Davidson is a suburban town located in northern Mecklenburg and Iredell counties,

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, on the banks of Lake Norman. It 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 Gastoni ...

. The population was 10,944 at the 2010 census, and in 2019 the estimated population was 13,054. The town was founded in 1837 with the establishment of the Presbyterian Davidson College, named for Brigadier General

William Lee Davidson William Lee Davidson (1746–1781) was an officer in the North Carolina militia and Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was born in Pennsylvania and moved with his family to Rowan County, North Carolina in 1750. He was kil ...

, a local Revolutionary War hero. The land for Davidson College came from Davidson's estate, a large portion of which was donated by his son.

History

John Davidson, described as "a prosperous

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

merchant", was a member of the Davidson family who migrated south from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Davidson's Creek was the westernmost settlement in North Carolina at the time, and according to Robert Ramsey's ''Carolina Cradle'', it "became the nucleus of the Centre Presbyterian Congregation." John Davidson's son William went on to serve in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

, eventually becoming a major. Maj. William Davidson was a cousin of Col. William Davidson, the first state senator from Buncombe County, North Carolina, who in turn was a cousin of Gen. William Lee Davidson, for whom Davidson College was named. Gen. Davidson's son William Lee Davidson II sold 469 acres (1.90 km2) to the Concord Presbytery to start Davidson College. The history of the town of Davidson is inextricably linked to Davidson College, which predated the surrounding community and influenced its development. Although Davidson's growth in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries typified small railroad towns throughout the

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, the presence of the college created a unique village. The tree-shaded campus filled with classically inspired architecture distinguished Davidson from other communities. The sway of the school also extended beyond the campus to the entire town, influencing commerce, culture, and the character of its architecture. The 1869 Branson's business directory recorded four dry goods merchants in the town as well as a cabinetmaker, a miller, and three physicians. Soon after the arrival of the railroad, Davidson became a shipping point for cash crops, especially cotton, and a service center for farmers. In common with other railroad towns in the region, textile investors constructed cotton mills and mill villages along the rail corridor. The Linden Cotton Factory, erected in 1890 on Depot Street, was the first textile plant in Davidson, and in 1908, the Delburg Cotton Mills was constructed nearby. Two thousand bales of cotton were sold at Davidson annually in the early 1900s. In 1891, the name of the town was changed from "Davidson College" to "Davidson", emblematic of the community's expanding roles for town and gown alike. Davidson's cotton mills spurred the growth of the town, and by 1910 the population of Davidson had reached 500 residents, climbing to 1,500 by the 1920s. Between 1900 and the Great Depression, the business district evolved from a commingling of stores and residences into contiguous rows of one- and two-story, brick commercial buildings. The heart of downtown – opposite the college – contained a full complement of small-town stores and services, including four general merchandise stores, a drug store, a laundry, tailor shop, two barber shops, a hardware store, a post office, a bank, and several restaurants. Physicians, building contractors, and milliners also had Main Street addresses. Behind Main Street along the railroad tracks stood the small 1897 Southern Railway Depot, a livery, flour mill, sawmill, cotton gins, a cottonseed oil company, a blacksmith shop, and a buggy manufacturer. The demise of cotton farming and decline of other agricultural pursuits in the region effectively ended the town's role as a farming service center. Meanwhile, improved highways and the advent of I-77 encouraged residents to frequent larger department stores in the cities, especially Charlotte, to the south. In more recent years, the emergence of suburban shopping centers around Davidson accelerated the town's status to an all-purpose retail market. Today, the tremendous development around Charlotte has stimulated Davidson's growth to its current population of more than 10,000 people. Local downtown businesses, now characterized by restaurants and specialty shops, cater to this new market. Prestigious, nationally known Davidson College has made the town an intellectual and cultural center, drawing into its orbit a sizable professional class. Beginning with the General Plan in 1993, continuing through the Land Plan of 1995 and the Planning Ordinance of 2001, the town has advocated for and implemented smart growth principles, including pedestrian orientation (resulting in a ban on drive-thru's), mixed-use development, affordable housing, open space preservation, and connectivity. An emphasis on design has been a consistent theme in each resulting regulatory document. Additionally, the town of Davidson received National Register Historic District status in 2009 for the historic core of the town, which includes downtown.

Geography

Davidson is located in the

of North Carolina at , in northern Mecklenburg County, north of Charlotte. A portion of the town extends north into Iredell County. The western edge of the town follows the shoreline of Lake Norman, a large reservoir on the

Catawba River The Catawba River originates in Western North Carolina and flows into South Carolina, where it later becomes known as the Wateree River. The river is approximately 220 miles (350 km) long. It rises in the Appalachian Mountains and drains into ...

