Mount Airy is a city in

Surry County, North Carolina Surry County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 71,359. Its county seat is Dobson, and its largest city is Mount Airy. Surry county comprises the Mount Airy, NC Micropolitan St ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 10,611.

History

Mount Airy was settled in the 1750s as a

stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

stop on the road between

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

and Galax, Virginia. It was named for a nearby plantation. Mount Airy was incorporated in 1885. The city's official seal was established in 1977, which depicts major industries that are home to Mount Airy including: furniture, textiles, and the granite quarry. In 1994, Mount Airy was named an All American City. The

W. F. Carter House W. F. Carter House, also known as the Carter House, is a historic home located at Mount Airy, Surry County, North Carolina. It was built about 1908, and is a two-story, Classical Revival style frame dwelling. It features a central two-story Io ...

William Carter House William Carter House, also known as the Carter-Burge-Miller House, is a historic home located near Mount Airy, Surry County, North Carolina. It was built about 1834, and is a two-story, three bay, vernacular Federal style brick dwelling. A one ...

Edgar Harvey Hennis House Edgar Harvey Hennis House is a historic home located at Mount Airy, Surry County, North Carolina. It was built in 1909, and is a -story, three bay by eight bay, Late Victorian / Colonial Revival style brick veneer dwelling. It has a two-stor ...

William Alfred Moore House The William Alfred Moore House is a historic home located at Mount Airy, Surry County, North Carolina. It was built between 1861 and 1863, and is the earliest known structure still standing in Mount Airy. The house is known for its Italianate ...

, Mount Airy Historic District,

North Carolina Granite Corporation Quarry Complex North Carolina Granite Corporation Quarry Complex is a historic granite quarry and national historic district located at Mount Airy, Surry County, North Carolina. The district encompasses 22 contributing buildings, 1 contributing site, and 8 co ...

Renfro Mill Renfro Mill, also known as R. Roberts Leaf Tobacco House, is a historic industrial building located at Mount Airy, Surry County, North Carolina. The original section was built as a tobacco barn about 1893. The largest addition was built in 1946� ...

, and Trinity Episcopal Church 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

Mount Airy is located at (36.5006, −80.6093), along the

Ararat River The Ararat River is a tributary of the Yadkin River in southwestern Virginia and northwestern North Carolina in the United States.DeLorme (2001). ''North Carolina Atlas & Gazetteer''. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. Via the Yadkin it is part of th ...

, about 5 km (3 mi) south of the

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

state line. 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 ...

states the city has a total area of , all land. The city is located at the foothills of the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States, and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsylvania through Maryland, West Virgin ...

, approximately 14 miles from the

Blue Ridge Parkway The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is America's longest linear park, runs for through 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties, linking Shenand ...

. It has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(''Cfa'') and the

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

is 7a.

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 10,676 people, 4,571 households, and 2,530 families residing in the city.

2010 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 2010, there were 10,388 people in 4,934 households. The people per square mile was 891.4. There were 5,296 housing units. The Population percent change from 2000 to 2010 was 22.4% up. The racial makeup of the city was 84.1%

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 ...

descent, 8.2% African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 2.2% Persons reporting two or more races, 6.7% Hispanic or Latino. Persons per household was 2.10. Average household income was $35,428. Persons below poverty level was 21.1%. High school graduates were 76.9% and bachelor's degree or higher was 25.9%. As of the

of 2000, there were 8,484 people, 3,667 households, and 2,130 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 1,010.8 people per square mile (390.4/km²). There were 4,129 housing units at an average density of 491.9 per square mile (190.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.34%

descent, 7.99%

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 ...

, 0.35% Native American, 2.55%

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 ...

, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 2.49% 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 1.24% from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, for example, by the United States ...

of any race were 5.87% of the population. There were 3,667 households, out of which 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% 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, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.9% were non-families. 38.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.87. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.6% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 25.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $26,910, and the median income for a family was $33,412. Males had a median income of $27,299 versus $24,830 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 $17,237. About 17.4% of families and 19.9% 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 24.7% of those under age 18 and 20.7% of those age 65 or over.

Mayberry

Actor

Andy Griffith Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, southern gospel singer and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his characte ...

was born in Mount Airy, and the town is considered to have been the basis for Mayberry, the setting of the TV shows ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The ...

'' and ''

Mayberry R.F.D. ''Mayberry R.F.D.'' (abbreviation for Rural Free Delivery) is an American television series produced as a spin-off continuation of ''The Andy Griffith Show''. When star Andy Griffith decided to leave his series, most of the supporting character ...

