Burlington is a city in

Alamance Alamance is a village in Alamance County, North Carolina, Alamance County, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Burlington, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 951 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 cens ...

and Guilford counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. It is the principal city of the Burlington, North Carolina

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

, which encompasses all of Alamance County, in which most of the city is located, and is a part of the Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point CSA. The population was 57, 303 at the 2020 census, which makes Burlington the 18th largest city in North Carolina.

History

Alamance County was created when

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

was partitioned in 1849. Early settlers included several groups of

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

, many of which remain active in the

Snow Camp Snow Camp is an unincorporated community in southern Alamance County, North Carolina, United States, noted for its rich history and as the site of the Snow Camp Outdoor Theater. The community has a large Quaker population centered on the pre-revo ...

area, German farmers, and Scots-Irish immigrants. The need of the

North Carolina Railroad The North Carolina Railroad is a state-owned rail corridor extending from Morehead City, North Carolina to Charlotte, North Carolina. The railroad carries over seventy freight trains offered by the Norfolk Southern Railway and eight passenger ...

in the 1850s to locate land where they could build, repair and do maintenance on its track was the genesis of Burlington, North Carolina. The company selected a piece of land slightly west of present-day

Graham Graham and Graeme may refer to: People * Graham (given name), an English-language given name * Graham (surname), an English-language surname * Graeme (surname), an English-language surname * Graham (musician) (born 1979), Burmese singer * Clan ...

. On January 29, 1856, the last spikes were driven into the final tie of the North Carolina Railroad project, uniting the cities of Goldsboro and

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

by rail. The next day, the first locomotive passed along the new route. When the iron horse arrived in Alamance County, locals referred to it as "the eighth wonder of the world". Company Shops Train Depot

Not long after this historic opening, the railroad realized a pressing need for repair shops. With Alamance County's position along the new line, it became the logical choice for the shops' location. After several debates concerning where the shops would be located, Gen. Benjamin Trollinger, a progressive Alamance County manufacturer, made an offer that settled the matter. Gen. Trollinger owned land just northwest of Graham, and he convinced several other prominent citizens owning adjacent lots to join him and sell their property to the railroad. 57 buildings were constructed between 1855 and 1859, including structures for engine and machine shops, carpentry, blacksmithing, houses for workers and railway officials, and company headquarters. For a brief period, railroad directors changed the name of official name of "Company Shops" to "Vance" (1863–1864), but the town returned to the "Company Shops" moniker in July 1864, and officially incorporating as Company Shops in 1866. Thirty-nine white men and two free African-Americans were employed in or around the shops, with twenty enslaved individuals constrained to assist. Sale of town lots soon started, but not surprisingly, the sale of lots was slow until after the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. By 1864, Company Shops numbered about 300 persons. Through a series of leases and mergers, the railroad was leased to Richmond & Danville Railroad (1871), working as part of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and in 1893, the North Carolina Railroad was folded into the Southern Railway system. Following the leasing of the railroad to Richmond & Danville, many of the railroad jobs transferred to Richmond and Manchester. With the railroad shops no longer operated there, the citizens of Company Shops decided a new name was needed. In February 1887, a contest was held to decide a name, and one person submitted the name "Burlington" after seeing it on a passing train. An appointed committee for the town selected the name, and the name was officially changed through North Carolina State Legislature. Around the turn of the century, E. M. Holt established small textile operations along the

Haw River The Haw River is a tributary of the Cape Fear River, approximately 110 mi (177 km) long, that is entirely contained in north central North Carolina in the United States. It was first documented as the "Hau River" by John Lawson, an E ...

and Great Alamance Creek. In 1908, E. M. Holt built the first

cotton mill A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system. Although some were driven b ...

in the South. From the establishment of this single factory, Alamance County grew to eventually operate 30 cotton mills and 10 to 15 yarn manufacturing plants employing 15,000 people. Eventually, the early textile venture of E. M. Holt became known all over the world as

Burlington Industries Burlington Industries, formerly Burlington Mills, is a diversified American fabric maker based in Greensboro, North Carolina. Founded by J. Spencer Love in Burlington, North Carolina in 1923, the company has operations in the United States, Mexi ...

