Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus and

Rowan The rowans ( or ) or mountain-ashes are shrubs or trees in the genus ''Sorbus ''Sorbus'' is a genus of over 100 species of trees and shrubs in the rose family, Rosaceae. Species of ''Sorbus'' (''s.l.'') are commonly known as whitebeam, r ...

counties, in the U.S. state of

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 ...

, northwest of

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

and northeast of

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

and is a suburb in the

Charlotte metropolitan area The Charlotte metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as Metrolina, is a metropolitan area of the U.S. states of North and South Carolina, within and surrounding the city of Charlotte. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gastonia, ...

. The city of Kannapolis was incorporated in 1984. The population was 53,114 at the 2020 census, which makes Kannapolis the 19th largest city in North Carolina. It is the home of the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, the Low-A baseball affiliate of the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

, and it is the hometown of the Earnhardt racing family. It is also the headquarters for the Haas F1 racing team. The center of the city is home to the

North Carolina Research Campus The North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) is a public-private research center in Kannapolis, North Carolina, United States. The Campus was envisioned by David H. Murdock, owner of Dole Food Company and Castle and Cooke, Inc., as a center for imp ...

, a public-private venture that focuses on food, nutrition, and biotech research.

History

Name

Early meaning and usage of the city's name was a direct reference to

Cannon Mills Corporation The Cannon Mills Company was an American textile manufacturing company based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, that mainly produced towels and bed sheets. Founded in 1887 by James William Cannon, by 1914 the company was the largest towel and sheet ...

, or

James William Cannon James William Cannon (born Mecklenburg County, North Carolina April 25, 1852 – December 21, 1921) was an American industrialist, and founder of the Cannon Mills Corporation and the City of Kannapolis, North Carolina. He was the maker of the ...

himself. Early published name variations include "Cannon-opolis" and "Cannapolis". A widely accepted origin of the word "Kannapolis" comes from the combination of the Greek words ''kanna'' (reeds, not looms) and ''polis'' (city), which some believed meant "City of Looms". Dr. Gary Freeze, Catawba College history and politics department chairman, said a

newspaper used the name "Cannon City" in 1906. After mill workers or newspapers called the town "Cannapolis", J.W. Cannon asked

Cabarrus County Cabarrus County ( )
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

In 1906 J.W. Cannon purchased the land that later became Kannapolis, and acquired a total of 1,008 acres in Cabarrus and Rowan Counties. Approximately 808 of those acres of farmland, purchased along the historic wagon road between

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 Wil ...

and

, became the location of the new

textile mill Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods ...

, Cannon Manufacturing. Cannon Manufacturing began production in 1908. In 1914 Cannon Manufacturing became known as the world's largest producer of sheets and towels. Shortly after, Mr. Cannon opened plants in Rowan County, Concord and in South Carolina totaling 20,000 workers. Mill founder J.W. Cannon's youngest son, Charles A. Cannon, consolidated all the separate mills into the giant Cannon Mills Company in 1928.

National Register of Historic Places

The

Meek House Meek House, also known as Lin Oaks, is a historic home located near Kannapolis, Cabarrus County, North Carolina. It was built about 1831, and is two-story, single-pile, side gabled, Federal / Greek Revival style house. Also on the property is a ...

and

Harvey Jeremiah Peeler House Harvey Jeremiah Peeler House, also known as Lady's Funeral Home, is a historic home located at Kannapolis, Cabarrus County, North Carolina. It was built in 1923, and is two-story, American Craftsman / Colonial Revival style brick house with a hip ...

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

Kannapolis is located on the boundary of Cabarrus and Rowan counties, with a greater portion of its area in Cabarrus County.

U.S. Route 29 U.S. Route 29 (US 29) is a north–south United States highway that runs for from Pensacola, Florida to the western suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland in the Southern United States, connecting the Florida Panhandle to the Baltimore-Washington me ...

(Cannon Boulevard) passes through the city east of the downtown area; U.S. 29 leads northeast to

and south to

. Interstate 85 bypasses the city on the south and the east, with access from Exits 54 through 63 (five exits total). I-85 leads northeast to Greensboro and southwest to

. 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 , or 1.73%, is water.

Education

K-12

Kannapolis City Schools Kannapolis City Schools is a local education agency headquartered in Kannapolis, North Carolina. It encompasses parts of Cabarrus and Rowan Counties, yet operates independently of both county-wide school systems. This is a legacy of the fact t ...

is the primary school system for the city. Two additional systems also serve its jurisdiction: Cabarrus County Schools and Rowan–Salisbury School System. Faith Christian Academy (FCA) is a private, non-profit Christian educational institution that is operated by Faith Baptist Church. Faith Christian Academy offers a combination of the A Beka program (K5-2nd grade) and the Alpha-Omega computerized, individual learning program (3rd-12th grade). FCA was organized in 1982. Franklin Heights Christian Academy (FHCA) is a private, non-profit Christian educational institution that is operated by Franklin Heights Baptist Church. FHCA was organized in 2009. This school is now closed.

