China Grove is a city in

Rowan County, North Carolina Rowan County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina that was formed in 1753, as part of the British Province of North Carolina. It was originally a vast territory with unlimited western boundaries, but its size was reduced to 524 sq mi ...

, United States. The population was 4,434 at the 2020 census. The city is located just north of Landis and south of

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

. It was one of the first towns in the United States to have Rural Free Mail Delivery. The town was named for a grove of

chinaberry ''Melia azedarach'', commonly known as the chinaberry tree, pride of India, bead-tree, Cape lilac, syringa berrytree, Persian lilac, Indian lilac, or white cedar, is a species of deciduous tree in the mahogany family, Meliaceae, that is native ...

trees planted near the

depot Depot ( or ) may refer to: Places * Depot, Poland, a village * Depot Island, Kemp Land, Antarctica * Depot Island, Victoria Land, Antarctica * Depot Island Formation, Greenland Brands and enterprises * Maxwell Street Depot, a restaurant in ...

Geography

China Grove is located at (35.570289, -80.577934). 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 t ...

, the town has a total area of , all of it 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 4,434 people, 1,696 households, and 927 families residing in the town.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 3,616 people in 1,388 households, including 999 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 1,466 housing units at an average density of . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the town was 85.70% White, 6.97% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 5.39% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.43%. Of the 1,388 households 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 24.9% of households were one person and 11.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.05. The age distribution was 25.6% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males. The median household income was $36,580 and the median family income was $40,402. Males had a median income of $29,167 versus $21,932 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,040. About 10.2% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Most students in the town are served by the Rowan-Salisbury School System and primarily go to

South Rowan High School South Rowan High School is a public, co-educational secondary school located in China Grove, North Carolina. It is one of seven high schools in the Rowan-Salisbury School System History South Rowan High School opened in 1961. In 2006, the Row ...

, located in the town.

Notable people

* Gary Chapman, best-selling author of '' The Five Love Languages'' *

Jackie Fargo Henry Faggart (June 26, 1930 – June 24, 2013) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jackie Fargo. He competed in Southeastern regional promotions and the National Wrestling Alliance during the 1950s, 1960s and ...

(a.k.a. Henry Faggart), former

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

resided in China Grove. Fargo once led the careers of Jerry Lawler and The Fabulous Ones Stan Lane and Steve Keirn. * Jack "Sonny Fargo" Faggart, professional wrestler. *

Curly Seckler John Ray Sechler, known as Curly Seckler, (December 25, 1919 – December 27, 2017) was an American bluegrass musician. He played with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs in their band the Foggy Mountain Boys from 1949 to 1962, among other bluegrass a ...

, mandolin player with the

Foggy Mountain Boys Flatt and Scruggs were an American bluegrass duo. Singer and guitarist Lester Flatt and banjo player Earl Scruggs, both of whom had been members of Bill Monroe's band, the Bluegrass Boys, from 1945 to 1948, formed the duo in 1948. Flatt and Sc ...

* Dillon Stevens, actor and dancer best known for playing Michael in touring productions of ''

Billy Elliot the Musical ''Billy Elliot: The Musical'' is a coming-of-age stage musical based on the 2000 film of the same name. The music is by Elton John, and the book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around Billy, a ...

'' *

Wednesday 13 Joseph Michael Poole (born August 12, 1976), better known by his stage name Wednesday 13, is an American singer and musician. Apart from his solo career, he was the frontman of the horror punk/ heavy metal band Murderdolls and has also played i ...

, rock musician * Carey Hoyt Bostian, former Chancellor of North Carolina State University

References

External links

*
Police department
{{Authority control Towns in Rowan County, North Carolina