, and is now headquartered in nearby

Greensboro Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...

. Throughout this period, Burlington became a prosperous and vibrant little city filled with schools, churches, newspapers, telegraph and telephone lines, roads and a streetcar lineall in keeping with the latest "modern progress" of the times. Though textiles continued to dominate the local economy well into the 1970s, the people of Burlington knew they could not survive with only one industry. The country's involvement in World War II brought important local economic changes. In 1942, the federal government purchased and leased a site to Fairchild Aircraft Corporation for the construction of test aircraft. After two years of production, the site was leased to Firestone Tire Company for the Army's tank rebuilding program. At the close of the war, the federal government chose not to leave, but to utilize the property for government contract business. This decision would bring Western Electric to town along with new employees from around the country. Their contracts ensured Burlington's participation during the Cold War manufacturing and testing of emerging defense technologies. Four decades later (1991), however, the doors to Western Electric (then AT&T Federal Systems Division) were locked, and another chapter of Burlington's history was over. Historic train depot in downtown Burlington

Historic train depot in downtown Burlington

During this century-and-a-half of economic change, Burlington grew, adapted and prospered. Originally the center of commerce for Company Shops, the downtown area still serves as the heart of today's community with financial services, government services, an expanded library, small shops, eateries and a restored theater. Downtown has also returned to its status as a major employment center, becoming the home to

Laboratory Corporation of America Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, more commonly known as Labcorp, is an American healthcare company headquartered in Burlington, North Carolina. It operates one of the largest clinical laboratory networks in the world, with a United St ...

, one of the world's largest biomedical testing firms and Burlington/Alamance County's largest employer. The Alamance Hotel, Allen House, Atlantic Bank and Trust Company Building, Beverly Hills Historic District, Downtown Burlington Historic District, East Davis Street Historic District, Efird Building, First Baptist Church, First Christian Church of Burlington, Polly Fogleman House, Holt-Frost House, Horner Houses, Lakeside Mills Historic District,

McCray School McCray School is a historic one-room school building for African-American students located near Burlington, Alamance County, North Carolina, United States. It was built in 1915–1916, and is a one-story, two-bay, frame building. It has a tin g ...

, Menagerie Carousel, Moore-Holt-White House, South Broad-East Fifth Streets Historic District, Southern Railway Passenger Station, St. Athanasius Episcopal Church and Parish House and the Church of the Holy Comforter, Stagg House, Sunny Side,

US Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...

, West Davis Street-Fountain Place Historic District, and Windsor Cotton Mills Office are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Geography

Burlington is located at (36.089636, -79.445578). Located in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, Burlington is characterized as having mostly flat land with a few rolling hills. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.82%, is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Burlington has a Humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Parks and sports

There are a variety of parks that can be found in Burlington, including Joe Davidson Park and the Burlington City Park. Upon visiting these parks one can find a variety of things for various activities, such as baseball fields, basketball courts, soccer fields, playgrounds, disc golf and tennis courts. The Alamance County Recreation and Parks Commission is composed of seven citizen volunteers and one representative from both the Alamance-Burlington Board of Education and the Alamance County Board of Commissioners. ACRPD Mission Statement: The Alamance County Recreation and Parks Department will provide parks, trails and programs that inspire visitors and welcome all participants. The Alamance County Recreation and Parks Department manages parks and community centers at the following locations: *Cedarock Park *Shallow Ford Natural Area *Great Bend Park at Glencoe *Pleasant Grove Recreation Center *Eli Whitney Recreation Center Alamance County offers many hiking and paddle opportunities including the Haw River Trail and the NC Mountains-to-Sea Trail. The Alamance County Recreation and Parks Department manages accesses to the

Paddle and Hiking Trail at the following locations: Burlington Royals

*Altamahaw Paddle Access *Shallow Ford Natural Area *Great Bend Park at Glencoe *Glencoe Paddle Access *Saxapahaw Lake Paddle Access *Saxapahaw Mill Race Paddle Access The

Burlington Sock Puppets The Burlington Sock Puppets are a summer collegiate baseball team of the Appalachian League. They are located in Burlington, North Carolina, and play their home games at Burlington Athletic Stadium, informally nicknamed "Sockville". History ...