. On the northwestern edge, Davidson is bordered by Lake Davidson,http://www.ci.davidson.nc.us/DocumentCenter/View/817/LKD-Fact-Sheet-2?bidId= a runoff basin of Lake Norman. Davidson is bordered to the south by the town of Cornelius. Interstate 77 passes through the western side of Davidson, with access from Exit 30. I-77 leads south to Charlotte and north the same distance to Statesville. North Carolina Highway 115 is Davidson's Main Street; it leads north to Mooresville and south to Huntersville. 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 ...

, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 4.12%, are water.

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 15,106 people, 4,336 households, and 3,011 families residing in the town.

2010 census

According to the 2010 census, there were 10,944 people and 4,253 housing units in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 87.8%

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 ...

, 6.4%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 2.8% Asian, 3.8%

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 ...

or Latino and 1.7% from two or more races. There were approximately 2,429 family households, out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.8% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 3.11. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.8% under the age of 18, 14.9% from 20 to 29, 21.9% from 35 to 49, 16.2% from 50 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.7 years. 47.5% of the population was male and 52.5% was female. The median household income was $83,730, and the median income for a family was $124,045. Males who work full-time and year-round had a median income of $93,833 versus $56,178 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 $49,065. About 4.8% of families and 6.4% 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 6.5% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The residents of Davidson attend the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Elementary schools include Davidson Elementary. Following the shutdown of Davidson IBMYP Middle School in 2011, there was no middle school located in Davidson for nearly 10 years. However, in recent years Davidson Elementary has been expanded to Davidson K-8, although some students leave to attend magnet, charter, or private schools. High school students attend William A. Hough High School in Cornelius.

Private schools

* Davidson Day School, located at 750 Jetton Road in Davidson * Woodlawn School, located 1 mile north of Davidson College
Lake Norman Christian School

Davidson Green School
located in downtown Davidson, 511, South Main St
Phoenix Montessori Academy
412 Armour Street Davidson Public Library

Charter schools

* Community School of Davidson

Colleges and universities

Davidson is home to Davidson College, a highly selective liberal arts college located in the heart of town on Main Street. Davidson College is ranked 15th in National Liberal Arts Colleges, and the top school in the South,. It is consistently ranked in the top ten best liberal arts colleges in the country, and has graduated 23 Rhodes scholars. Some notable attendees of the college are Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States,

George Osborne George Gideon Oliver Osborne (born Gideon Oliver Osborne; 23 May 1971) is a former British politician and newspaper editor who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2010 to 2016 and as First Secretary of State from 2015 to 2016 in the ...

, former British Chancellor of the Exchequer, and current NBA player Stephen Curry.

Libraries

Davidson is served by a branch of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. The library is located on the Green in Davidson.

Employers

Davidson is home to many businesses small and large alike. Since Davidson is situated on an old railroad line it has attracted many industrial companies for corporate and commercial business. Two well-known companies have large offices in Davidson. Davidson has attracted these companies due to the influence of Davidson College and Charlotte Douglas International Airport being 25 miles away. All while being a short drive to the up and coming Uptown Charlotte.

Trane/Ingersoll Rand

Davidson is home to

Ingersoll Rand Ingersoll Rand is an American multinational company that provides flow creation and industrial products. The company was formed in February 2020 through the spinoff of the industrial segment of Ingersoll-Randplc (now known as Trane Technologies) ...

US Corporate Headquarters. In 2020, the Beaty Street Corporate headquarters also became home to

Trane Trane is a manufacturer of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, along with building management systems and controls. The company is a subsidiary of Trane Technologies, a company focused on manufacturing HVAC and refrigerat ...

a recent subsidiary of

. The company has a five-building complex on one of Lake Davidson's Peninsulas. Ingersoll Rand employs 1600 Davidsonians.

, an industrials company has many well-known brands other than

such as

Club Car Club Car is an American company that manufactures electric and gas-powered golf carts and small utility vehicles for personal and commercial use. It is currently owned by Platinum Equity after being acquired in 2021. Before that, the company wa ...

and

CompAir CompAir is an engineering and manufacturing company specialising in compressed air and gas systems. It is a division of NYSE-listed Ingersoll Rand. History CompAir was formed when Holman merged with BroomWade to produce "an organisation with ...

