Gibsonville ("City of Roses") is a town in both
Alamance and
Guilford counties in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
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 ...
. Most of Gibsonville is situated in the
Greensboro
Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina, af ...
-
Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 91st-most populous city in the Uni ...
-
High Point Combined Statistical Area and the eastern portion is in the
Burlington, North Carolina
Burlington is a city in Alamance County, North Carolina, Alamance and Guilford County, North Carolina, Guilford counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the principal city of the Burlington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which en ...
Metropolitan Statistical Area, encompassing all of Alamance County. According to the
2020 census, the population of Gibsonville was 8,971.
History
Joseph Gibson (1785-1857), whose father established farming and gold mining operations in Gibsonville as early as 1775, was a local farmer who provided grading services in 1851 for the newly formed North Carolina Railroad (NCRR) Company. Shortly afterwards Gibsonville began to emerge as a commerce center.
The first train arrived on October 9, 1855, and the depot was named Gibson Station in his honor. On February 18, 1871, the state legislature issued a charter officially establishing the Town of Gibsonville.
Gold mining played a minor role here when deposits were discovered on Gibson Hill (or Gold Hill) south of town in the early 1800s. In 1888, the Chifar Consolidated Gold Mine Company began crushing ore at a mine a half mile south of the depot in Gibsonville.
The town cemetery is located in that area, but no graves have yielded gold. Captain Billy Gilmer owned one of the first stores in town built before 1860, supplying farmers and miners. His wooden general store was at the corner of Main Street and Piedmont Street where Reno's Pizza is now. Several wooden saloons were also located downtown during the frenzied gold mining days, making Gibsonville a rough and ready town with few restrictions.

The Depot Greens served as a holding area for livestock and agricultural goods being shipped out on the railroad, which was the primary economic purpose of Gibsonville. In 1886, a local self-taught entrepreneurial mill builder, Berry Davidson, constructed the steam powered Minneola
textile mill
Textile manufacturing or textile engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful good ...
on Railroad Avenue. Subsequently, he built the Hiawatha textile mill on Eugene Street in 1893. Together, these mills transformed Gibsonville from an agricultural shipping station into a vibrant small town with an industrial base.
In 1894, Dr. Jordan built the first two-story brick building downtown on the corner of Main Street and Lewis Street, where Wade's Jewelry is situated now. The remainder of the brick buildings facing the Greens were built between 1905 and 1920. The early 1920s were a boom time for Gibsonville when Main Street was paved, water and sewer lines installed, and street lights erected. The wooden buildings were replaced with brick structures standing today.
Prior to 1912, the Gibsonville Development Company was founded by leading citizens A. B. Owens, J.W. Burke, and D. M. Davidson (son of Berry Davidson), plus P.L. Kivett later. These civic leaders were responsible for creating the town's telephone exchange, Bank, lumber yard, the Gibsonville Hosiery Mill on Apple Street, multiple, plus several houses. They also expanded the Rock Creek Dairy into the largest dairy in the state.
The town's population grew slowly from 111 residents in 1890 to more than 6,410 in 2010. Most of the rapid growth occurred after 1970 when the town's population was 2,024 residents.
When the mills closed in the 1980s, the town slowly transformed itself into a commuter residential community for the Burlington and Greensboro metro area.
Gibsonville has been known as the "City of Roses" since at least 1920, when train passengers could see the large number of rose bushes along the railroad tracks at the Minneola Mill.
The
Gibsonville School,
Francis Marion Smith House, and
Simeon Wagoner House are 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 ...
.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the town has a total area of , of which , or 0.28%, is water.
The town is almost evenly split between Alamance and Guilford counties, though biased towards Guilford County, but, is economically and geographically connected to the town of
Elon, and
Elon University
Elon University is a private university in Elon, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1889 as Elon College, the university is organized into six schools, most of which offer bachelor's degrees and several of which offer master's degrees or ...
in Alamance County. Gibsonville was named for Joseph Gibson, a prominent Guilford County planter of the antebellum period. Gibson's Federal-style house remains near Gibsonville and is recognized as a Guilford County landmark property.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 8,920 people, 2,481 households, and 1,895 families residing in the town.
2000 census
As of the
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 ...
of 2000, there were 4,372 people, 1,707 households, and 1,206 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,822 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 80.17%
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 ...
, 15.53%
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 ...
, 0.39%
Native American, 0.75%
Asian, 1.74% from
other races, and 1.42% from two or more races.
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 of any race were 2.72% of the population.
There were 1,707 households, out of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% 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, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% 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 3.05.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.0% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,989, and the median income for a family was $51,164. Males had a median income of $36,025 versus $24,740 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 $21,142. About 5.7% of families and 8.9% 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 ...
, including 10.1% of those under age 18 and 18.9% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
Sisters
Kay Yow
Sandra Kay Yow (March 14, 1942 – January 24, 2009) was an American basketball coach. She was the head coach of the NC State Wolfpack women's basketball team from 1975 to 2009. A member of the Naismith Hall of Fame, she had more than 700 ca ...
(N.C. State Women's basketball coach) and
Deborah Yow (athletic director) are natives of Gibsonville.
News & Observer
The NFL's Torry Holt (Rams and Jaguars) and his brother Terrence Holt (Lions, Cardinals, Bears, Panthers, Saints) are both natives of Gibsonville.
Basketball player Jesse Branson
Herman Jesse Branson (January 7, 1942 – November 2, 2014) was an American basketball player.
Born in Graham, North Carolina, he played collegiately for Elon University. He was tall.
He became known as the hoops legend at Elon, setting numer ...
, professional wrestler Luther Lindsay, supercentenarian Emma Tillman, Canadian football player John Wagoner and baseball pitcher Lefty West have also resided in Gibsonville.
References
External links
Town website
{{authority control
Towns in North Carolina
Towns in Alamance County, North Carolina
Towns in Guilford County, North Carolina
Populated places established in 1855