, members of the Appalachian League, a wood-bat collegiate summer league, play their home games at Burlington Athletic Stadium in Fairchild Park. They were previously known as the

Burlington Royals The Burlington Royals were a minor league baseball team in Burlington, North Carolina, United States. They were a Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League. The team was affiliated with the Cleveland Indians from 1986 to 2006 as the Burlington I ...

from 2007–2020. The Royals were rebranded as the Sock Puppets following the contraction and reorganization of minor league baseball prior to the 2021 season. 2021 was the inaugural season for the revamped Appalachian League and the Sock Puppets. Prior to being known as the Royals, the team was also known as the Burlington Indians from 1986–2006. Several current and former MLB players began their careers in Burlington, including

Jim Thome James Howard Thome (; born August 27, 1970) is an American former professional baseball corner infielder and designated hitter, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 22 seasons (1991–2012). He played for six different teams during the ...

CC Sabathia Carsten Charles Sabathia Jr. (born July 21, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the New York Yankees. He also played for the Cleveland Indians and Milwauk ...

Manny Ramirez Manuel Arístides Ramírez Onelcida (born May 30, 1972) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for parts of 19 seasons. He played with the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, L ...

, and Bartolo Colon The city of Burlington also operates the nearby Indian Valley Municipal Golf Course. The flagship of the Burlington Parks System, City Park offers more than 75 acres of activities for the entire family. It serves as the home of an amusement area consisting of a carousel, miniature train, boat and car ride, playground, amphitheater, baseball field, picnic shelters, and walking trails. A fully restored Dentzel Carousel is the highlight of the amusement area. As part of the National Historical Register, the carousel attracts thousands of visitors yearly. The Burlington Carousel Festival, is held each September in the park, except for 2018 when it was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions associated with

Hurricane Florence Hurricane Florence was a powerful and long-lived Cape Verde hurricane that caused catastrophic damage in the Carolinas in September 2018, primarily as a result of freshwater flooding due to torrential rain. The sixth named storm, third h ...

. Throughout the spring and summer the park comes alive with an Easter egg hunt, a concert series, and baseball and softball tournaments. The park is located one mile from Downtown Burlington on South Church Street. Citypark various shots

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 57,303 people, 22,009 households, and 12,978 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 49,963 people, 20,632 households, and 12,679 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 1,967.0 people per square mile (760.5/km²). There were 23,414 housing units at an average density of 921.8 per square mile (356.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 57.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 28%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.7% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 9.2% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 16% of the population. There were 20,632 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.9% were married couples living together, 17.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 33% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.01. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 20, 6.5% from 20 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The average age was 38.3 years. The median income for a household in the city was $42,097, and the median income for a family was $49,797. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $23,465. About 15.9% of families and 19.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 34.9% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

K-12 education

The local school system is known as the

Alamance-Burlington School System The Alamance-Burlington School System is a school district covering Alamance County and the city of Burlington in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It was created in July 1996 by merging the respective systems of the county and city. For the sch ...

, which was created by a merger between the Alamance County School System and the Burlington City School System in 1996.

Elementary

* Alexander Wilson Elementary School * Altamahaw-Ossipee Elementary School * R. Homer Andrews Elementary School * Eastlawn Elementary School * Elon Elementary School * Audrey W. Garrett Elementary School * Grove Park Elementary School * Haw River Elementary School * Highland Elementary School * Hillcrest Elementary School * E. M. Holt Elementary School * B. Everett Jordan Elementary School * Harvey R. Newlin Elementary School * North Graham Elementary School * Pleasant Grove Elementary School * Marvin B. Smith Elementary School * South Graham Elementary School * South Mebane Elementary School * Sylvan Elementary School * E. M. Yoder Elementary School

Middle

* Broadview Middle School * Graham Middle School * Hawfields Middle School * Southern Middle School * Turrentine Middle School * Western Alamance Middle School * Woodlawn Middle School

High

Hugh M. Cummings High School Hugh M. Cummings High School (commonly known as Cummings High Schoolis a public high school serving grades 9–12 in Burlington, North Carolina, Burlington, North Carolina, and is a part of the Alamance-Burlington School System. The school o ...

