States, and a suburb of Charlotte, located north of Gastonia. The population was 4,488 at the 2010 census. ^[5] It was named for George M. Dallas, Vice President of the United States under James K. Polk.

Geography

Dallas is located approximately four miles north of the city of Gastonia and about 24 miles (39 km) west of Charlotte. Lincolnton is 13 miles (21 km) north and Hickory is 34 miles (55 km) north of Dallas along US 321.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²), all of it land. ^[5]

Dallas lies within the Long Creek watershed. Long Creek is a right tributary of the South Fork Catawba River. Dallas is drained by Long Creek tributaries Dallas Branch and Little Long Creek. ^[6]

History

Dallas was officially incorporated in 1863 and is the oldest incorporated town in Gaston County. It served as the original county seat for Gaston County from 1846 until 1911. The old Gaston County courthouse, renovated in 1868 after a fire, still stands in the main square of the town and formerly served as the headquarters of the Dallas Police Department. ^{[7] [8]} The town government has renovated the courthouse. ^[9]

Dallas began to decline in importance when the town commissioners refused to appropriate money for construction of bridges over several creeks for the Atlanta and Richmond Air-Line Railway in the 1872. ^[10] The commissioners said the reason was because residents thought that trains would wake them during the night and frighten their livestock. ^[11] In 1890, White Caps attacked the town "'Kuklux' style", destroying entire portions of the town. ^[12] After this the county seat was relocated to Gastonia in 1911.

The Dallas Graded and High School, Dallas Historic District, Hoyle House, and Eli Hoyle House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ^[13]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	299		—
1880	417		39.5%
1890	441		5.8%
1900	514		16.6%
1910	1,065		107.2%
1920	1,397		31.2%
1930	1,489		6.6%
1940	1,704		14.4%
1950	2,454		44.0%
1960	3,270		33.3%
1970	4,059		24.1%
1980	3,340		−17.7%
1990	3,012		−9.8%
2000	3,402		12.9%
2010	4,488		31.9%
2020	5,927		32.1%
U.S. Decennial Census [14]

2020 census

Dallas racial composition ^[15]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	3,475	58.63%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	1,277	21.55%
Native American	24	0.4%
Asian	51	0.86%
Pacific Islander	3	0.05%
Other/Mixed	297	5.01%
Hispanic or Latino	800	13.5%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,927 people, 1,833 households, and 1,158 families residing in the town.

2010 census

As of the census ^[4] of 2010, there were 4,488 people, 1,792 households, and 1,195 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,543 inhabitants per square mile (596/km²). There were 2,003 housing units at an average density of 690.7 per square mile (266.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 76.4% White, 15.9% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 4.9% some other race, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.0% of the population. ^[16]

There were 1,792 households, out of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 19.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 3.04. ^[16]

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.9 years. The male population was 47.7% and the female population was 52.3%. ^[16]

For the period 2007–11, the estimated median annual income for a household in the town was $35,625, and the median income for a family was $48,239. Male full-time workers had a median income of $32,203 versus $27,154 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,570. About 11.1% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.8% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over. ^[17]

Education

Dallas is the site of the main campus of Gaston College, a community college offering associate degree, Certificate, and Diploma programs. It is located on U.S. Highway 321 west of the city's business district.

Dallas is home to Costner Elementary, Carr Elementary, W.C. Friday Middle School, and North Gaston High School.

The Dallas Branch of the Gaston County Public Library serves this community. ^[18]

Places of interest

• The Hoyle Historic Homestead is an example of German-American architecture from the mid-late 18th century and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• The Dallas Historic District, bounded by Holland, Main, Gaston and Trade streets, is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The district consists of eight buildings, including the former Gaston County Courthouse (built in 1848), former Gaston County Jail (1848), the Smyre-Pasour House (1850), Rhyne Store (1850), and the Hoffman Hotel (1852). The Hoffman Hotel is now home to the Gaston County Museum. ^{[19] [20]}
• Biggerstaff Park in Dallas is the venue of the "Shelby Hamfest", a gathering of amateur radio operators. This is one of the oldest and largest such festivals in the country.

Media

Television

Dallas is in the Charlotte-Gastonia viewing area. This is the list of the Television stations available in Dallas:

Radio

This is the list of the radio stations available in Dallas:

Notable residents and natives

• Alfred L. Bulwinkle (1883–1950), 14-term Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives
• William C. Friday (1920–2012), president of the University of North Carolina system from 1956 to 1986
• David W. Hoyle, former mayor of Dallas and nine-term Democratic member of the North Carolina State Senate

References

1. "North Carolina Gazetteer" . Retrieved December 19, 2022.
2. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Dallas, North Carolina
4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
5. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Dallas town, North Carolina". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
6. Gaston County Watershed Map Archived September 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
7. "Gaston County official government website. Retrieved on 2011-10-25". Archived from the original on March 31, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
8. "Dallas Police Department official web page. Retrieved on 2011-10-25". Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
9. ""Historic courthouse to find new uses," Gaston Gazette, October 4, 2011. Retrieved on 2011-10-25". Archived from the original on November 7, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
10. Brief History, Town of Dallas official government website. Retrieved on July 10, 2008.
11. Link, William A. William Friday: Power, Purpose, and American Higher Education. Chapel Hill, N.C. University of North Carolina Press, 1995. ISBN   978-0-8078-2167-1
12. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024546/1890-09-06/ed-1/seq-1.pdf ^{[ bare URL PDF ]}
13. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
14. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
15. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
16. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Dallas town, North Carolina". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
17. "Selected Economic Characteristics: 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (DP03): Dallas town, North Carolina". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 10, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
18. Dallas Branch
19. National Register of Historic Places - Gaston County
20. "Designated Gaston County Historic Properties". Archived from the original on December 25, 2008. Retrieved July 10, 2008.

External links

• Official website
• Gaston Regional Chamber