Goldston is a town in Chatham 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 ...

, United States, south of Pittsboro. The population was 268 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Goldston is located in southern Chatham County at (35.592478, -79.329615).

U.S. Route 421 U.S. Route 421 (also U.S. Highway 421, US 421) is a diagonal northwest–southeast United States Numbered Highway in the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. The highway runs for from Fort Fisher, North Caro ...

, a four-lane

expressway Expressway may refer to: * Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic. * Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road. *Expressway, the fictional s ...

, passes northeast of the town, with access from Exit 159. US 421 leads southeast to Sanford and northwest to

Greensboro Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...

. Via rural roads it is northeast from Goldston to Pittsboro, the Chatham

County seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

. Soils at Goldston are dominantly yellowish brown, moderately well drained to somewhat poorly drained silt loams of the

Cid CID may refer to: Film * ''C.I.D.'' (1955 film), an Indian Malayalam film * ''C.I.D.'' (1956 film), an Indian Hindi film * ''C. I. D.'' (1965 film), an Indian Telugu film * ''C.I.D.'' (1990 film), an Indian Hindi film Television * ''CID'' ( ...

or Lignum soil series. Brown to yellowish red, well drained silt loam of the Nanford series is also common. 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 ...

, Goldston has a total area of , of which , or 0.64%, is water.

Historic features

The Goldston Commercial Historic District is registered 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 ...

. The town is also home to several historic homes: the Paschal-Womble House and William Alston Rives House. The town is named for its founders, the Goldston family.

Business and industry

The town has always been predominantly rural, and most of the business and industry over the years has been centered around the area's agricultural heritage, mainly the

poultry Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, their meat or their feathers. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, quails, ...

industry. The town's location near the railroad line has helped to keep industry going in the area, although in recent years the town has seen a decline in industry. The town has a Dollar General variety store as well as two restaurants, Lizzie's and Rufus's.

Railroad

Goldston is located on a spur of the Norfolk Southern Railway that runs between

and Sanford. The railroad was historically important to the growth of the town. The rail line was once part of the now defunct Southern Railway, and prior to that the Atlantic & Yadkin Railway. Until a few years ago many older Southern-marked freight gondolas could be found parked on a side track downtown and at the nearby old Pomona Clay pit. Most of the rail traffic that comes through town is local freight between Sanford and Greensboro or freight going to the

Aberdeen, Carolina and Western Railway The Aberdeen, Carolina and Western Railway is a short-line railroad running from Aberdeen to Star, North Carolina. It was incorporated in 1987 and operates on a former Norfolk Southern Railway branch line. It also leases track from Norfolk Sout ...

, which connects to the southeast of Goldston in the village of

Gulf A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodies ...

. Most of this freight is composed of grain hopper cars going to local poultry feed mills. Norfolk Southern Right of Way Maintenance equipment and cars are also frequently parked on the side trackage in Goldston.

Demographics

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 in ...

of 2010, there were 268 people, 144 households, and 121 occupied houses in the town. As of the

of 2000, the

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 403.8 people per square mile (155.9/km). There were 142 housing units at an average density of 179.8/sq mi (69.4/km). The racial makeup of the town was 90.91%

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 o ...

, 6.58%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.31% Native American, 0.63% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.57% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 3.45% of the population. There were 128 households, out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.92. As of the

of 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $35,000, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had a median income of $40,114 versus $22,188 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $18,485. About 8.9% of families and 13.9% 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 25.4% of those under age 18 and 20.8% of those age 65 or over.

Miscellaneous

* Although technically a town by incorporation standards, the town has no official town-employed police force. All law enforcement is handled by the Chatham County Sheriff's Office, which operates a substation in the town. * Country singer

Charlie Daniels Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his number-one country hit "The De ...

lived near Goldston as a child, and graduated from the now demolished Goldston High School in 1955.

References

External links

Town of Goldston unofficial website

Community Website for all events, parks, and businesses in Chatham County
{{authority control Towns in Chatham County, North Carolina Towns in North Carolina