Kannapolis, North Carolina

Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties in North Carolina, in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The city of Kannapolis was incorporated in 1984. The population was 53,114 at the 2020 census, Dr. Gary Freeze, Catawba College history and politics department chairman, said a Concord newspaper used the name "Cannon City" in 1906. After mill workers or newspapers called the town "Cannapolis", J.W. Cannon asked Cabarrus County commissioners to give the town the name, but starting with a "K". Kannapolis historian Norris Dearmon said the K might have been to distinguish the town from his Concord mill village. Since, Freeze said, "Jim Cannon didn't study Greek," Cannon did not name the town "city of looms". In 1906 J.W. Cannon purchased the land that later became Kannapolis, and acquired a total of 1,008 acres in Cabarrus and Rowan Counties. Around 808 of those acres of farmland, purchased along the historic wagon road between Salisbury and Charlotte, became the location of the new textile mill, Cannon Manufacturing, which began production in 1908. In 1914, Cannon Manufacturing became known as the world's largest producer of sheets and towels. Shortly after, Cannon opened plants in Rowan County, Concord, and South Carolina totaling 20,000 workers. Mill founder J.W. Cannon's youngest son, Charles A. Cannon, consolidated all the separate mills into the giant Cannon Mills Company in 1928.

Geography

Kannapolis is located on the boundary of Cabarrus and Rowan Counties, with a greater portion of its area in Cabarrus County. U.S. Route 29 (Cannon Boulevard) passes through the city east of the downtown area; U.S. 29 leads northeast to Salisbury and south to Concord. Interstate 85 bypasses the city on the south and the east, with access from exits 54 through 63 (five exits total). I-85 leads northeast to Greensboro and southwest to Charlotte.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which (1.64%) are covered by water.

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Kannapolis had a population of 53,114. The median age was 36.3 years. 25.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.2 males age 18 and over.

97.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 2.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 20,313 households, including 12,092 families, of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 44.3% were married-couple households, 17.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Museums

Curb Museum for Music and Motorsports

Sports

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, Class "A" baseball affiliate of the Chicago White Sox
Haas Factory Team, a NASCAR Cup Series team established by Gene Haas
Haas F1 Team, a Formula One team, also established by Gene Haas

Parks and recreation

Public

Kannapolis has several public recreational areas, including parks, athletic fields, and greenways. One public park in the city, Vietnam Veterans Park (formerly, North Cabarrus Park) is maintained and operated by Cabarrus County.

Bakers Creek Park
Dale Earnhardt Plaza
Veterans Park
Village Park
Walter M. Safrit Park

Private

The Club at Irish Creek (formerly, Kannapolis Country Club)
Kannapolis Recreation Park

Education

K–12

The Kannapolis City Schools system is the primary school system for the city. Two additional systems also serve its jurisdiction: Cabarrus County Schools and Rowan–Salisbury School System.

Faith Christian Academy (FCA) is a private, nonprofit Christian educational institution that is operated by Faith Baptist Church. FCA offers a combination of the A Beka program (K5–2nd grade) and the Alpha-Omega computerized, individual learning program (3rd–12th grade). FCA was organized in 1982.

Franklin Heights Christian Academy (FHCA) was a private, nonprofit Christian educational institution that was operated by Franklin Heights Baptist Church. FHCA was organized in 2009. This school is now closed.

Higher education

Shaw University has an extramural site in Kannapolis offering undergraduate, graduate, and continuing-educational programs.

Ambassador Christian College has a campus in Kannapolis offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in theology. The school was founded in 2003 by Dr. Keith Slough.

North Carolina Research Campus

thumb|Aerial image of the North Carolina Research Campus

The North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis is a research center.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Kannapolis is located adjacent to Interstate 85, about northeast of Charlotte.

Concord Kannapolis Area Transit, also known as Rider, provides multiple local bus routes, with its farthest point reaching Concord Mills Mall.

Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) provides multiple transportation options including bus, vanpool or carpool. CATS provides a bus stop and parking at Kannapolis' Home Depot parking lot.

The Kannapolis Amtrak station is located at 201 South Main Street.

Notable people

Tavis Bailey, Olympic discus thrower representing Team USA, competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics
George Clinton, leader of Parliament-Funkadelic
Dale Earnhardt, former driver, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame
Dale Earnhardt Jr., former NASCAR driver, member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame
Kelley Earnhardt Miller, businesswoman and vice president of JR Motorsports
Kerry Earnhardt, former NASCAR driver
Ralph Earnhardt, former NASCAR driver
Carl Ford, member of the North Carolina Senate
Daniel Hemric, current NASCAR driver
Ethan Horton, former NFL tight end
Skip Hollandsworth, writer
Argie Johnson, educator
Kameron Marlowe, country music singer-songwriter
Glenn McDuffie, retired World War II sailor, picture subject of V-J Day in Times Square
James McDuffie, North Carolina Senator
Eddie Mills, actor
Melissa Morrison-Howard, track hurdler and winner of two Olympic bronze medals
Mike Morton, NFL linebacker, Super Bowl XXXIV champion with the St. Louis Rams
Brandon Parker, NFL offensive tackle
Corey Seager, MLB shortstop, 2020 World Series champion and MVP for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Kyle Seager, MLB third baseman
George Shinn, former owner of the Charlotte Hornets
Haskel Stanback, former NFL running back
Dixie Upright, former MLB player
Jeffery Beam, gay male poet

In popular culture

In 2004, a silent film about Kannapolis, showing the everyday behavior of ordinary people, which was made in 1941 by itinerant filmmaker H. Lee Waters, was selected by the Library of Congress for listing in the United States National Film Registry, as a representative of this kind of filmed "town portrait" popular in the 1930s and 1940s.