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city in Burke County, North Carolina, United States
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Morganton is a city in and the county seat of Burke County, North Carolina, United States. It is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the Catawba River.
The population was 17,474 at the 2020 census. Morganton is approximately 75 miles (121 km) northwest of Charlotte and 57 miles (92 km) east of Asheville. It is one of the principal cities in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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.
A 9-foot (2.7 m)-tall bronze statue of a Confederate soldier—erected in 1918—is located atop a stone pedestal in the Old Burke County Courthouse square.
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 19.2 square miles (49.6 km2), all land.
Morganton has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) and is located in hardiness zone 7b.
As of the 2020 census, Morganton had a population of 17,474. The median age was 39.5 years. 22.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.5 males age 18 and over.
96.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 3.1% lived in rural areas.
There were 6,862 households in Morganton, including 3,907 families, and 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 38.3% were married-couple households, 19.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 7,559 housing units, of which 9.2% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.8%.
The median household income is $47,715 with an owner-occupied housing rate of 51.6%.
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 inhabitants per square mile (368.0/km2). There were 7,313 housing units at an average density of 402.6 per square mile (155.4/km2). 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.
State-operated facilities in Morganton include Broughton Hospital (a psychiatric hospital), the North Carolina School for the Deaf, J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center, 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.
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.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Morganton, North Carolina”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.