Lincolnton is a city in Lincoln County, North Carolina, United States within the Charlotte metropolitan area. The population was 11,091 at the 2020 census, with an estimated population of 12,128, as of 2023. Lincolnton is northwest of Charlotte, on the South Fork of the Catawba River. The city is the county seat of Lincoln County.

History

thumb|left|Lincoln Cotton Mills, built 1813

thumb|right|10-year-old factory worker in Lincolnton, 1908. Photo by [[Lewis Hine.]]

In June 1780 during the American Revolutionary War, the future site of Lincolnton was the site of the Battle of Ramsour's Mill, a small engagement in which local Loyalists were defeated by pro-independence forces. Some historians consider the battle significant because it disrupted Loyalist organizing in the region at a crucial time.

After the Revolution, the legislature organized a new county by splitting this area from old Tryon County (named in the colonial era for a royally appointed governor). The 1780 battle site was chosen for the seat of Lincoln County. The new city and the county were named for Major General Benjamin Lincoln, who served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.

The Piedmont area was developed for industry, based on using the water power from the streams and rivers there. With the advantage of the South Fork of the Catawba, Lincolnton was the site of the first textile mill in North Carolina, constructed by Michael Schenck in 1813. It was the first cotton mill built south of the Potomac River. Cotton processing became a major industry in the area. St. Luke's Episcopal Church was founded in 1841.

During the American Civil War, Lincoln County had many residents who either joined or were conscripted to the Confederate Army. Among them was Major General Stephen Dodson Ramseur, who was mortally wounded at the Battle of Cedar Creek in Virginia. His body was returned to Lincolnton for burial. Episcopal missionary bishop Henry C. Lay spent the final months of the Civil War in the town. Union forces occupied Lincoln County on Easter Monday, 1865, shortly before the close of the war.

In 1986, Lincolnton expanded by annexing the town of Boger City.

Geography

Lincolnton is in central Lincoln County in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. U.S. Route 321, a four-lane freeway, passes through the east side of the city.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.93%, are water. The city is sited on the northeastern side of the South Fork of the Catawba River, which flows southeast to join the Catawba River at the South Carolina border. Clark Creek joins the South Fork in the northwestern part of the city.

Demographics

The city has grown since 1980 as part of the Charlotte metropolitan area expansion.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Lincolnton had a population of 11,091. The median age was 39.7 years. 21.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 88.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.4 males age 18 and over.

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

There were 4,709 households in Lincolnton, including 2,652 families, and 29.4% of households had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.0% were married-couple households, 20.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

!scope="col"| Race

!scope="col"| Number

!scope="col"| Percentage

|-

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

| 7,413

| 66.84%

|-

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

| 1,485

| 13.39%

|-

!scope="row"| Native American

| 43

| 0.39%

|-

!scope="row"| Asian

| 103

| 0.93%

|-

!scope="row"| Pacific Islander

| 1

| 0.01%

|-

!scope="row"| Other/Mixed

| 504

| 4.54%

|-

!scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino

| 1,542

| 13.9%

|}

2010 census

As of the census in which they must reside, but are elected at-large. The mayor conducts city meetings, normally the first Thursday of each month, and votes only in case of a tie.

The mayor, Edward "Ed" L. Hatley (D), was first elected as mayor in 2015 with 68.75% of the vote. In 2022, he ran unopposed winning his third term as mayor with 84.01% of the vote.

City council members are Mayor Pro-tem Kevin Demeny (R-Ward 1), Mark Johnson (R-Ward 2), Jill Tipton (R-Ward 3), and Roby Jetton (R-Ward 4).

Other City officials are Richard "Ritchie" Haynes (City Manager), Scott Antonio Clark (Assistant City Manager), Daphne Ingram (City Clerk/Assistant to City Manager), Julie Wright (Administrative Assistant), and John Friguglietti, Jr. (City Attorney).

High schools

  • Lincoln County School of Technology
  • Lincolnton High School
  • North Lincoln High School
  • West Lincoln High School
  • East Lincoln High School

Middle schools

  • Asbury Academy
  • Lincolnton Middle
  • West Lincoln Middle

Elementary schools

  • Battleground Elementary
  • G.E. Massey Elementary
  • Love Memorial Elementary
  • Norris S. Childers Elementary
  • Pumpkin Center Primary
  • Pumpkin Center Intermediate
  • S.Ray Lowder Elementary

Colleges

  • Gaston College: Lincolnton Campus

Media

  • Lincoln Times-News
  • WLON radio

Notable people

  • Lester Andrews, American chemist
  • Paul Bost, racecar driver
  • Theodorus W. Brevard, served as Florida Comptroller, namesake of Brevard County, Florida
  • Dennis Byrd, AFL defensive end for the Boston Patriots, member of College Football Hall of Fame
  • Jim Cleamons, professional basketball player, assistant coach with nine NBA championships
  • Charles L. Coon, teacher, school administrator, child labor reformer, and advocate for African American education
  • Drew Droege, actor, comedian, and writer
  • Daniel Munroe Forney, U.S. Representative from North Carolina and major during the War of 1812
  • John Horace Forney, major general in Confederate States Army during the American Civil War
  • Peter Forney, U.S. Representative from North Carolina and captain during the American Revolutionary War
  • William H. Forney, U.S. Representative from Alabama
  • Charles A. Gabriel, 11th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
  • William Alexander Graham, U.S. Secretary of the Navy, U.S. senator, member of Confederate Senate, governor of North Carolina and Whig candidate for vice president of the United States
  • Connie Guion, pioneering female physician
  • James Pinckney Henderson, first governor of Texas, U.S. senator, lawyer, politician and soldier
  • Robert Hoke, Confederate major general who won Battle of Plymouth; businessman and railroad executive
  • William A. Hoke, associate justice and chief justice of North Carolina Supreme Court
  • Rufus Zenas Johnston, recipient of Navy Cross and Congressional Medal of Honor
  • Charles R. Jonas, U.S. Representative from North Carolina
  • Samuel Lander, Methodist minister who founded what later became Lander University
  • Devon Lowery, MLB pitcher
  • Candace Newmaker, killed during therapy session; her death received international coverage
  • Barclay Radebaugh, head basketball coach at Charleston Southern University
  • Stephen Dodson Ramseur, Confederate major general mortally wounded at the Battle of Cedar Creek
  • Hiram Rhodes Revels, first African American U.S. senator
  • Dick Smith, MLB outfielder
  • Chazz Surratt, NFL linebacker
  • Sage Surratt, American professional football tight end
  • Lula Warlick, nurse, educator, and nursing administrator
  • C. J. Wilson, NFL cornerback
  • Ken Wood, MLB outfielder

References

  • Lincolnton–Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce