Liberty is a town in

Randolph County Randolph County is the name of eight counties in the United States: *Randolph County, Alabama *Randolph County, Arkansas *Randolph County, Georgia *Randolph County, Illinois *Randolph County, Indiana *Randolph County, Missouri *Randolph County, Nort ...

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.

History

Originally named Liberty Oak, the town was founded in 1809 near the plantation of John Leak. The first church within the town was the Liberty Christian Church (now the United Church of Christ) founded on October 11, 1884. The town's first school, the Liberty Academy, was founded on May 6, 1885, as a charter school, and helped to foster the town's early reputation as a place of higher learning. Liberty is home to the mother church of the Southern Baptist denomination (Sandy Creek Baptist Church). The Liberty Historic District was added to 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 ...

in 2000.

Geography

Liberty is drained by the Rocky River on the south and southwest and its tributary

North Rocky River Prong North Rocky River Prong is a long 3rd order tributary to the Rocky River that begins in Liberty, North Carolina in Randolph County and flows to Chatham County. Course North Rocky River Prong rises on the northside of Liberty, North Carolina, ...

on the northeast. Sandy Creek, a tributary of the Deep River, drains the town on the west and northwest.

Events and landmarks

Liberty is also home to the famous
the Liberty Antiques Festival
Also
the Liberty Showcase
has had many famous Nashville recording stars such as Ronnie McDowell, Lorrie Morgan, Gene Watson, Exile, and many more. The movies ''Killers Three'' (1968) and ''Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice'' (1993) were filmed in Liberty and the surrounding areas. One of Liberty's most noticeable landmarks is the Patterson House Museum, near the town hall; it was originally constructed in 1885 by Dr. Armstead Jackson Patterson as a retirement home for his parents. Other local landmarks are the historical Liberty train station (which is not open to the public), and the Vance York house. In 2001, Liberty was honored to become one of the few towns on the North Carolina National Historic Register for its rich history and historic architecture, largely due to the efforts of Mrs. Francine Swaim, a local writer, teacher, and historian.

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 2,655 people, 1,108 households, and 671 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 in ...

of 2000, 2,661 people, 1,033 households, and 708 families resided in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

was 1,020.8 people per square mile (393.6/km). The 1,094 housing units averaged 419.7 per square mile (161.8/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 65.69% White, 23.64% African American, 0.71% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 8.08% from other races, and 1.80% from two or more races. About 14.2% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 1,033 households, 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were not families; 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.09. In the town, the population was distributed as 26.1% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $35,052, and for a family was $44,179. Males had a median income of $27,944 versus $21,462 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 $16,345. About 12.2% of the population and 9.9% of families 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 ...

. Of the total population, 12.9% of those under the age of 18 and 16.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Aviation

Liberty has long been important to the aviation community. In addition to having several private airports in the vicinity, Liberty lies at the intersection of several air traffic routes that serve the East Coast. A

Vortac Very high frequency omnirange station (VOR) is a type of short-range radio navigation system for aircraft, enabling aircraft with a receiving unit to determine its position and stay on course by receiving radio signals transmitted by a network ...

owned by the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...

for air traffic navigation is based just outside town near Sandy Creek Church. Liberty is also located near the delineation point for the

Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZTL) (radio communications, "Atlanta Center") is one of 22 Air Route Traffic Control Centers operated by the United States Federal Aviation Administration. It is located at 299 Woolsey Rd, Hampton, Georgi ...

(Atlanta Center) and the

Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZDC) is an Area Control Center operated by the Federal Aviation Administration and located at Lawson Rd SE, Leesburg, Virginia, United States. The primary responsibility of ZDC is the separation of airp ...

(Washington Center). All planes flying west of Liberty must be directed by Atlanta, while all planes flying east must be directed by Washington.

References

External links

Official website

Chamber of Commerce website
{{authority control Towns in Randolph County, North Carolina Towns in North Carolina Populated places established in 1809 1809 establishments in the United States