Rocky Mount is an All-American city located in the coastal plains of North Carolina. Although it was not formally incorporated until February 28, 1867, the North Carolina community that became the city of Rocky Mount dates from the beginning of the 19th century, and the first post office in the area opened in 1816. The city straddles the county line, with part of it in Nash County and part of it in Edgecombe County. In 1996 the town of Battleboro merged with the city of Rocky Mount. It is the principal city of the Rocky Mount, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area which population as of 2000 was 143,026 and encompasses all of both Edgecombe and Nash counties and Rocky Mount. As of the 2001 census, the city had a total population of 57,150. The city is about 45 minutes away from the city of Raleigh, which population is over 300,000 and is the capital of North Carolina.
The City of Rocky Mount has a growing arts community. The City operates an Arts Center, a Children's Museum & Science Center, and a Community Theatre at the Imperial Centre for the Arts & Sciences
Shopping
There are many shopping centers in Rocky Mount. They are:
Oakwood Shopping Center,
Crossroads Shopping Center,
Sutters Creek Shopping Center,
Benvenue Plaza,
Golden East Mall,
Beavers Pond Centre,
Rocky Mount Towne Center,
Cobbs Corners Super Center,
Eastridge Shopping Center,
Walnut Shopping Center,and
Crossing @ 64 Shopping Center.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 92.7 km² (35.8 mi²). 92.1 km² (35.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (0.59%) is water.
Education
The City of Rocky Mount is served by the Nash-Rocky Mount Public School System, along with a number of private and charter schools in the area. Post-secondary institutions include Nash Community College, North Carolina Wesleyan College and Edgecombe Community College.
Nash-Rocky Mount Schools include Parker Middle School, Edwards Junior High School, Rocky Mount High School, D.S.Johnson Elementary School, Englewood Elementary School, Northern Nash High School, Southern Nash High School, Nash Central High School, Nash-Rocky Mount Early College High School, O.R. Pope Elementary School, Susie C. Baskerville Elementary School, Winstead Avenue Elementary School, Rocky Mount Prep School and Nash Central Middle School.
The private schools located in Rocky Mount are: Rocky Mount Academy, Faith Christian School and Falls Road Baptist School.
One N.C. charter school is located in Rocky Mount: Rocky Mount Preparatory School.
Highways/Major Roads
Their are 3 major highways that intersect in Rocky Mount. US 64, Interstate 95, and US 301. Interstate 95 runs through a portion of West Rocky Mount, US 64 runs east to west through Rocky Mount, and US 301 runs north to south through Rocky Mount.
Buck Leanord. Blvd is also an 4 lane divided highway in Rocky Mount that connects Sunset. Ave to US 64. US 64 puts Rocky Mount less then 45 minutes east of Raleigh, and US 301 puts Rocky Mount 15 minutes north of the city of Wilson.
Demographics
There were 51,082 households out of which 45.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were married couples living together, 30.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 85.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $62,661, and the median income for a family was $39,929. Males had a median income of $41,455 versus $34,409 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,804.
In 2001 it had a population of 57,150. The population density was 606.7/km² (1,571.4/mi²). There were 70,000 housing units at an average density of 262.3/km² (679.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 40.92% White, 56.02% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.91% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.10% of the population. In addition, a significant portion of the population, regardless of race, has hereditary links to various Amerindian groups.
Growth & Development
Rocky Mount is a growing area, with many new residents settling in the area and several developments in the works. Billboards nickname Rocky Mount "The City on the Rise" and also "Remarkable Rocky Mount." The city of Rocky Mount is currently in the works of constructing an new multi-lane highway called the Northern Connector which will connect West Rocky Mount to North Rocky Mount. The highway is being built to settle traffic on Wesleyan. Blvd, and other roads in the Northern Rocky Mount area
Flood
In the aftermath of Hurricane Floyd in 1999, 30% of Rocky Mount was estimated to be under water due to the flooding of the Tar River and Stoney Creek. Pictures
Famous Rocky Mount Natives
External links
Community links