Higher education

Shaw University Shaw University is a private Baptist historically black university in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. Founded on December 1, 1865, Shaw University is the oldest HBCU to begin offering courses in ...

has an extramural site in Kannapolis offering undergraduate, graduate and continuing educational programs. Ambassador Christian College has a campus in Kannapolis offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in Theology. The school was founded in 2003 by Dr. Keith Slough.

North Carolina Research Campus

The

in Kannapolis is a research center.

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 53,114 people, 17,248 households, and 12,092 families residing in the city.

2000 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 2000, there were 36,910 people, 14,804 households, and 10,140 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 1,236.5 people per square mile (477.4/km²). There were 15,941 housing units at an average density of 534.0 per square mile (206.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was: 77.74%

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 ...

, 16.45%

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 ...

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 ...

, 6.33%

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

Latino American Hispanic and Latino Americans ( es, Estadounidenses hispanos y latinos; pt, Estadunidenses hispânicos e latinos) are Americans of Spanish and/or Latin American ancestry. More broadly, these demographics include all Americans who identify as ...

, 0.86%

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...

, 0.34% Native American, 0.01% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 3.43% some other race, and 1.16%

two or more races 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many culture ...

. There were 14,804 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.96. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,532, and the median income for a family was $42,445. Males had a median income of $30,990 versus $23,277 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 city was $17,539. About 7.7% of families and 10.5% 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 14.6% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Museums

* Curb Museum for Music and Motorsports

Parks and recreation

Public

Kannapolis has several public recreational areas. These include parks, athletic fields and greenways. One public park in the city, Vietnam Veterans Park (formerly, North Cabarrus Park) is maintained and operated by Cabarrus County. * Bakers Creek Park * Dale Earnhardt Plaza * Veterans Park * Vietnam Veterans Park (formerly, North Cabarrus Park) * Village Park * Walter M. Safrit Park

Private

* The Club at Irish Creek (formerly, Kannapolis Country Club) * Kannapolis Recreation Park

Sports

* Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, Class "A" Baseball Affiliate of the Chicago White Sox * Stewart-Haas Racing, a

NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...

team established by

Gene Haas Eugene Francis Haas (born November 12, 1952) is the American founder, president, and sole stockholder of Haas Automation, a CNC machine tool manufacturer. He also has a presence in motorsports, having founded NASCAR team Haas CNC Racing (now kn ...

Haas F1 Team Haas Formula LLC, competing as Haas F1 Team, is an American-licensed Formula One racing team established by NASCAR Cup Series team co-owner Gene Haas in April 2014. The team originally intended to make its debut at the start of the season b ...

, a

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

team, also established by Gene Haas

Transportation

Kannapolis is located adjacent to Interstate 85, approximately northeast of

Concord Kannapolis Area Transit The Concord Kannapolis Area Transit, operating under the banner Rider, is the public transit system shared between the cities of Concord and Kannapolis, North Carolina, United States. It operates local bus service as well as express bus service t ...

, also known as Rider, provides multiple local bus routes, with its farthest point reaching

Concord Mills Concord Mills is a shopping mall located in Concord, North Carolina. The mall is in Cabarrus County, just a few hundred feet from the Mecklenburg County border and Charlotte city limits, and about from Uptown Charlotte. It is one of two mal ...

Mall.

Charlotte Area Transit System The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is the agency responsible for public transportation in the Charlotte metropolitan area. CATS operates bus and rail transit services in Mecklenburg County and surrounding areas. Established in 1999, CATS' b ...

(CATS) provides multiple transportation options including bus, vanpool or carpool. CATS provides a bus stop and parking at Kannapolis' Home Depot parking lot. The Kannapolis Amtrak station is located at 201 South Main Street.

Film

In 2004, a

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

about Kannapolis, showing the everyday behavior of ordinary people, which was made in 1941 by

itinerant filmmaker Beginning in the early days of silent films Itinerant filmmakers traveled across the USA to make their movies on location with “home talent.” They capitalized on the public’s desire to see themselves and/or their children in the movies. The fi ...

H. Lee Waters, was selected by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

for listing in the United States

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception i ...

, as a representative of this kind of filmed "town portrait" popular in the 1930s and 1940s.

Notable people

Tavis Bailey Tavis Bailey (born June 1, 1992) is an American discus thrower. Personal Bailey was born in Poughkeepsie, New York. He attended A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, North Carolina. After high school, he received a scholarship to play footbal ...

, Olympic discus thrower representing Team USA, competed at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

* George Clinton, leader of Parliament-Funkadelic *

Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably dri ...