''. The community holds an annual "Mayberry Days" celebration during the last weekend of September; 30,000 attended in 2009, and 90,000 attended for the show's 50th anniversary in 2010. The

University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. UNCG, like all members of the UNC system, is a stand-al ...

estimates the town receives $5 million each year as a result. Surviving members of the cast, along with family members of other cast members, often visit. The 2012 event was slated to have Karen Knotts (Don's daughter) and George Lindsey Jr. (eponymous son of the actor who portrayed Goober). Several

Ford Galaxie The Ford Galaxie is a full-sized car that was built in the United States by Ford for model years 1959 through to 1974. The name was used for the top models in Ford's full-size range from 1958 until 1961, in a marketing attempt to appeal to the e ...

police car A police car (also called a police cruiser, police interceptor, patrol car, area car, cop car, prowl car, squad car, radio car, or radio motor patrol) is a ground vehicle used by police and law enforcement for transportation during patrols a ...

s, painted to resemble those used on the show, give rides to guests. A barber shop has been named " Floyd's." The

Andy Griffith Museum The Andy Griffith Museum is a museum dedicated to the life and career of American actor, television producer, and singer Andy Griffith. The museum, which houses the world's largest collection of Andy Griffith memorabilia, is located in Griffith' ...

, founded in 2009 by

Emmett Forrest William Emmett Forrest, Jr. (September 3, 1927 – January 12, 2013) was an American pop culture collector, museum founder, and longtime friend of actor Andy Griffith. Forrest was an extensive collector of memorabilia spanning Griffith's career. H ...

, attracts 200 visitors a day. The 2,500-square-feet museum, located half a mile from Griffith's childhood home, houses the world's largest collection of Andy Griffith

memorabilia A souvenir (), memento, keepsake, or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. A souvenir can be any object that can be collected or purchased and transported home by the traveler as a m ...

. Mayberry Days will continue on September 19-25, 2022

The Autumn Leaves Festival

Held the second weekend in October, the Autumn Leaves Festival attracts over 200,000 people to the city during the festival weekend. Vendors sell food and other items, and there is a stage for musicians.

Bluegrass and old-time music

The home of

old-time music Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dancing, clogging, and buck dancing. It is played on acoustic instruments, generally centering on a combination ...

legend

Tommy Jarrell Thomas Jefferson Jarrell (March 1, 1901 – January 28, 1985) was an American fiddler, banjo player, and singer from the Mount Airy region of North Carolina's Appalachian Mountains. Biography He was born in Surry County, North Carolina, Unit ...

, bluegrass gospel legends The Easter Brothers,

country singer Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

Donna Fargo Donna may refer to the short form of the honorific ''nobildonna'', the female form of Don (honorific) in Italian. People *Donna (given name); includes name origin and list of people and characters with the name * Roberto Di Donna (born 1968), Ita ...

, Mount Airy has a long history with regional music. Mount Airy's

WPAQ WPAQ is an Americana, and Bluegrass-formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Mount Airy, North Carolina, serving the Piedmont of North Carolina and the Southside and Southwestern sections of Virginia. WPAQ is owned and operated by WPAQ Rad ...

is one of the few Bluegrass and Old-Time music stations still operating and has been airing the live radio show Merry-Go-Round from the Downtown Cinema Theatre since 1948. Weekly bluegrass

jam session A jam session is a relatively informal musical event, process, or activity where musicians, typically instrumentalists, play improvised solos and vamp over tunes, drones, songs, and chord progressions. To "jam" is to improvise music without exte ...

s at The Andy Griffith Playhouse and the annual

Mount Airy Fiddlers Convention The Mount Airy Fiddlers Convention is a popular festival devoted to old-time and bluegrass music, as well as related arts such as dance, which takes place each summer at Veterans Memorial Park in Mount Airy, North Carolina, United States. It was ...

also serve to attract old-time musicians from across the region and the world. The Fiddlers Convention first began in 1972, and is held the first weekend in June at Veterans Memorial Park. The Blue Ridge Music Center with its amphitheater and music museum of old-time music is just a few miles away on the

at Milepost 213, near Galax, Virginia. This area is home to the Round Peak style of old-time music, which started in the Round Peak community, just west of Mount Airy.

Chang and Eng Bunker

Mount Airy was the residence of

Chang and Eng Bunker Chang Bunker and Eng Bunker (May 11, 1811 – January 17, 1874) were Siamese-American conjoined twin brothers whose fame propelled the expression " Siamese twins" to become synonymous for conjoined twins in general. They were widely exhibited as ...

(1811–1874),

conjoined twins Conjoined twins – sometimes popularly referred to as Siamese twins – are twins joined ''in utero''. A very rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 49,000 births to 1 in 189,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence ...

joined by a band of cartilage at the chest (xiphopagus). They are buried at White Plains Baptist Church about 2 miles from Mt Airy Main street. Many of their descendants still live in the Mount Airy area.

Education

The Mt. Airy Public Library serves the community. The library won the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

Design Award. Mount Airy has a city-funded school district consisting of four schools.

