Kannapolis, North Carolina
Kannapolis is a city in
Cabarrus County and
Rowan County,
North Carolina, northwest of
Concord and northeast of
Charlotte. The population was 36,910 at the 2000 census.
Kannapolis is the birthplace of
NASCAR drivers
Dale Earnhardt,
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.,
David Ragan , and funk musician
George Clinton. It is also the home of the
Kannapolis Intimidators, the Class A affiliate of the
Chicago White Sox.
Until 1984, Kannapolis was the largest
unincorporated area in the
United States. After its citizens voted to incorporate, Kannapolis became the 16th-largest city in
North Carolina.
Early meaning and usage of the name was a direct reference to
Cannon Mills Corporation, or
James William Cannon himself. Early published name variations include Cannon-opolis and Cannapolis. A widely accepted, but erroneous origin of the word Kannapolis comes from the combination of the Greek words "kanna" (reeds or looms) and "polis" (city), which means "City of Looms".
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Location of Kannapolis, North Carolina |
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 78.7
km² (30.4
mi²). 77.3 km² (29.9 mi²) of it is land and 1.4 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (1.78%) is water.
K-12
Kannapolis City Schools is the primary school system for the city. Two additional systems also serve its jurisdiction:
Cabarrus County Schools and
Rowan-Salisbury Schools.
Higher Education
Shaw University has an extramural site in Kannapolis offering undergraduate, graduate and continuing education programs.
Academic Research
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Perspective of Central Campus |
North Carolina Research Campus
David H. Murdock, owner of
Castle & Cooke, Inc. and
Dole Food Company, Inc., and
Molly Corbett Broad, President of the 16-campus
University of North Carolina system, unveiled plans on September 12, 2005 for the North Carolina Research Campus, a massive scientific and economic revitalization project that encompasses the former Cannon Mills plant and entire downtown area of Kannapolis, North Carolina.
As of the
census of 2000, there were 36,910 people, 14,804 households, and 10,140 families residing in the city. The
population density was 477.4/km² (1,236.5/mi²). There were 15,941 housing units at an average density of 206.2/km² (534.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.74%
White, 16.45%
Black or
African American, 0.34%
Native American, 0.86%
Asian, 0.01%
Pacific Islander, 3.43% from
other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. 6.33% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 14,804 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were
married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,532, and the median income for a family was $42,445. Males had a median income of $30,990 versus $23,277 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $17,539. About 7.7% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 14.6% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
*
Dale Earnhardt Tribute*
GI Memorial House Museum*
History Room at the Kannapolis Branch of the Cannon Memorial Library*
Textile Museum and ExhibitionKannapolis is located adjacent to
Interstate 85, approximately 20 miles north of
Charlotte, North Carolina.
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' Target/Home Depot parking lot. For bicyclists, CATS provides a fixed rack to park (and lock) your bike, or you can "Rack 'N' Ride" by placing your bike on the
fold-down front rack of any CATS bus, and take your bike with you.
Amtrak's
Carolinian and Piedmont train connects Kannapolis with the cities of
New York,
Philadelphia,
Baltimore,
Washington,
Richmond,
Raleigh and
Charlotte. The Kannapolis Train Station is located at 201 South Main Street.
*
City of Kannapolis*
The Kannapolis Citizen (newspaper)*
Kannapolis City Schools*
North Carolina Research Campus*
Enochville, North Carolina*
Odell School, North Carolina* Jenkins, S. (2001, July 20). Kannapolis City Council will consider adopting logo. Salisbury Post. Retrieved May 12, 2006, from http://www.salisburypost.com
