Clayton is a town in Johnston County,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, United States, and is considered a satellite town of Raleigh. As of

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, Clayton's population was 26,307, up from 16,116 at the 2010 census. By 2024 the town's estimated population was 30,621. Much of that growth can be attributed to the town's proximity to the

Research Triangle The Research Triangle, or simply The Triangle, are both common nicknames for a metropolitan area in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Anchored by the cities of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh an ...

area and access to major highways such as I-40 and US 70.

Geography

Clayton is in western Johnston County, with small portions extending into Wake County. In 2006, construction began on the Highway 70 Clayton Bypass, a stretch from Interstate 40 along the southern portion of Clayton to Highway 70 business southeast of town. It was completed in June 2008. US 70 leads southeast to

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

at Smithfield. Downtown Raleigh is northwest of Clayton via US 70 Business and Interstate 40. Many local unincorporated communities outside of the town limits use Clayton mailing addresses, including

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

Powhatan Powhatan people () are Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands who belong to member tribes of the Powhatan Confederacy, or Tsenacommacah. They are Algonquian peoples whose historic territories were in eastern Virginia. Their Powh ...

, and

Flowers Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of the 2010 census the town had an area of , of which were land and , or 0.16%, were water. The town is part of the Neuse River watershed. The town limits now extend northeast to the Neuse River and beyond. Town Hall is located at 111 East Second Street and is shared with The Clayton Center, a performing arts and conference center.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Clayton has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Clayton was on August 18, 1988, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 21, 1985.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 26,307 residents living within the Town of Clayton. There were 9,579 households (62% Increase), with an average of 3.04 persons per household.

2010 census

As of the 2010

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, there were 16,116 residents living within the Town of Clayton. There were 5,944 households, with an average of 2.57 persons per household. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was with an inventory of 6,648 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 69.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 21.8%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 10.7%

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino 0.4% American Indian, 1.4% Asian, 0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

. Of the 5,944 households in the 2010 census, 44% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30% were non-families. 25.4% of non-family households were made up of householders living alone. 16.3% of households had individuals 65 years of age or older. The age demographics of the 2010 census determined that 32.9% were under the age of 19, 4.9% were aged 20 to 24, 32.8% aged 25 to 44, 20.8% aged 45 to 64, and 8.5% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.9 years. Females made up 52.5% of the population while males made up 47.5% of the population. The median income for a household in the town was $53,101, and the median income for a family was $64,856. Males had a median income of $46,108 versus $40,839 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $26,234. These figures put Town of Clayton well ahead of the North Carolina averages for the same categories.

Arts and culture

Sites listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

include: * Clayton Banking Company Building * Clayton Graded School and Clayton Grammar School-Municipal Auditorium * Clayton Historic District * Cleveland School * Ellington-Ellis Farm * Walter R. and Eliza Smith Moore House * Sanders-Hairr House *

Stallings-Carpenter House The Stallings-Carpenter House, located on State Road 1713 north of Clayton, Johnston County, North Carolina, was constructed in 1845 by James and Elizabeth (Jones) Stallings in the Greek Revival style. It was added to the National Register o ...

Parks and recreation

Bailey and Sarah William Preserve has seven miles of multi-use trails for walking and biking. Clayton Community Center is a 32,000 sq. ft. facility that has a 1/16th mile indoor track, a fitness center, large gymnasium, an art and potter classroom. It also includes a garden with a greenhouse! Clayton Community Park is a 42-arce park, which offers a variety of activities including a 1/2 mile paved trail, three baseball fields, volleyball courts, picnic shelter, unpaved wetlands, and two playground areas. East Clayton Community Park features soccer and baseball fields, a disc golf course, picnic areas, a walking trail, and a playground. Clayton also has the Clayton Municipal Park, Clayton River Walk on the Neuse, Clemmons Educational State Forest, Donald "Clyde" Sinclair Park, the East Clayton Community Park, the East Clayton Dog Park, Harmony Playground, Neuse Adventures Canoe & Kayak Rentals, the Pine Hollow Golf Club, the Riverwood Golf & Athletic Club, the Sam's Branch Greenway Trail, the Neuse Country Club, and the Triangle Adventures.

Government

Town Council

Education

* Academy of Hope * American Leadership Academy - Johnston * Clayton High School * Cleveland High School * Clayton Middle School * Cooper Academy * Cleveland Elementary School * East Clayton Elementary School * Johnston Charter Academy * Lifespring Academy * Powhatan Elementary School * River Dell Elementary School * Riverwood Elementary School * Riverwood Middle School * Swift Creek Middle * Thales Academy * West Clayton Elementary School

Notable people

Chris Archer Christopher Alan Archer (born September 26, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates and Minnesota Twins. Archer attended Clayton High School ( ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player * Valerie Ashby, chemist and President of

University of Maryland, Baltimore County The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a Public university, public research university in Catonsville, Maryland named after Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County. It had a fall 2022 enrollment of 13,991 students, 61 un ...

* Sam Beddingfield (1933-2012),

test pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testin ...

and a pioneering aerospace engineer * Gary Clark, NBA player * William Dodd (1869–1940), historian and United States Ambassador to Germany from 1933 to 1937 * Johnny Dutch, USA Track & Field athlete * Vern Duncan (1890-1954), former Major League Baseball player * Douglas Ellington (1886-1960),

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

noted for his work in the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

style * Eric Ellington (1889-1913), pioneer of military aviation and namesake of

Ellington Field Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base is a joint installation shared by various active component and reserve component military units, as well as aircraft flight operations of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under the aegi ...

in Houston, Texas * Omarion Hampton,

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

running back * Kendra "Keni" Harrison, set the world record in the women's 100 metres hurdles at the London Grand Prix * Corey Lee, MLB player * Jaylee Burley Mead (1929–2012), astronomer at

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

's Goddard Space Flight Center * Evan Philips, MLB Player * Rodney Rowe, track and field sprinter * James Talacek, professional aquanaut * Kodi Whitley, Major League Baseball pitcherKodi Whitley
''Baseball-Reference''. Retrieved October 29, 2020.

References

External links

*
Clayton Chamber of Commerce
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clayton, North Carolina 1869 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1869 Populated places on the Neuse River Towns in Johnston County, North Carolina Towns in Wake County, North Carolina Towns in North Carolina