Wilson, North Carolina

City of Wilson
Nickname:  Wide-Awake-Wilson
Location of Wilson shown within North Carolina
Country	United States
Population  (2004)
• Total	47,441
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern Time Zone (USA/Canada))
• Summer (DST)	-4
Zip Code	27893/27896/27894/27895
Website	http://www.wilsonnc.org

Wilson is a city in Wilson County, North Carolina, United States. The 17th largest city in the state, Wilson's city population (as of the 2004 census) was 47,441. It is the county seat of Wilson County.Template:GR

Geography

Wilson is located at 35°43′52″N 77°55′25″W (35.731093, -77.923509).Template:GR

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 60.7 km² (23.4 mi²). 60.3 km² (23.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (0.64%) is water.

Wilson is located at the intersection of Interstate 95 and US 264; approximately 40-60 minutes east of Raleigh, the state capital.

Population

Wilson has a population of 47,441 (U.S. Census, 2004), which has grown more than 14% since 1990. New shopping centers are springing up across the region and many new homes are being built.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 44,405 people, 17,296 households, and 11,328 families residing in Wilson.

For more information, see Wilson, North Carolina (demographics).

Infrastructure

In 2006, Wilson was ranked first in North Carolina for economic strength among micropolitan cities(<50K population)by the Policom Corporation [1]. Wilson was ranked 13th nationally.

The city of Wilson is planning a fiber optic network [2]that will make high-speed Internet (up to 100 Mbit/s) available to homes and businesses. City leaders believe the all-fiber system will lure new employers and provide a boost to existing employers, although the costs and results of a fiber optics project of this scale are debatable. City facilities have operated on a fiber backbone since early 2006. The system will enable citizens to buy high-speed broadband Internet, cable TV and/or telephone service.

The city has a large supply of water thanks to the 1999 expansion of Buckhorn Lake. City leaders say it should provide water for the next 50 years of growth. The city provides electrical service (since 1893), natural gas, water, wastewater, recycling and garbage collection.

Transportation

See also: Wilson (Amtrak station)

Wilson is served by three airports: Wilson Industrial Airport, Rocky Mount-Wilson Airport (RWI) about 15 minutes from town, and Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) about 55 minutes from town. The city has an Amtrak station. The city of Wilson owns and operates a bus transit system. The following highways travel through Wilson: I-95, U.S. 264, U.S. 301, U.S. 117, N.C. 42, and N.C. 58. Ward Boulevard is a local 5-lane loop road that circles the original city limits (circa 1970).

Entertainment

Imagination Station is a children's interactive science museum located in downtown Wilson at 224 East Nash Steet. Housed in the historic and beautiful 1920s Beaux Arts building (formerly the Wilson Post Office with federal courtrooms) it attracts school children from the surrounding towns.

The Edna Boykin Center for Performing Arts is owned by the city of Wilson, and operated by the Arts Council of Wilson. The restored Vaudeville theater, built in 1919, seats about 1,000 guests. During the 1970s it was an X-rated Adult theater. In the summer of 2006, the theater was home to the Theater of the American South, a production that celebrated southern history and culture. Live plays are a mainstay in the Boykin Center, some of which involved youth actors.

The City of Wilson operates Wilson TV [3], a public information cable television channel announcing upcoming events and activities. Wilson TV features original programming such as "City Talk" and "Around Town", both of which address issues and events in the community. Wilson TV also shows meetings of the Wilson City Council and the city Planning Board and Board of Adjustment.

Wilson also hosts the Whirligig Festival [4], which celebrates local and regional artists in an event held the first weekend in November. Whirligigs are wind-driven works of art, many of which have been created by nationally recognized folk artist Vollis Simpson of Wilson County.

The City of Wilson Human Relations Commission [5] hosts the "1st Fridays" events [6] each August through October on the library lawn. Musical entertainment and children's activities are featured, and refreshments are served by local civic clubs.

Wilson is also home to the Carmike 10 Cinema which opened in June 2006 at Wilson Mall [7].

