Mount Airy, North Carolina
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Mount Airy is a city in Surry County, North Carolina, USA. The population was 8,484 at the 2000 census.
Mayberry
Mount Airy was the childhood home of American actor Andy Griffith, and the inspiration for the fictional community Mayberry, the setting of The Andy Griffith Show. Although Griffith himself often denied the connection, several locations and names mentioned in the show reflect real places and people in or near Mount Airy, including Mount Pilot (nearby Pilot Mountain) and Snappy Lunch, a restaurant which still stands in the city's downtown and is famous for its pork chop sandwich. The community holds an annual "Mayberry Days" celebration during the last weekend of September which regularly attracts thousands of visitors from around the world.Citizens of Mount Airy normally take pride in the Mayberry theme, but others are embarrassed by the association. Many citizens would rather Mount Airy show off and market its own rich heritage. In any case, Mount Airy itself looks nothing like TV's Mayberry, as the show was filmed entirely in Hollywood, California, on the RKO Pictures backlot called "Forty Acres".
Bluegrass and Old-Time music
The home of old-time music legend Tommy Jarrell and country singer Donna Fargo, Mount Airy has a long history with regional music. Mount Airy's WPAQ 740 AM radio is one of the few Bluegrass and Old-Time music stations still operating and has been airing the live radio show Merry-Go-Round from the Downtown Cinema Theatre since 1948. Weekly bluegrass jam sessions at The Andy Griffith Playhouse also serve to attract old-time musicians from across the region.Chang and Eng Bunker
Mount Airy was also the home of the famous Siamese Twins, Chang and Eng Bunker (1811–1874), Chinese brothers born in Siam, now Thailand. Chang and Eng were joined by a band of cartilage at the chest (xiphopagus) and with current surgical procedures could easily be separated. For many years they traveled with the Barnum circus, and upon retiring in the 1840s they married sisters Sarah and Adelaide Yates of North Carolina and purchased two adjoining farm properties just west of Mount Airy in the community of White Plains.Together they fathered between 20 and 23 children (accounts vary, and many of the children died in early childhood). The twins would spend three days at one farm then three days at the second farm. They owned slaves and during the American Civil War Chang's son Christopher and Eng's son Stephen both fought for the Confederacy. In January of 1874, Chang, who was a heavy drinker and had fallen ill with pneumonia, died during the night. Eng also died within a few hours, surrounded by his and his brother's families. The brothers are buried at White Plains Baptist Church, and many of their descendants still live in the Mount Airy area.
The June, 2006, issue of National Geographic has an article that focuses on the Bunkers. There are some 1,500 descendants of the Bunker twins. Among them are 11 sets of twins, none of them conjoined.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.7 km² (8.4 mi²), all land.
Mount Airy's most prominent feature is its granite quarry, NC Granite, the largest open-faced quarry in the United States.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 8,484 people, 3,667 households, and 2,130 families residing in the city. The population density was 390.4/km² (1,010.8/mi²). There were 4,129 housing units at an average density of 190.0/km² (491.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.34% White, 7.99% African American, 0.35% Native American, 2.55% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.49% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.87% of the population.There were 3,667 households out of which 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.9% were non-families. 38.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.6% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 25.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 84.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,910, and the median income for a family was $33,412. Males had a median income of $27,299 versus $24,830 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,237. About 17.4% of families and 19.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 20.7% of those age 65 or over.
External links
- [Mount Airy official website]
- [VisitMayberry.com]
- [Mount Airy Museum of Regional History]
- [Mount Airy - Town With an Identity Crisis] A behind the scenes look at Mount Airy, and the city - popularized by Andy Griffith's Mayberry.
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