Henderson is a city and the

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 ...

of Vance 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 15,060 at the 2020 census.

History

The city was named in honor of former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice

Leonard Henderson Leonard Henderson (October 6, 1772 – August 13, 1833) was an American jurist who served as chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 1829 to 1833, and an associate judge of that court beforehand. Biography Henderson was born in G ...

, who lived nearby and was a friend of early settler Lewis Reavis. Henderson was officially chartered by 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 ...

in 1841. Prior to the creation of Vance County in 1881, Henderson was located in far eastern

Granville County Granville County is a county located on the northern border of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,992. Its county seat is Oxford. Granville County encompasses Oxford, NC Micropolitan Statistical Are ...

. Ashland,

Henderson Central Business Historic District Henderson Central Business Historic District is a national historic district located at Henderson, Vance County, North Carolina. It encompasses 91 contributing buildings and 1 contributing structure in the central business district of Henderso ...

, Henderson Fire Station and Municipal Building, Library and Laboratory Building-Henderson Institute, Mistletoe Villa,

Maria Parham Hospital Maria Parham Health, formerly known as Maria Parham Hospital and the Maria Parham Medical Center, is a private, full-service regional hospital in Henderson, North Carolina that is part of Duke LifePoint. The historic 1925 building was listed on t ...

Daniel Stone Plank House Daniel Stone Plank House was a historic home located near Henderson, Vance County, North Carolina. It dated to the late-18th or early-19th century, and was a two-story, sawn plank farm house. It was built and altered in at least three periods, ...

Vance County Courthouse The former Vance County Courthouse is a historic courthouse building located at Henderson, Vance County, North Carolina, United States. It was originally built in 1884, before it was extensively remodeled in 1908 by Milburn, Heister & Company in ...

, West End School,

Zollicoffer's Law Office Zollicoffer's Law Office is a historic office building located at Henderson, Vance County, North Carolina. It was built in 1887, and is a two-story, two bay by two bay, brick building with Italianate style design elements. It is associated with ...

, and Barker House 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 ...

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 , of which is land and 0.12% is water. Henderson benefits from its location near

Interstate 85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, n ...

and U.S. 1. Highway 39 also runs through Henderson.

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 15,060 people, 5,715 households, and 3,549 families residing in the city.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 16,095 people, 6,332 households, and 4,122 families living in the city. The population density was 1,953.7 people per square mile (754.2/km). There were 6,870 housing units at an average density of 833.9 per square mile (321.9/km). 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 city was 59.17% African American, 32.76% White, 0.27% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.36% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.13%. Of the 6,332 households 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.1% were married couples living together, 26.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 30.7% of households were one person and 14.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.05. The age distribution was 27.4% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.5 males. The median household income was $23,745 and the median family income was $30,222. Males had a median income of $26,804 versus $19,910 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,130. About 23.4% of families and 28.3% 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 40.5% of those under age 18 and 20.9% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Rail

Henderson is located on the S-Line, the former main line of the

Seaboard Air Line Railroad The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad which existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, t ...

now owned by

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

. The city was last served by

passenger rail Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

in 1986, at which time Amtrak's long-distance ''

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

'' was re-routed through Rocky Mount and part of the S-Line was abandoned. Restoration of the line is planned as part of the

Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor The Southeast Corridor (SEC) is a proposed passenger rail transportation project in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States to extend high-speed passenger rail services from Washington, D.C. south through Richmond, Petersburg with a spu ...

project.

Notable people

Gerald Alston Gerald Alston (born November 8, 1951) is an American soul/R&B singer, and the lead singer of the Grammy Award winning group The Manhattans between late 1970 and 1988, recording 25 top 40 R&B and 12 Hot 100 Pop Singles. Alston was lead singer on ...

(1951 ), member of R&B vocal group

The Manhattans The Manhattans are an American popular R&B vocal group. Their work "Kiss and Say Goodbye", recorded in 1976, and 1980's " Shining Star", both sold millions of copies. The Manhattans have recorded 45 hits on the ''Billboard'' R&B Chart, includi ...