Mount Airy City Schools

Mount Airy High School Mount Airy High School is located on N South Street in Mount Airy, North Carolina. The front office is at the corner of N South Street and Orchard Street. The school first opened in 1895. Mount Airy's team name is the Granite Bears, and their scho ...

*Mount Airy Middle School *Jones Intermediate School *Tharrington Primary School

Surry County Schools

There are also other schools in Mount Airy that are controlled by the Surry County Schools district. *North Surry High School *Gentry Middle School *Meadowview Magnet Middle School *Cedar Ridge Elementary School *Flat Rock Elementary School *Franklin Elementary School *White Plains Elementary School

Charter schools

Mount Airy has one k-12 public-funded

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of auto ...

,
Millennium Charter Academy

Private schools

*White Plains Christian School

Notable people

Frank Beamer Franklin Mitchell Beamer (born October 18, 1946) is a retired American college football coach, most notably for the Virginia Tech Hokies, and former college football player. He is the father of current South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane ...

(born 1946), head football coach Virginia Tech, born in Mount Airy, raised in

Fancy Gap, Virginia Fancy Gap is a census-designated place (CDP) in Carroll County, Virginia. The population was 237 at the 2010 census. Geography Fancy Gap is located at (36.669884, −80.700892). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the CDP has a total are ...

Ron Blackburn Ronald Hamilton Blackburn (April 23, 1935 – April 29, 1998) was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 1958 and 1959 seasons. Career Nicknamed "Blackie", he batted and threw right handed. ...

(1935–1998),

Major League Baseball 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), ...

player *

(1811–1874), famous "Siamese Twins"

of showman

P.T. Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (; July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017) with James Anthony Bailey. He was ...

who settled in Mount Airy after they retired from show business *

Ben Callahan Benjamin Franklin Callahan (May 19, 1957 – January 9, 2007) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. The right-hander was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 31st round of the 1980 amateur draft, then traded to the Oakland Athletics on June 15 ...

(1957–2007), Major League Baseball player * Bill Cox (1929–2017), NFL defensive player *

Chubby Dean Alfred Lovell Dean (August 24, 1915 – December 21, 1970) was a Major League Baseball pitcher and first baseman. He played for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1936 to 1941 and the Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American pro ...

(1916–1970), Major League Baseball player *

(born 1945), country music singer and songwriter, best known for the song "The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA" * Benton Flippen (1920–2011), old-time fiddler, banjo player, and guitarist *

(1927–2013), founder of the

Maddie Gardner Mary Maddison "Maddie" Gardner (born July 13, 1993) is an American news reporter and internationally recognized former Allstar Cheerleader. She was the point (center) flyer for the Senior Large All Girl Level 5 competitive cheerleading team Sen ...

, (born 1993), local news reporter and internationally recognized cheerleader *

(1926–2012), American actor * Bill Hayes, television producer *

Caleb V. Haynes Caleb Vance Haynes (March 15, 1895 – April 5, 1966) was a United States Air Force (USAF) major general. The grandson of Chang Bunker, a famous Siamese Twin, he served in the Air Force as an organizer, able to create air units from scratch. ...

(1895–1966),

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

major general *

Jerry Hemmings Jerry D. Hemmings (born February 17, 1948) is a former American basketball coach and former professional basketball player. He coached the Brandon University men's basketball team to four CIAU National Championships. Hemmings is a member of the Ma ...

(born 1948), basketball coach * Mildred "Bonnie" Hines,(1955-2022), Rev. Dr. Hines Elected 98th Bishop in A.M.E. Zion Church; First/sole Female Bishop born in Surry Cty, NC) *

(1901–1985), old-time fiddler, banjo player, and singer *

Luke Lambert Lucas A. Lambert is an American NASCAR crew chief who works for Spire Motorsports as the crew chief of their No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro in the NASCAR Cup Series driven by Carson Hocevar. Lambert was previously Cup Series crew chief for Richard Chil ...

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 ...

crew chief * Betty Lynn (1926-2021), actress *

Mark Daniel Merritt Mark Daniel Merritt (born 1961 in New London, CT) (ASCAP) is an American composer and arranger with published choral works mostly for church choirs. Merritt's commissions, include a commission in 2007 partially funded by the Kentucky Arts Council, t ...

(born 1961), American music composer *

Alex Sink Adelaide Alexander Sink (born June 5, 1948) is an American politician and financier. A member of the Democratic Party, Sink was the Chief Financial Officer for the state of Florida and treasurer on the board of trustees of the Florida State Boar ...

, former chief financial officer of Florida, Democratic nominee for governor of Florida in 2010 * Anna Wood (born 1985), actress

Sister city

Mount Airy has one

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

: * Samut Songkhram,

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

Joyce, Tom. (Jul 21, 2019)
Siamese Twins unite sister cities
''The Mount Airy News''. Retrieved Jul 22, 2020.