Pittsboro, North Carolina

Encyclopedia : P : PI : PIT : Pittsboro, North Carolina

The Court House and Traffic Circle in Downtown Pittsboro. The Statue in front of the Court House is a Confederate Soldier.

Pittsboro is a town in Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,226 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Chatham County^{[Geographic references#6GR6]}. The town is served by three local schools; Pittsboro Elementary School, Horton Middle School, and Northwood High School.

Contents

1 History
2 Development Controversy
3 Geography
4 Demographics
5 External links

History

Pittsboro was established as a town in 1785; the Chatham County Court House stood on land belonging to Miles Scurlock; however, in 1787, the legislature declared that a town could not be established on Scurlock's land. The town's trustees instead purchased adjacent land belonging to William Petty and laid out the town. That same year, Pittsboro was officially named the county seat. Although Chatham County is named for William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, Pittsboro is named for his son, William Pitt the Younger.

Charles M. Stedman, the last Civil War veteran to serve in Congress, was born in Pittsboro on Jan. 29, 1841.

Development Controversy

Pittsboro has recently become the center of a heated controversy regarding new real estate development. Because of its proximity to nearby cities such as Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, real estate and commercial developers have taken an interest in Pittsboro. This is especially true for land to the north and east of the town, which are closer to the aforementioned cities. At least one subdivision is planned for this area which will have a population larger than any town in Chatham County.

New development is controversial for several reasons:

The high likelihood of environmental damage to the already endangered Jordan Lake/Haw River watershed
Economic upheaval with unpredictable effects on local businesses
The risk of having a Bedroom community due to limited local employment opportunities
Irreversible changes to the "small town" lifestyle enjoyed by many residents
Strain on Pittsboro's aging and fragile water infrastructure
Expected increase in crime rates
Rising property taxes that may not be affordable to long-time residents
Increased traffic and congestion, leading to lower air quality and noise pollution

The influx of developers has led to the formation of many citizens' action groups, such as the Chatham Coalition, Chatham Citizens for Effective Communities, and Chatham First. Through active involvement in local government, these groups have urged town and county politicians to closely examine the effects of rapid urbanization and create regulations which protect the natural resources and rural character of the area.

Geography

Pittsboro is located at [35°43′13″N, 79°10′35″W] (35.720332, -79.176393)^{[Geographic references#1GR1]}.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 8.8 km² (3.4 mi²). 8.7 km² (3.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.89%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^{[Geographic references#2GR2]} of 2000, there were 2,226 people, 855 households, and 535 families residing in the town. The population density was 255.8/km² (663.1/mi²). There were 939 housing units at an average density of 107.9/km² (279.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 64.38% White, 27.54% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.99% from other races, and 1.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.81% of the population.

There were 855 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were married couples living together, 18.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% 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 2.97.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 80.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $35,800, and the median income for a family was $42,391. Males had a median income of $29,500 versus $26,719 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,863. About 19.2% of families and 18.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.3% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.

External links

Media outlets

[Chatham Journal Newspaper], PO Box 520, Pittsboro, NC 27312

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