Centerville is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in the rural northeastern corner of Franklin County,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, United States. The population was 149 at the 2020 census.United States Census
/ref> It was an incorporated

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

from 1965 to 2017. There is not a post office in Centerville, and thus no zip code; it simply uses that of Louisburg, which is located west. Centerville is centered on "the crossroads", which is the intersection of NC-561 and NC-58 and the site of two small old-fashioned general stores. Centerville has a church, (Centerville Baptist Church, a member of the

Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wor ...

), and volunteer fire department. There is not a police department, so Centerville, like the surrounding unincorporated area, is patrolled by the Franklin County Sheriff's Office. Centerville includes many antique buildings from its heyday, including the now-defunct Serepta Church, a former Methodist church located at the intersection of NC-561 and Centerville-Laurel Mill Road. Perry School and Vine Hill are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

History

Centerville was established ''circa'' 1882 and named for its central location between the towns of Louisburg, Warrenton and Littleton.William S. Powell, ''The North Carolina Gazetteer: A Dictionary of Tar Heel Places'', 1968, The University of North Carolina Press at Chapel Hill, , Library of Congress Catalog Card #28-25916, page 98. Retrieved Jan. 15, 2015. It was incorporated in 1965, four years after the dissolution of the nearby town of

Wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...

.Franklin County, North Carolina Communities
Retrieved Jan. 15, 2015.WRAL Channel 5, ''Franklin County town dissolves charter, melts into county'' by Bryan Mims, February 23, 2017
Retrieved Apr. 11, 2017.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 149 people, 103 households, and 85 families residing in the CDP.

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 89 people residing in what was then a town. The racial makeup of the town was 93%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

(83 persons), 3.5%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

(3 persons), and 3.5% other (3 persons).

Dissolution

On February 22, 2017, a bill was filed in the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

seeking legislative approval for dissolution of the Town of Centerville. The Centerville Town Council voted unanimously in their January meeting to dissolve the town charter due to Centerville's lack of growth and its financial inability to continue as a municipality. When the bill is passed, the town will have 30 days to pay off its bills and liquidate its assets. Under the legislation, any remaining money would be given to Centerville Fire Department. Senate Bill 122, regarding the dissolution of the Town of Centerville, was ratified by the North Carolina General Assembly on June 22, 2017.North Carolina General Assembly, Senate Bill 122, List of Chamber Actions
Retrieved Apr. 12, 2017.Senate Bill 122, North Carolina General Assembly
Retrieved Jul. 6, 2017. The town officially dissolved on July 22, 2017.

References

* William S. Powell, ''The North Carolina Gazetteer: A Dictionary of Tar Heel Places'', 1968, The University of North Carolina Press at Chapel Hill, , Library of Congress Catalog Card #28-25916, page 98. Retrieved Jan. 15, 2015. {{authority control Census-designated places in Franklin County, North Carolina Census-designated places in North Carolina Former municipalities in North Carolina Populated places disestablished in 2017