MSC Industrial Direct

MSC Industrial Direct, located on Harbor Place Drive can be viewed from I-77 when traveling south. This building houses MSC's Customer Support Center/Corporate Headquarters. MSC Industrial Direct is Industrial Supplier, a Fortune 1000 company, and is on the

NYSE The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its liste ...

under the ticker MSM company. MSC Industrial Direct employs 700 people in the Davidson Area. Davidson College has also created many opportunities for the community employing over 500 residents. Davidson College also created the Hurt HUB. The Hurt HUB at Davidson College is a place for business professionals in the Davidson Area to meet young college students and create new networking opportunities.

Points of interest

* Davidson College * Davidson College Arboretum * Lake Norman

Awards and recognitions

* Fannie Mae Foundation Maxwell Award: to the Davidson Housing Coalition for the Bungalows (2001)< * North Carolina Housing Finance Agency Multi-Family Housing Award: for the Bungalows (2001) * National Environmental Protection Agency Smart Growth Award for Overall Excellence in Town Planning and Design (2004) * Exit 30 Master Plan - Marvin Collins Outstanding Planning Award for Smart Growth (2004) * Centralina Council of Government Sustainable Environment for Quality of Life: Best Practices Award for Davidson's Aging in Place Task Force (2006) * North Carolina League of Municipalities Green Challenge: Level One Award (2008) * Recognition as a National Historic District (2009) * North Carolina Main Street Community (2009) * Tree City USA (2010) * Bike Friendly Community - Bronze (2010) * Davidson Police Department - Accreditation by Commission for Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) (2011) * Comprehensive Plan - North Carolina American Planning Association (NCAPA) Planning Award - Honorable Mention (2011) * Affordable Housing - NCAPA Planning Award (2011) * Circles at 30 - NCAPA Planning Award (2011) * Fit Community - Bronze (2011-2014) * Walk Friendly Community - Bronze (2011) * Great Main Street Award, North Carolina Chapter of the American Planning Association (2013) * North Carolina Land Trust Government Conservation Partner of the Year Award (2014)

Notable people

:''See also'': '' List of notable Davidson College alumni'' * Robert J. Abernethy, entrepreneur and philanthropist * Matt Ballard, former college football head coach *

Elizabeth Bradford Elizabeth Bradford is an American artist living in Davidson, North Carolina, best known for her large-scale paintings of landscapes. Her works have been widely exhibited throughout the southeastern United States and are collected in museums and ...

, artist * John Candelaria, former

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), ...

pitcher * Steph Curry, NBA player *

, officer in the

militia and Continental Army during 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 ...

; also namesake of the town * Hayes Grier, Internet personality *

Nash Grier Hamilton Nash Grier (born December 28, 1997) is an American Internet personality. He became known for his online videos on the now-defunct video sharing service Vine in early 2013. By 2015, Grier was the second most-followed user on the platfo ...

, Internet personality *

Will Grier William Grier (born April 3, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida and West Virginia and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third ro ...

, NFL quarterback * Alan Gustafson,

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 ...

crew chief * Herb Jackson, professor of art at Davidson College *

Matt Kunitz Matt Kunitz (born November 5, 1968) is an American television executive producer known for his work on reality television programming. In July 2008, the ''Los Angeles Times'' dubbed Kunitz "The King of Reality TV." Biography Kunitz was supervisi ...

, the creator of the hit reality tv show "Wipeout" * Lenny McAllister, political commentator * Gene McEver,

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

player and coach * Josef Newgarden, IndyCar driver * Anna Chao Pai,

geneticist A geneticist is a biologist or physician who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a scientist or a lecturer. Geneticists may perform general research on genetic processes ...

and professor emerita at

Montclair State University Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, the second largest public university in New ...

Thomas W. Ross Thomas Warren Ross Sr. is an American public official who served as the president of the University of North Carolina system from 2011 to 2016. He succeeded Erskine Bowles on January 1, 2011. Formerly, he was president of Davidson College, a pri ...

, former president of Davidson College and current president of the University of North Carolina system * Mary T. Martin Sloop, instrumental to the improvement of healthcare and education in the mountains of North CarolinaWilliams, Shane
Mary T. Martin Sloop (1873 – 1962)
''North Carolina History Project''. Retrieved July 17, 2020.

References

External links

Town of Davidson official website

Save Davidson Social Welfare group official website

Explore Davidson
official website for visitors and new residents
Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce

Visit Lake Norman

DavidsonNews.net, a privately run community news website

Davidson branch of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County
{{Authority control Towns in Iredell County, North Carolina Towns in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Towns in North Carolina Populated places established in 1837