Cornelius is a suburban town located along Lake Norman in northern Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States. It is a major suburb of Charlotte and part of its metropolitan area. The population was 31,412 at the 2020 census, Potts Plantation was established near Cornelius in 1753. The town of Cornelius, the second youngest of Mecklenburg County's six incorporated towns, was founded in 1893, but not incorporated until March 4, 1905. The town's origin has been traced by many historians to a dispute over cotton weighing.

Cornelius has experienced explosive growth during the 2000s, swelling from under 2,600 in the 1990 census to over 31,000 in the 2020 census. The greatest percentage growth was 364% between the 1990 and 2000 censuses, but in absolute terms the population has nearly tripled from under 12,000 in 2000 to the low to mid 30,000s today.

Potts Plantation was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

Geography

Cornelius is located along Lake Norman in northern Mecklenburg County. The town lies approximately north of Charlotte, at an elevation of . It is bordered to the north and east by the town of Davidson and to the south by the town of Huntersville.

Interstate 77 crosses the middle of the town, passing west of the original town center, and with access from Exit 28, Catawba Avenue. I-77 leads south to Charlotte and north to Statesville. U.S. Route 21 runs parallel to I-77 from Catawba Avenue to the south. North Carolina Highway 115 passes through Cornelius as its Main Street, leading north to the center of Davidson and to Mooresville, and leading south to the center of Huntersville.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 3.53%, are water.

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Cornelius had a population of 31,412. The median age was 42.9 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.7 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 13,528 households in Cornelius, including 7,853 family households. Of all households, 50.5% were married-couple households, 15.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. 29.5% of households had children under the age of 18 living in them. the median household income in 2010 was $83,789.

Schools and libraries

School system

The citizens of Cornelius attend the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Elementary schools include Cornelius Elementary and JV Washam Elementary. Middle schools include Bailey Middle School. William A. Hough High School is the zoned high school. Hough opened in August 2010, and currently serves over 2,000 students.

Private schools

  • Grace Covenant Academy
  • New Beginnings Christian Academy
  • Phoenix Montessori Academy

Libraries

Cornelius is served by a branch of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.

The library is located in the heart of Cornelius, on Catawba Avenue just east of exit 28 on I-77.

Notable people

  • Erika Brown, Olympic swimmer
  • Vicky Bruce, professional women's soccer player
  • Kevin Conway, professional stock car racing driver
  • Amber Cope, NASCAR driver
  • Jerry K. Crump, soldier in the United States Army; received Medal of Honor during the Korean War
  • Blaine Donahue, professional stock car racing driver
  • Christian Elder, NASCAR driver
  • Mark Fields, NFL cornerback
  • Erik Jones, NASCAR driver
  • Michael Jordan, Hall of Fame NBA basketball player (resident)
  • Steve Letarte, sportscaster and former NASCAR crew chief
  • Joey Logano, NASCAR driver (resident)
  • Leilani Munter, former professional race car driver and environmental activist
  • Ricky Rudd, NASCAR driver
  • Daniel Steedman, soccer player
  • Jeff Tarte, politician
  • Thom Tillis, politician and businessman
  • Brian Voss, PBA and United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame bowler
  • Scot Walters, NASCAR driver
  • Hoyt Wilhelm, MLB pitcher and member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame

References

  • Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce
  • Visit Lake Norman