Shopping

Wilson Mall (formerly Parkwood Mall) recently completed a major renovation. The 25-year old mall is attracting new clients after several years of decline under a previous owner. Major anchors include J.C. Penney, Sears and Steve and Barry's University Sportswear.

Heritage Crossing Shopping Center includes a new Target, Marshall's, Belk, Omega Sports, and Ross' Dress for Less. A Bed Bath and Beyond is planning to locate there. There are several acres available that will be developed in the next year or two. The shopping center will create additional retail jobs.

Wilson includes two new Starbucks Coffee locations and a third is on the way.

Wilson's downtown, which at one time was the main shopping area and cultural hub, has remained in decline. Despite any real or progressive development in Wilson's downtown, a new restaurant/bar/club, Dos Gringos, has opened and WiFi service is now provided in parts of the downtown area.

Wilson also hosts a wide variety of grocery store chains. Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Piggly Wiggly, Fred's Food Club, Aldi and Wal-Mart all have locations in Wilson.

Home Depot has recently proposed a new store at the old Kmart location which will be demolished and rebuilt the store will be 95,000 square feet it is in the Gateway Plaza which is about to under go a major renovation.

Real Estate

The cost of living, approximately 12% less than that of the Raleigh-Durham area, makes Wilson an attractive alternative. Although there is no such data to show how many are moving here due to this estimate. Average homes cost less, enabling a willing commuter (40 minutes to the Raleigh Beltline) to have much more house for his/her dollar. Since January 2005, a typical 3 bedroom house sold for approximately $132,000, and larger 4 bedroom homes average $225,000.

In addition to new homes, Wilson is known for its numerous and varied historic bungalows. Historic homes dating from the mid-19th century feature outstanding architectural details and charm. They range from "fixer-uppers" (under $50,000) to beautifully restored (over $350,000). Some feature large front porches, some of which were included in Michael Dolan's book entitled "The American Porch". Unfortunately, the pace at which these homes have been purchased and renovated is slow due to the decline of some of the areas in or around Downtown.

Education

Public Schools

Wilson County Public Schools

Elementary Schools (K-5): Wells, Margaret Hearne, Vick, New Hope, Vinson-Bynum, B.O. Barnes, Winstead, Elm City, Stantonsburg, Lee Woodard, Lucama, Rock Ridge.

Middle Schools: Darden, Forest Hills, Toisnot, Elm City, Speight, Springfield.

High schools: E. T. Beddingfield, Ralph L. Fike, James B. Hunt.

Alternative Schools: Adams Learning Center (K-5), Daniels Learning Center (6-8).

Sallie B. Howard School for the Arts and Education.

Deaf Education

Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf

Private Schools

Wilson is home to several private schools: Community Christian School (K-12), Garnett Christian Academy, Wilson Christian Academy (K-12), St. Therese Catholic School (K-5) and Greenfield School (Pre-K-12) (non-sectarian).

Colleges

Wilson is also home to Barton College, a liberal arts college, and Wilson Technical Community College.

Famous Citizens

• Bunn Hearn, major league pitcher.
• G.K. Butterfield, U.S. Congressman for North Carolina's First Congressional District.
• Jim Hunt, only person to serve four terms as the Governor of North Carolina, (1977-1985, 1993-2001).
• The O'Kaysions, an R&B sextet known for their 1968 Top 5 pop hit "Girl Watcher."

Tallest Buildings

1. BB&T 11 floors
2. Wilson County Nash Street Office Building 8 floors
3. BB&T Raleigh Road Parkway (under construction) 6 floors
4. Wilson Medical Center 6 floors
5. Cherry Apartments 6 floors
6. Hampton Raleigh Road Parkway (under construction) 5 floors
7. Holiday Inn 5 floors
8. Belle Meade cooperative (under construction) 4 floors
9. Hampton Inn U.S. 264 4 floors
10. Candlewood Inn and Suites (under construction) 4 floors
11. County Inn 4 floors (under construction)

External links

• Official website of Wilson, NC
• Wilson Chamber of Commerce
• Wilson Visitors Bureau
• http://www.smm.org/sln/vollis/
• http://www.wilsonnc.org/whirligig/