, former 7-time

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. ...

champion, member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame *

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. (born October 10, 1974) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver, team owner, author, and an analyst for ''NASCAR on NBC''. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving t ...

, former NASCAR driver, member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame * Kerry Earnhardt, former NASCAR driver *

Ralph Earnhardt Ralph Lee Earnhardt (February 23, 1928 – September 26, 1973) was an American stock car racer. He was the father of 7 time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt, grandfather of Kerry Earnhardt, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, Dale Earnhardt Jr., a ...

, former NASCAR driver * Carl Ford, member of the North Carolina Senate * Daniel Hemric, current NASCAR driver *

Ethan Horton Ethan Shane Horton (born December 19, 1962) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played one season as a running back for the Kansas City Chiefs (1985), and seven seaso ...

, former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

tight end *

Argie Johnson Argie K. Johnson is an American educator and biochemist who served as superintendent of Chicago Public Schools and deputy chancellor of New York Public Schools. Early life and education Johnson hails from Kannapolis, North Carolina. She was the ...

, educator *

Kameron Marlowe Kameron Marlowe, born in 1997 in Kannapolis, North Carolina, is an American country music singer-songwriter signed to Columbia Nashville. He was a contestant on The Voice (American season 15), season 15 of NBC's ''The Voice (American TV series), T ...

, country music singer-songwriter * Glenn McDuffie, retired

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

sailor, picture subject of ''

V-J Day in Times Square ''V-J Day in Times Square'' is a photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt that portrays a U.S. Navy sailor embracing and kissing a total stranger—a dental assistant—on Victory over Japan Day ("V-J Day") in New York City's Times Square on August 1 ...

'' *

James McDuffie James Doyle McDuffie (November 17, 1929 – May 21, 2015) was an American educator and politician. Born in Kannapolis, North Carolina, McDuffie went to Pfeiffer University, Lenoir–Rhyne University and then graduated from Catawba Colleg ...

, North Carolina Senator *

Kelley Earnhardt Miller Kelley King Earnhardt Miller (née Earnhardt; formerly Earnhardt-Elledge; born August 28, 1972) is an American businesswoman. She is the Chief Executive Officer of JR Motorsports which she co-owns with her brother, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and she is ...

, businesswoman and vice president of

JR Motorsports JR Motorsports (pronounced "Junior Motorsports") is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, CARS Tour, and occasionally in the NASCAR Advance Auto Par ...

Melissa Morrison-Howard Melissa Morrison-Howard (born July 9, 1971 in Mooresville, North Carolina) is an American hurdler best known for winning two Olympic bronze medals. She also won the bronze medal at the 2003 World Indoor Championships as well as one national indo ...

, track hurdler and winner of two

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

bronze medals * Mike Morton, NFL

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

, Super Bowl XXXIV champion 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 arri ...

Brandon Parker Brandon Malik Parker (born October 21, 1995) is an American football offensive tackle for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Carolina A&T before being selected by the Raiders in the t ...

, NFL

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

* Corey Seager,

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

shortstop,

2020 World Series The 2020 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's 2020 season. The 116th World Series was a best-of-seven-playoff between the American League (AL) champion Tampa Bay Rays and the National League (NL) champion Los Ang ...

champion and MVP for the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

Kyle Seager Kyle Duerr Seager (born November 3, 1987) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played his entire career for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2011 to 2021. He was selected by the Mariners in the thi ...

, MLB third baseman *

George Shinn George Shinn (born May 11, 1941) is the former owner of the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets, as well as the Charlotte Knights and Gastonia Rangers minor league baseball teams, along with the Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks, of the World League of Americ ...

, former owner of the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

Haskel Stanback Haskel LaVon Stanback (born March 19, 1952) is a former professional American football player who played running back for seven seasons for the Atlanta Falcons. He was selected in the fifth round of the 1974 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals ...

, former NFL running backHaskel Stanback Stats
''Pro-Football-Reference''. Retrieved November 2, 2020. *

Dixie Upright R. T. "Dixie" Upright (May 30, 1926 – November 13, 1986) was a left-handed, , 175 pound Major League Baseball player who played for the St. Louis Browns in 1953. Prior to playing professional baseball, he attended Cannon High School in Kannapo ...

, former MLB player

References

External links

City of Kannapolis official website

''The Salisbury Post''
daily newspaper serving Kannapolis, with archives of the former ''Kannapolis Citizen'' weekly {{authority control

Kannapolis Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte and is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The city of Kannapolis was incorporated in 1984. Th ...

Cities in Cabarrus County, North Carolina Cities in Rowan County, North Carolina Charlotte metropolitan area Populated places established in 1906 Company towns in North Carolina 1906 establishments in North Carolina