George Lincoln Blackwell George Lincoln Blackwell (2 July 1861 – 20 March 1926) was an African American author and bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Biography Born in Henderson, North Carolina as the son of slaves, Blackwell graduated from Livings ...

(1861 1926), theologian and author * Charles Briggs (1932 1985), American actor *

Charlotte Hawkins Brown Charlotte Hawkins Brown (June 11, 1883 – January 11, 1961) was an American author, educator, civil rights activist, and founder of the Palmer Memorial Institute in Sedalia, North Carolina. Early life Charlotte Hawkins Brown was born in Hender ...

(1883 1961), educator and founder of the Palmer Institute * Jason Brown (1983 ), professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player with the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...

* Duke Buchan (1963 ), United States Ambassador to Spain and Andorra, raised near Henderson * Danny Flowers (1948 ), songwriter of "

Tulsa Time "Tulsa Time" is a song written by Danny Flowers, and recorded by American country music artist Don Williams. It was released in October 1978 as the first single from the album ''Expressions''. It was Williams' eighth number one on the country chart ...

" *

Elson Floyd Elson S. Floyd (February 29, 1956 – June 20, 2015) was an American educator who served as the 10th president of the four-campus Washington State University from May 21, 2007 to June 20, 2015. Floyd was also the first African American to be nam ...

(1956 2015), educator and 10th president of

Washington State University Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant unive ...

Rachel Henderlite Rachel Henderlite (December 30, 1905 – November 6, 1991) was an American religious leader who was the first woman to be ordained a pastor of the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS), which later merged with the United Presbyterian Ch ...

(1905 1991), Presbyterian minister and educator *

Dave Henderson David Lee Henderson (July 21, 1958 – December 27, 2015), nicknamed "Hendu", was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletic ...

(1964 -), basketball player, 1991

Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP The Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP, or Israeli Basketball Super League MVP, is an annual basketball award that is presented to the most valuable player in a given season of the Israeli Basketball Premier League, which is the top-tier lev ...

Isaiah Hicks Isaiah Dwayne Hicks (born July 24, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for San-en NeoPhoenix of the B.League. He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels. High school and college career In his senior season ...

(1994 ), basketball player for the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

Sammy Jackson Sammy Jackson (August 18, 1937 – April 26, 1995) was an American actor, known particularly for his roles reflecting rural life, and a country music disc jockey, although he also played pop-standards during 1983 at Los Angeles's KMPC. He als ...

(1937 1995), actor. *

Ben E. King Benjamin Earl King (né Nelson; September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015) was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He is best known as the singer and co-composer of " Stand by Me"—a US Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later ...

(1938 2015),

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

and pop singer, best known as the singer and co-composer of " Stand by Me" *

Shirley Owens Shirley Alston Reeves (born June 10, 1941), born Shirley Owens, is an American soul singer who was the main lead singer of the hit girl group the Shirelles. In addition to Owens, the Shirelles consisted of classmates of hers from Passaic High S ...

(1941 ), singer, member of

the Shirelles The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McFadd ...

* Charlie Rose (1942 ),

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...

host and

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

, was born and raised in Henderson *

Wilbur Fisk Tillett Wilbur Fisk Tillett (1854–1936) was an American Methodist clergyman and educator. Early life Wilbur Fisk Tillett was born August 25, 1854, in Henderson, North Carolina, which at that time was in Granville County (later Vance). He was named for ...

(18541936), theologian and dean of

Vanderbilt Divinity School The Vanderbilt Divinity School and Graduate Department of Religion (usually Vanderbilt Divinity School) is an interdenominational divinity school at Vanderbilt University, a major research university located in Nashville, Tennessee. It is one of o ...

References

External links

Official website of Henderson, North Carolina

Historic Downtown Business District

Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in North Carolina Cities in Vance County, North Carolina County seats in North Carolina