Mebane, North Carolina

Mebane /ˈmɛbən/ is a city located mostly in Alamance County, North Carolina, United States, and partly in Orange County, North Carolina. The town was named for Alexander Mebane, an American Revolutionary War general and member of the U.S. Congress.[5] It was incorporated as "Mebanesville" in 1881, and in 1883 the name was changed to "Mebane". It was incorporated as a city in 1987.[6] The population as of the 2010 census was 11,393.[7] Mebane is one of the fastest growing municipalities in North Carolina. Mebane straddles the Research Triangle and Piedmont Triad Regions of North Carolina. The Alamance County portion is part of the Burlington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point Combined Statistical Area. The Orange County portion is part of the Durham-Chapel Hill Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Combined Statistical Area.

Mebane, North Carolina
City
Nickname(s):  Biggest Little Town on Earth
Motto(s):  "Positively Charming"
Mebane Location within the state of North Carolina Show map of North Carolina Mebane Mebane (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 36°5′45″N 79°16′15″W
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Counties	Alamance, Orange
Government
• Type	City Manager/City Council
Area [1]
• Total	9.91 sq mi (25.66 km^2)
• Land	9.74 sq mi (25.24 km^2)
• Water	0.16 sq mi (0.42 km^2)
Elevation	673 ft (205 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	11,393
• Estimate  (2019)[2]	16,262
• Density	1,668.75/sq mi (644.29/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	27302
Area code(s)	919/336
FIPS code	37-42240[3]
GNIS feature ID	1021404[4]
Website	Official website

History

The Charles F. and Howard Cates Farm, William Cook House, Cooper School, Cross Roads Presbyterian Church and Cemetery and Stainback Store, Durham Hosiery Mill No. 15, Griffis-Patton House, Thomas Guy House, Hawfields Presbyterian Church, Henderson Scott Farm Historic District, Mebane Commercial Historic District, Old South Mebane Historic District, Paisley-Rice Log House, White Furniture Company, and Woodlawn School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[8][9][10][11]

In 1939 as part of the New Deal, Margaret C. Gates won a competition sponsored by the Section of Painting and Sculpture of the Treasury Department to create a post office mural in Mebane. Her painting, Landscape—Tobacco Curing, which showed a man and a young boy walking in tandem on their way to work on a tobacco farm, was completed and installed in 1941. In 1965, when the post office was remodeled, the mural was damaged beyond repair, as officials tried to remove it for restoration. A local artist, Henry E. Rood III, was hired to create an exact replica of the painting to adorn the new facility.[12]

In October 2014, the city council voted to adopt a new seal and slogan, replacing "A progressive community, the perfect place to call home" with "Positively Charming".[13]

Geography

Mebane is located at 36°5′45″N 79°16′15″W (36.095957, -79.270861).[14] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.5 square miles (21.9 km²), of which 8.3 square miles (21.6 km²) are land and 0.12 square miles (0.3 km²), or 1.36%, is water.[15]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	218		—
1910	693		217.9%
1920	1,351		94.9%
1930	1,568		16.1%
1940	2,060		31.4%
1950	2,068		0.4%
1960	2,364		14.3%
1970	2,573		8.8%
1980	2,782		8.1%
1990	4,754		70.9%
2000	7,284		53.2%
2010	11,393		56.4%
Est. 2019	16,262	[2]	42.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[16]

As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 11,393 people living in the city. The population density was 1,363 people per square mile (480.7/km²). There were 5,045 housing units at an average density of 554.5 per square mile (214.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.5% White, 20.4% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6% of the population.

Telephone service

Mebane straddles the Research Triangle and the Piedmont Triad areas of North Carolina. However, a majority of the phone numbers listed for the city are in the 919/984 area code, whereas the rest of Alamance County is situated in the 336/743 area code. When the Triad was split off into area code 910 in 1993, it was decided that Mebane would stay in 919 to keep the entire city within the same area code. This was retained even after the Triad split from 910 as its own area code, 336, in 1998. Since then, 984 has been introduced as an overlay with 919, followed by 743 as an overlay for 336.

Media

Reflecting that the city is split between two television markets, Spectrum's Mebane system offers stations from both the Triad and Triangle. DirecTV, Dish Network and U-verse customers receive the Triad local feed.

Airport

Mebane is home to Hurdle Field, airport code 4W7.[17]

Education

The Alamance County portion is served by the Alamance-Burlington School System (which was created by a merger between the Alamance County School System and the Burlington City School System in 1996), while the Orange County portion is served by Orange County Schools.

The public schools serving Mebane residents within Alamance County include Eastern Alamance High School, Hawfields Middle School, Woodlawn Middle School, Audrey W. Garrett Elementary School, South Mebane Elementary School, and E. M. Yoder Elementary School; all part of the Alamance - Burlington School System (ABSS).

Additional public schools serving Mebane residents within Orange County, all part of the Orange County School System, are Efland Cheeks Elementary School, Gravely Hill Middle School, Stanford Middle School, Orange High School, and Cedar Ridge High School.

There is one private school in Mebane, Bradford Academy, a classical Christian school started in 2008.[18]

Mebane is within 20 miles (32 km) of several notable universities, including Duke University, UNC Chapel Hill, and Elon University. North Carolina State University & Saint Augustine's University are just over 40 miles (64 km) away in Raleigh.

Alamance Community College is a two-year college in Graham, 6 miles (10 km) west of Mebane.

Shopping

Downtown Mebane

Downtown Mebane was named a Top Five Great Place in North Carolina for 2017. Downtown Mebane is home to many high-end home furnishing stores, antique shops, and trendy clothing stores. The downtown also houses a wide variety of restaurants including Junction on 70 (local fare), The Mebane Downtown Table (fine dining restaurant) and many more. The downtown area also boasts several antique and curio shops, also with a local flair. Coffee shops are populated by many residents and attract many young professionals and students.

Garrett Crossing, a shopping center located on the south side of Mebane next to Interstate 85 and Interstate 40, includes a Wal-Mart Supercenter as well as dining and other smaller shops. A Tanger Outlet mall is located on Arrowhead Boulevard on the north side of I-85 in Mebane.

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
4. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
5. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 204.
6. "The History of the City of Mebane". City of Mebane. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
7. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Mebane city, North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
8. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
9. "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 12/19/11 through 12/23/11. National Park Service. 2011-12-30.
10. "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 12/16/13 through 12/20/13. National Park Service. 2013-12-27.
11. "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 12/27/10 through 12/30/10. National Park Service. 2011-01-07.
12. Davis, Anita Price (2008). New Deal Art in North Carolina: The Murals, Sculptures, Reliefs, Paintings, Oils and Frescoes and Their Creators. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. pp. 109–110. ISBN 978-0-7864-3779-5.
13. "Mebane unveils new city seal". The Times News. 2011-10-08.
14. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
15. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Mebane city, North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
16. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
17. "FAA Information about Hurdle Field Airport which is under option to become townhomes.(4W7)". Retrieved 23 December 2016.
18. "Home - Bradford Academy". Retrieved 23 December 2016.

External links

• Official website