Henderson is a city in and the county seat of Vance County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 15,060 at the 2020 census.

History

The city was named in honor of former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Leonard Henderson, who lived nearby and was a friend of early settler Lewis Reavis. Henderson was officially chartered by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1841.

Prior to the creation of Vance County in 1881, Henderson was located in far eastern Granville County.

Ashland, Henderson Central Business Historic District, Henderson Fire Station and Municipal Building, Library and Laboratory Building-Henderson Institute, Mistletoe Villa, Maria Parham Hospital, Daniel Stone Plank House, Vance County Courthouse, West End School, Zollicoffer's Law Office, and Barker House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and 0.12% is water.

Henderson benefits from its location near Interstate 85 and U.S. 1. Highway 39 also runs through Henderson.

Demographics

2020 census

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"

|+Henderson racial composition

!scope="col"| Race

!scope="col"| Number

!scope="col"| Percentage

|-

!scope="row"| White (non-Hispanic)

| 3,453

| 22.93%

|-

!scope="row"| Black or African American (non-Hispanic)

| 9,720

| 64.54%

|-

!scope="row"| Native American

| 37

| 0.25%

|-

!scope="row"| Asian

| 171

| 1.14%

|-

!scope="row"| Pacific Islander

| 2

| 0.01%

|-

!scope="row"| Other/mixed

| 408

| 2.71%

|-

!scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino

| 1,269

| 8.43%

|}

As of the 2020 census, Henderson had a population of 15,060, with 6,148 households and 3,549 families residing in the city. The median age was 39.9 years. 24.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.3% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 83.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.0 males age 18 and over.

There were 6,876 housing units, of which 10.6% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.4%. Of all households, 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 25.9% were married-couple households, 20.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 47.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Restoration of the line is planned as part of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor project.

Education

The school district for the whole county is Vance County Schools.

Historical sites

Vance County is known for landmarks such has the Vance County Courthouse (built in 1884), and St. John's Episcopal Church (established in 1773), which is one of the three remaining colonial church buildings in North Carolina. The Kerr Lake State Recreation Area operates Kerr Lake, which dates from the 1950s and is the largest man-made lake on the eastern side of the United States.

Roses Discount Stores was first founded by Paul Howard Rose, and its headquarters are in Henderson.

Notable people

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  • Gerald Alston (1951 ), member of R&B vocal group The Manhattans
  • George Lincoln Blackwell (1861 1926), theologian and author
  • Charles Briggs (1932 1985), actor
  • Charlotte Hawkins Brown (1883 1961), educator and founder of the Palmer Institute
  • Jason Brown (1983 ), professional football player with the St. Louis Rams
  • Duke Buchan (1963 ), United States ambassador to Spain and Andorra, raised near Henderson
  • Danny Flowers (1948 ), songwriter of "Tulsa Time"
  • Elson Floyd (1956 2015), educator and 10th president of Washington State University
  • Rachel Henderlite (1905 1991), Presbyterian minister and educator
  • David Henderson (1964 -), basketball player, 1991 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP
  • Isaiah Hicks (1994 ), basketball player for the New York Knicks
  • Sammy Jackson (1937 1995), actor
  • Ben E. King (1938 2015), soul and pop singer, best known as the singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me"
  • Shirley Owens (1941 ), singer, member of the Shirelles
  • Charlie Rose (1942 ), television talk show host and journalist, born and raised in Henderson
  • Wilbur Fisk Tillett (18541936), theologian and dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School

References

  • Official website of Henderson, North Carolina
  • Historic Downtown Business District
  • Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce