Kenly is a town in Johnston and Wilson 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 ...

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 ...

. It was named for John R. Kenly, Northern Division Superintendent of the

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967, it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast ...

, who later became president of the railroad in 1913. The population was 1,339 at the 2010 census, down from 1,569 in 2000.

History

The community was settled in about 1875, developing along the "Short-Cut" rail line of the

Wilmington and Weldon Railroad The Wilmington and Weldon Railroad (W&W) name began use in 1855, having been originally chartered as the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad in 1834. When it opened in 1840, the line was the longest railroad in the world with of track. It was constr ...

. It was incorporated in 1887 as Kenly, being named for railroad official J. R. Kenly. In 1897, the community's first school, Kenly Academy, a private boarding institution, was established. Kenly High School, a public institution, was opened in 1914. That year the town received its first electric service. In July 2022, all five members of Kenly's police force resigned, citing a "hostile work environment", allegedly created by the newly appointed town manager.

Geography

Kenly is located in eastern Johnston County. A small portion of the town extends into the southwest corner of Wilson County. U.S. Route 301 (Church Street) is the main road through the center of town. North Carolina Highway 222 (Second Street) crosses US 301 in the center of Kenly.

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 ...

runs along the northwest edge of Kenly, with access from Exit 107 (US 301). 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 ...

, Kenly has a total area of , of which , or 0.16%, are water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,491 people, 744 households, and 416 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 1,569 people, 671 households, and 414 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 754 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 55.32%

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 ...

, 40.60%

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 ...

, 0.25% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 2.29% from other races, and 1.27% 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 3.57% of the population. There were 671 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% 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, 20.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 3.02. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.1% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $20,865, and the median income for a family was $33,214. Males had a median income of $24,250 versus $17,917 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 $14,181. About 23.3% of families and 25.2% 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 26.5% of those under age 18 and 19.3% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Boyette Slave House was 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 ...

in 1979.

Education

* Glendale-Kenly Elementary * North Johnston High School

Notable people

Al Evans Alfred Hubert Evans (September 28, 1916 – April 6, 1979) was an American Major League Baseball catcher and a Minor League manager. Listed at tall and , Evans batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Kenly, North Carolina. Basically a c ...

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 *

The O'Kaysions The O'Kaysions are an American pop band from Kenly, North Carolina that first formed in 1959. They are best known for their 1968 million-seller " Girl Watcher". Career The group first formed under the name The Kays in 1959, and scored a Top 1 ...

Culture

Kenly is the home of the Eastern North Carolina Church of God State Executive Offices and Conference Center.

References

Works cited

* *

External links

Town of Kenly official website
{{authority control Towns in Johnston County, North Carolina Towns in Wilson County, North Carolina Towns in North Carolina