Mount Airy, North Carolina

Mount Airy () is a city in Surry County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 10,676. As of 2020, the city is the most populous municipality in Surry County. Mount Airy is located within the Piedmont Triad metropolitan region.

History

The region currently known as Mount Airy, North Carolina, was originally settled in the 1750s by predominantly English, Scotch-Irish, and German settlers. The native Cheraw people were known to inhabit the area prior to the arrival of these European settlers. As westward expansion progressed following the French and Indian War, Mount Airy started to develop, serving as a stagecoach stop on the road connecting Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Galax, Virginia. The city derived its name from a plantation in the vicinity. This led to the establishment of the North Carolina Granite Corporation, the world's largest open-face granite quarry. The locally quarried granite has been used in famous structures, including the Wright Brothers National Memorial and the Arlington Memorial Bridge.

Mount Airy became a significant hub for the textile and furniture manufacturing industries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Companies such as Spencer's Incorporated and Renfro Corporation established mills in the city. However, the latter half of the 20th century brought economic challenges due to increased global competition and industry automation.

In 1977, Mount Airy established its official seal, representing the industries vital to its local economy: furniture manufacturing, textiles, tobacco, and granite quarrying.

Gaining fame as the birthplace of actor Andy Griffith and the believed inspiration for the fictional town of Mayberry in the "Andy Griffith Show," Mount Airy capitalized on its connection with the series. It established annual events like Mayberry Days and tourist attractions such as Floyd's Barber Shop and the Andy Griffith Museum.

In recognition of its vibrant community life and civic achievements, Mount Airy was named an All American City in 1994.

Geography

Mount Airy is located along the Ararat River, about south of the Virginia state line. The United States Census Bureau states the city has a total area of , all land. The city is located at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, approximately from the Blue Ridge Parkway. It has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) and the hardiness zone is 7a.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Mount Airy city, North Carolina – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|6,981

|8,484

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8,125

|82.28%

|81.67%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |76.11%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|662

|846

|style='background: #ffffe6; |806

|7.80%

|8.14%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |7.55%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|30

|29

|style='background: #ffffe6; |14

|0.35%

|0.28%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.13%

|Asian alone (NH)

|214

|147

|style='background: #ffffe6; |148

|2.52%

|1.42%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.39%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3

|0.04%

|0.03%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.03%

|Other race alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |28

|0.07%

|0.02%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.26%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|90

|178

|style='background: #ffffe6; |319

|1.06%

|1.71%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.99%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|498

|699

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,233

|5.87%

|6.73%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |11.55%

|Total

|8,484

|10,388

|style='background: #ffffe6; |10,676

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 10,676 people, 4,865 households, and 2,530 families residing in the city. The median age was 47.9 years. 19.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 26.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 85.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 81.6 males age 18 and over.

98.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.7% lived in rural areas.

Of all households, 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. 37.1% were married-couple households, 20.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 37.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 40.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. considered to have been the basis for Mayberry, the setting of the TV shows The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D.

The community holds an annual "Mayberry Days" celebration during the last weekend of September; 30,000 attended in 2009, and 90,000 attended for the show's 50th anniversary in 2010. The University of North Carolina at Greensboro estimates the town receives $5 million each year as a result. Surviving members of the cast, along with family members of other cast members, often visit. The 2024 event was slated to have a special appearance by Karen Knotts, Don's daughter.

Several Ford Galaxie police cars, painted to resemble those used on the show, gave rides to guests. A barber shop has been named "Floyd's."

The Andy Griffith Museum, founded in 2009 by Emmett Forrest, attracts 200 visitors a day.

Mayberry Days will continue on September 23–29, 2024.

Autumn Leaves Festival

Held the second weekend in October, the Autumn Leaves Festival attracts over 200,000 people to the city during the festival weekend. Vendors sell food and other items, and there is a stage for musicians. The Blue Ridge Music Center with its amphitheater and music museum of old-time music is just a few miles away on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 213, near Galax, Virginia. This area is home to the Round Peak style of old-time music, which started in the Round Peak community, just west of Mount Airy.

Education

Mount Airy has a city-funded school district consisting of four schools.

Mount Airy City Schools

Mount Airy High School
Mount Airy Middle School
Jones Intermediate School
BH Tharrington Elementary School

Surry County Schools

There are also other schools in Mount Airy that are controlled by the Surry County Schools district.

North Surry High School
Gentry Middle School
Meadowview Magnet Middle School
Cedar Ridge Elementary School
Flat Rock Elementary School
Franklin Elementary School
White Plains Elementary School

Charter schools

Mount Airy has one k-12 public-funded charter school,

Millennium Charter Academy.

Private schools

White Plains Christian School

Libraries

The Mt. Airy community is also served by a Public Library that won the American Institute of Architects Design Award.

Notable people

Frank Beamer (born 1946), retired head football coach at Virginia Tech, born in Mount Airy and raised in Fancy Gap, Virginia
Ron Blackburn (1935–1998), MLB player
Chang and Eng Bunker (1811–1874), famous "Siamese Twins" conjoined twins who settled in Mount Airy after they retired from show business
Ben Callahan (1957–2007), MLB player
Bill Cox (1929–2017), NFL defensive player
Chubby Dean (1916–1970), MLB player
Donna Fargo (born 1945), country music singer and songwriter, best known for the song "The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA"
Benton Flippen (1920–2011), old-time fiddler, banjo player, and guitarist
Emmett Forrest (1927–2013), founder of the Andy Griffith Museum
Maddie Gardner, (born 1993), local news reporter and internationally recognized cheerleader
Andy Griffith (1926–2012), American actor, singer, musician, and comedian
Bill Hayes, television producer
Caleb V. Haynes (1895–1966), United States Air Force major general
Jerry Hemmings (born 1948), basketball coach
Tommy Jarrell (1901–1985), old-time fiddler, banjo player, and singer
Luke Lambert, NASCAR crew chief
Betty Lynn (1926–2021), actress
Mark Daniel Merritt (born 1961), American music composer
Alex Sink (born 1948), former chief financial officer of Florida, Democratic nominee for governor of Florida in 2010
Anna Wood (born 1985), actress
Ethan Evans, NFL punter for the Los Angeles Rams

Sister city

Mount Airy has one sister city:

Samut Songkhram, Thailand

References

External links

Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce