Kings Mountain is a small
suburban city within the
Charlotte metropolitan area
The Charlotte metropolitan area is a metropolitan area of the U.S. states of North and South Carolina, containing the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gastonia, Concord, Huntersville, and ...
in
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 ...
and
Gaston
Gaston is a masculine given name of French origin and a surname. The name "Gaston" may refer to:
People
First name
*Gaston I, Count of Foix (1287–1315)
* Gaston II, Count of Foix (1308–1343)
*Gaston III, Count of Foix (1331–1391)
*Gaston ...
counties,
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. Most of the city is in Cleveland County, with a small eastern portion in Gaston County. The population was 10,296 at the
2010 census.
History
Originally the settlement was called White Plains, but the city was incorporated on October 16, 1874, and the name was changed. It was decided that "Kings Mountain" would be a more appropriate name since the community was close to the site of the historic 1780
Battle of Kings Mountain
The Battle of Kings Mountain was a military engagement between Patriot and Loyalist militias in South Carolina during the southern campaign of the American Revolutionary War, resulting in a decisive victory for the Patriots. The battle took pl ...
in
York County, South Carolina
York County is a county on the north central border in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 282,090, making it the seventh-most populous county in the state. Its county seat is the city of York, and its ...
, a turning point in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
.
The Battle of Kings Mountain was proclaimed as "the turning point of the American Revolution" by
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...
.
Liberty Mountain, a play performed at the local theater, recounts the events of the battle. The downtown area is home to the museum, police station, and the
Mauney Memorial Library.
The
Central School Historic District
Central School Historic District is a national Historic district (United States), historic district located at Kings Mountain, North Carolina, Kings Mountain, Cleveland County, North Carolina. It encompasses 52 contributing buildings and 4 con ...
,
King Street Overhead Bridge
King Street Overhead Bridge is a historic overhead bridge located at Kings Mountain, North Carolina. It was built in 1938–1939, and is a reinforced concrete Moderne-style rigid-frame vehicular bridge. It measures about 48 feet long and 49 fee ...
,
Margrace Mill Village Historic District
Margrace Mill Village Historic District is a national historic district located at Kings Mountain, Cleveland County, North Carolina. It encompasses 57 contributing buildings in a residential section of Kings Mountain. The houses date between ...
,
Jacob S. Mauney Memorial Library and Teacher's Home,
Southern Railway Company Overhead Bridge
Southern Railway Company Overhead Bridge, also known as North Carolina Bridge #220426, is a historic overhead bridge located at Kings Mountain, Cleveland County, North Carolina. It was built in 1919, and is a reinforced concrete tee-beam vehi ...
, and
West End Historic District 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
Kings Mountain lies west of
Charlotte along
Interstate 85
Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, ...
.
Gaffney, South Carolina
Gaffney is a city in and the county seat, seat of Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States, in the upstate South Carolina, Upstate region of South Carolina. Gaffney is known as the "Peach Capital of South Carolina". The population was 12,53 ...
, is to the southwest along I-85.
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 1.98%, is covered with water.
Kings Pinnacle
The Pinnacle, is one of the two main peaks located within Crowders Mountain State Park. The other peak is Crowders Mountain. The park is located in the western Piedmont of North Carolina between the cities of Kings Mountain and Gastonia.
Geo ...
is a small mountain located at the southeastern point of the city. Standing at 1,705 feet, it is the highest point in the Kings Mountain Belt of
monadnock
An inselberg or monadnock ( ) is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain.
In Southern Africa, a similar formation of granite is known as a koppie, an ...
formations. It is one of the two mountains in
Crowders Mountain State Park
Crowders Mountain State Park is a North Carolina state park in Gaston County, North Carolina in the United States. It is near Kings Mountain, North Carolina and on the outskirts of Gastonia, North Carolina, it includes the peaks of Crowder's M ...
, where cleared trails lead to the pinnacle.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 11,142 people, 4,151 households, and 2,536 families residing in the city.
2010 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 2010, there were 10,296 people, 4,597 households, and 2,674 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,064 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 74.85%
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 ...
, 21.55%
black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
, 0.15%
Native American, 1.81%
Asian, 0.02%
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 ...
, 0.63% from
other races, and 0.99% 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 1.43% of the population.
