Graham is a city and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of
Alamance County, North Carolina
Alamance County (), from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved September 18, 2012. is a County (United States), county in North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...
, United States. It is part of 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. As of the
2020 census the population was 17,153.
History
Graham was laid out in 1849 as the county seat of the newly formed Alamance County, and was incorporated as a town in 1851; it became a city in 1961. It was named for
William Alexander Graham,
U.S. senator from North Carolina (1840–1843) and
governor of North Carolina
The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the United States, U.S. state of North Carolina. Seventy-five people have held the office since the first state governor, Richard Caswell, took office in 1777. The governor serves a ...
(1845–1849).
The lynching of
Wyatt Outlaw, the first African-American Town Commissioner and Constable of Graham, on February 26, 1870, by the
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...
, along with the assassination of State Senator
John W. Stephens at the
Caswell County Courthouse, provoked Governor
William Woods Holden to declare
martial law
Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...
in
Alamance and
Caswell Counties, resulting in the
Kirk-Holden War of 1870.
[Troxler, Carole Watterson and William Murray Vincent (1999). ''Shuttle & Plow: A History of Alamance County, North Carolina''. Alamance County Historical Association.][The Hillsboro Recorder, April 6, 1870.]
National Register of Historic Places
Alamance County Courthouse,
Cedarock Park Historic District,
Graham Historic District,
William P. Morrow House,
North Main Street Historic District, and
Oneida Cotton Mills and Scott-Mebane Manufacturing Company Complex 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
Graham is bordered to the north and the west by the city of
Burlington and to the northeast by the town of
Haw River
The Haw River is a tributary of the Cape Fear River, approximately 110 mi (177 km) long, which is entirely contained in north central North Carolina in the United States. It was first documented as the "Hau River" by John Lawson, a ...
. The
Haw River
The Haw River is a tributary of the Cape Fear River, approximately 110 mi (177 km) long, which is entirely contained in north central North Carolina in the United States. It was first documented as the "Hau River" by John Lawson, a ...
runs along the east edge of Graham, and the city extends south as far as Alamance Creek.
Interstate 85 runs through the city, leading east to
Durham and west to
Greensboro.
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 city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.67%, is water.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. 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, Graham 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.
Climate Summary for Graham, North Carolina
/ref>
Education
The local school system is known as the Alamance-Burlington School System, which was created by a merger between the Alamance County School System and the Burlington City School System in 1996.
Local public schools in Graham include:
* Southern Alamance High School
* Graham High School
* Graham Middle School
* Southern Middle School
* Alexander Wilson Elementary School
* B. Everett Jordan Elementary School
* North Graham Elementary School
* South Graham Elementary School
Private schools include:
*Alamance Christian School
Graham is also home to Alamance Community College, a two-year technical college.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 17,157 people, 6,412 households, and 3,962 families residing in the city.
2000 census
At the 2000 census there were 12,833 people, 5,241 households, and 3,385 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 5,685 housing units at an average density of . The racial composition of the city was: 72.88% White, 21.64% Black or 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 ...
, 10.14% Hispanic or Latino American, 0.73% Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans with ancestry from the continent of Asia (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of those immigrants).
Although this term had historically been used fo ...
, 0.44% Native American, 0.0% Native Hawaiian
Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaiʻi was set ...
or Other Pacific Islander, 3.19% some other race, and 1.12% two or more races.
Of the 5,241 households 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 30.1% of households were one person and 11.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.91.
The age distribution was 24.0% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.4 males.
The median household income was $35,706 and the median family income was $40,769. Males had a median income of $27,844 versus $22,163 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,865. About 11.9% of families and 14.9% 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 19.8% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
* Jane Albright, women's college basketball coach (Northern Illinois Huskies
The Northern Illinois Huskies are the athletic teams that represent Northern Illinois University (NIU). The Huskies are a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I and the Mid-American Conference (M ...
, Wisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers are the College athletics in the United States, athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I ...
, Wichita State Shockers)
*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 ...
, basketball player (Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...
, New Orleans Buccaneers
The New Orleans Buccaneers were a charter member of the American Basketball Association. After three seasons in New Orleans, Louisiana, the franchise moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where it became the Memphis Pros, Pros, Memphis Tams, Tams, and Me ...
)
*Clise Dudley
Elzie Clise Dudley (August 8, 1903 – January 12, 1989) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched from 1929 to 1933. He attended the University of South Carolina.
On April 27, 1929, Dudley became only the second Major League player, a ...
, baseball pitcher ( Brooklyn Robins, Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
, Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
)
* Donnell S. Holt, business executive ( Cannon Mills)
* Jim Holt, baseball player (Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
, Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
)
* Jamie Newman, football player (Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...
)
* Wyatt Outlaw, politician
* Jeanne Robertson, comedian and beauty pageant titleholder ( Miss North Carolina 1963)
References
External links
City of Graham official website
{{authority control
Cities in North Carolina
Cities in Alamance County, North Carolina
County seats in North Carolina
Populated places established in 1849