Sparta is a town in Alleghany County,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

, United States. At the last 2010 census, the population was 1,770 people. 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 Alleghany County.

History

James H. Parks, an early businessman whose store stood near the present location of the ABC store, was one of three men who donated land for the county seat in 1866. Parks is credited with suggesting the name "

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...

", after the Greek city-state. Noteworthy businesses established in Sparta included '' The Alleghany News'' (1889), the Bank of Sparta (1902), and the second store purchased by home improvement giant

Lowe's Lowe's Companies, Inc. (), often shortened to Lowe's, is an American retail company specializing in home improvement. Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, the company operates a chain of retail stores in the United States and Canada. A ...

(1949). Sparta's first shopping center, Trojan Village, opened in 1977, followed by Sparta Plaza in 1986. The Alleghany County Courthouse and Jarvis House 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 ...

. On August 9, 2020, the town was the epicenter of a moderate earthquake that was felt as far as Georgia. The earthquake, which registered as a 5.1 on the

Richter magnitude scale The Richter scale —also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale—is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Francis Richter and presented in his landmark 1935 p ...

, was the largest earthquake to occur in North Carolina in over 100 years.

Geography

Sparta is located at (36.505639, -81.121718). 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 th ...

, the town has a total area of , of which , or 0.32%, is water.

Climate

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 off ...

, there were 1,834 people, 732 households, and 409 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 inc ...

of 2000, there were 1,817 people, 825 households, and 441 families residing 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 RosenberPopu ...

was 765.2 people per square mile (296.0/km). There were 922 housing units at an average density of 388.3 per square mile (150.2/km). The racial makeup of the town was 94.06%

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 ...

, 1.98%

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 ...

, 0.17% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 2.20% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races.

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 for ...

or Latino of any race were 7.71% of the population. There were 825 households, out of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.5% were non-families. 41.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.71. In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.1% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 24.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $22,474, and the median income for a family was $37,596. Males had a median income of $23,304 versus $18,281 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 $14,237. About 10.6% of families and 18.3% 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 ...

, including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 33.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable locations

* The Sparta Teapot Museum (now permanently closed).

Notable people

Zach Galifianakis Zachary Knight Galifianakis (born October 1, 1969) is an American actor and comedian. He appeared in ''Comedy Central Presents'' special and presented his show ''Late World with Zach'' on VH1. Galifianakis has starred in films including ''Th ...

(Oct 1, 1969 - ), American actor, comedian, musician and writer * Boyden Carpenter (1909–1995), bluegrass artistOld time music performed by Boyden Carpenter, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, part 2
''loc.gov''. Retrieved December 14, 2020. * Octavia Jordan Perry (1895–1991), writer; inspired by summers spent in Sparta * Del Reeves (1932–2007), country singer

In popular culture

* Sparta was stated to be the hometown of Charlotte Simmons in Tom Wolfe's 2004 novel ''

I Am Charlotte Simmons ''I Am Charlotte Simmons'' is a 2004 novel by Tom Wolfe, concerning sexual and status relationships at the fictional Dupont University. Wolfe researched the novel by talking to students at North Carolina, Florida, Penn, Duke, Stanford, and ...

''. * The infamous alternate music video for " Can't Tell Me Nothing" by musical artist and producer

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

was filmed on location in Alleghany County near Sparta, North Carolina. The video stars actor and comedian

, as well as indie folk artist Will Oldham. Galifianakis was approached by West following a stand-up comedy show and was asked if he could "produce and perform a video for him". Galifianakis was given complete authority over the content of the video. The video includes several locals, including a young group of female cloggers from the area.

References

External links

Town of Sparta official website

Alleghany Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Towns in North Carolina Towns in Alleghany County, North Carolina County seats in North Carolina