There were 3,821 households, out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% 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, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. Of all households, 26.8% were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,415, and the median income for a family was $39,137. Males had a median income of $32,444 versus $22,201 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 city was $15,920. About 13.4% of families and 19.2% 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 29.2% of those under age 18 and 20.7% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
The interchange between
Interstate 85
Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, ...
,
US Highway 74, and
US Highway 29 is to the east of the city.
Kings Mountain is also served by two
North Carolina State Highways
The North Carolina Highway System consists of a vast network of Interstate Highway, Interstate, U.S. Highway, United States, and state highways, managed by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. North Carolina has the second largest st ...
: NC-161 with service to
Bessemer City and
York
York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
, and NC-216 with service to
Cherryville.
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc. is an American operator of Intercity bus service, intercity bus services. Greyhound operates the largest intercity bus network in the United States, and also operates charter and Amtrak Thruway services, as well as interci ...
began scheduled intercity bus service on April 20, 2010. The station is housed at Battleground Petroleum, 726 York Rd., off
Interstate 85
Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, ...
. The close proximity to I-85 was a major factor in relocating this station from nearby
Gastonia, North Carolina
Gastonia is the most populous city in and the county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest satellite city of the Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte area, behind Concord, North Carolina, Concord. The po ...
.
Notable people
*
George Adams (born 1949), professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
player
*
Otto Briggs (1891–1943), former professional baseball player
*
Dremiel Byers
Dremiel Deshon Byers (born September 11, 1974) is an American former Greco-Roman wrestler. Byers joined the U.S. Army World Class Athletes Program (WCAP) in 1997 and was the 2002 World Champion in Greco-Roman wrestling at 120 kg. In tot ...
(born 1974),
Greco-Roman
The Greco-Roman world , also Greco-Roman civilization, Greco-Roman culture or Greco-Latin culture (spelled Græco-Roman or Graeco-Roman in British English), as understood by modern scholars and writers, includes the geographical regions and co ...
wrestler,
World Champion
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...
and part of two
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...
teams in
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
and
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
*
Jake Early
Jacob Willard Early (May 19, 1915 – May 31, 1985) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Washington Senators (1901–60), Washington Senators and the St. Louis Browns. Early was a l ...
(1915–1985), former
MLB
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 and
All-Star
An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry.
Sports
"All-star" as a sport ...
selection
*
Kevin Mack (born 1962), former
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
fullback and two-time
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players.
The format has changed ...
selection
*
Tim Moore (born 1970), NC Speaker of the House
*
John Henry Moss
John Henry Moss (November 10, 1918 – July 1, 2009) was a baseball executive and politician. Well known for his strong leadership and organizational skills, Moss was a key contributor to the development of Minor League Baseball during more than ...
(1919–2009),
Minor League Baseball
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
executive and longtime Mayor of Kings Mountain
*
Laura Moss (born 1973), actress
*
Frazier Robinson (born 1910), former professional baseball player
*
Madisyn Shipman (born 2002), actress in ''Game Shakers''
*
Sandor Teszler (1903–2000), textile executive and philanthropist
*
Jimmy Wayne
Jimmy Wayne Barber (born October 23, 1972) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He released his self-titled Jimmy Wayne (album), debut album in 2003 on the DreamWorks Records label. Four singles were released from it, including " ...
(born 1972), country music singer and songwriter
*
George Wilson George Wilson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* George Balch Wilson (1927–2021), American composer, professor emeritus at the University of Michigan
* George Washington Wilson (1823–1893), Scottish photographer
* George Christopher (ac ...
(1924–1974), former
MLB
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 and a member of 1956
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
champion.
*
Will Wilson (born 1998), professional baseball shortstop in the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
organization
See also
*
Battle of Kings Mountain
The Battle of Kings Mountain was a military engagement between Patriot and Loyalist militias in South Carolina during the southern campaign of the American Revolutionary War, resulting in a decisive victory for the Patriots. The battle took pl ...
*
*
Kings Mountain National Military Park
Kings Mountain National Military Park is a National Military Park near Blacksburg, South Carolina, along the North Carolina/South Carolina border. The park commemorates the Battle of Kings Mountain, a pivotal and significant victory by Ameri ...
*
Lincoln Academy
*
Parker Hannifin
Parker-Hannifin Corporation, originally Parker Appliance Company, usually referred to as just Parker, is an American corporation specializing in motion and control technologies. Its corporate headquarters are in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, in Greater ...
References
External links
City of Kings Mountain official website
{{Authority control
Cities in North Carolina