Lillington is a town in

Harnett County, North Carolina Harnett County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 133,568. Its county seat is Lillington; its largest city is Dunn. Harnett County is part of the Fayetteville Metropolitan Stat ...

, United States. The population was 3,194 at the 2010 census, and was estimated in 2018 to be 3,604. It is 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 ...

of Harnett County. Lillington is a part of the Dunn Micropolitan Area, which is also a part of the greater Raleigh–Durham–Cary

Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and ...

as defined by 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 th ...

Geography

Lillington is located near the geographic center of Harnett County.

U.S. Route 401 U.S. Route 401 (US 401) is a north–south United States highway, a spur of U.S. Route 1, that travels along the Fall Line from Sumter, South Carolina to Interstate 85 near Wise, North Carolina. Route description Starting in Sum ...

(Main Street) passes through the center of town, leading north to

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

, the state capital, and south to Fayetteville.

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 ...

follows US-401 along North Main Street through the town, but turns west out of town via West Front Street, leading to Sanford. US-421 turns east from US-401 near the northern end of town and leads southeast to Dunn. According to the

, the town of Lillington has a total area of , of which , or 0.68%, is covered by water. The

Cape Fear River The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River (North Carol ...

crosses the northern part of the town. Poorhouse Creek, a tributary to the Cape Fear River, begins on the southwestern end of Lillington.

History

A post office called Lillington has been in operation since 1874. The town was originally called Harnett Court House. The town of Lillington is named for John Alexander Lillington (c. 1725–1786), aka Alexander John Lillington, who was a Patriot officer from

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 ...

in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, notably fighting in the

Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge The Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge was a minor conflict of the American Revolutionary War fought near Wilmington (present-day Pender County), North Carolina, on February 27, 1776. The victory of the North Carolina Provincial Congress' militia ...

in 1776 and serving as

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the state militia. The

Summer Villa and the McKay-Salmon House Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, wit ...

and Summerville Presbyterian Church and Cemetery 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 ...

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 4,735 people, 924 households, and 540 families residing in the town.

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, 2,915 people, 799 households, and 484 families resided in the town. 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 730.5 people per square mile (282.1/km). The 894 housing units averaged 224.0 per square mile (86.5/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 town was 54.75% White, 40.55% African American, 0.79% Native American, 0.45% Asian, and 2.26% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 4.08% of the population. Of the 799 households, 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% were married couples living together, 18.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% were not families. About 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.88. In the town, the population was distributed as 15.2% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 40.4% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 141.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 154.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $30,670, and for a family was $42,366. Males had a median income of $30,305 versus $23,214 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 $13,664. About 12.4% of families and 20.3% 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 31.2% of those under age 18 and 20.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Daisy Hendley Gold Daisy Mabel Hendley Gold (October 26, 1893 – April 7, 1975) was an American writer, poet, and journalist. She worked for the ''Statesville Record & Landmark'' and '' The Greenville Piedmont'' before becoming the managing editor of the ''Wilson T ...

(1893–1975, died in Lillington), author and journalist * Link Neal (born 1978), one half of entertainment duo

Rhett & Link Rhett James McLaughlin (born October 11, 1977) and Charles Lincoln "Link" Neal III (born June 1, 1978) are an American comedy duo. Self-styled as "Internetainers" (a portmanteau of "Internet" and "entertainers"), they are known for creating and ...

* Rhett McLaughlin (born 1977), other half of entertainment duo

* Lesli Peebles (born 1977-1978), first girlfriend of entertainment duo

References

External links

Town of Lillington official website

Lillington Area Chamber of Commerce

The Daily Record
{{Authority control Towns in Harnett County, North Carolina Towns in North Carolina County seats in North Carolina