* Eastern Alamance High School * Graham High School * Southern Alamance High School * Western Alamance High School *

Walter M. Williams High School Walter M. Williams High School, the flagship school of the Alamance-Burlington School System, is a high school (grades 9–12) in Burlington, North Carolina, United States. It was named in honor of philanthropist, industrialist, and former Burlin ...

Independent

* Alamance Christian School * Blessed Sacrament School * Burlington Christian Academy * The Burlington School

Charter

* River Mill Academy * Clover Garden School

Other

* Alamance-Burlington Early College * Career and Technical Education Center * Sellars-Gunn Education Center *ABSS Virtual School

Higher education

Alamance Community College (part of the public

North Carolina Community College System The North Carolina Community College System (System Office) is a statewide network of 58 public community colleges. The system enrolls over 500,000 students annually. It also provides the North Carolina Learning Object Repository as a central loc ...

) has campuses in Burlington and nearby Graham, offering multiple academic programs and specialized career training.

Elon University Elon University is a private university in Elon, North Carolina. Founded in 1889 as Elon College, Elon is organized into six schools, most of which offer bachelor's degrees and several of which offer master's degrees or professional doctora ...

(a private 4-year university) is in nearby Elon. Additionally, a number of colleges and universities are a short drive away in Greensboro.

Transportation

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

's ''Piedmont'' train connects Burlington to

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

, and other points in central North Carolina. The ''Carolinian'' train continues to New York with intermediate stops including Richmond,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, and

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. The Amtrak station is situated at 101 North Main Street. Burlington opened its first public transit service, Link Transit, on June 6, 2016. As of September 21, 2017, more than 100,000 people have used the service. In addition, transportation services are available to its residents through the Alamance County Transportation Authority. Locals can also ride the BioBus from nearby

. Burlington is about 35 miles from the

Piedmont Triad International Airport Piedmont Triad International Airport (commonly referred to locally as "PTI") is an airport located in unincorporated Guilford County, North Carolina, west of Greensboro, serving the Piedmont Triad region of Greensboro, High Point and Winsto ...

and about 48 miles from

Raleigh-Durham International Airport The Research Triangle, or simply The Triangle, are both common nicknames for a metropolitan area in the Piedmont region of North Carolina in the United States, anchored by the cities of Raleigh and Durham and the town of Chapel Hill, home to th ...

in Morrisville. In addition Burlington is served by both

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

Interstate 85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, ...

and US 70.

Business

LabCorp Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, more commonly known as Labcorp, is an American healthcare company headquartered in Burlington, North Carolina. It operates one of the largest clinical laboratory networks in the world, with a United St ...

has its headquarters and several testing facilities in Burlington. LabCorp is Alamance County's largest employer, employing over 3,000 people in the county. * Honda Aero, a subsidiary of

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

, recently announced that it will move its corporate headquarters to Burlington and build a $27 million plant at the Burlington-Alamance Regional Airport where it will build its HF120 jet engines for use in

very light jet A very light jet (VLJ), entry-level jet or personal jet, previously known as a microjet, is a category of small business jets seating four to eight people. VLJs are considered the lightest business jets and are approved for single-pilot operati ...

s. * Glen Raven Inc., a fabric manufacturing and marketing company. Sunbrella is Glen Raven, Inc.'s flagship brand. * Biscuitville, a regional fast food chain, is based in Burlington. *

Gold Toe Brands Gold Toe Brands, Inc., is the third-largest United States based producer of socks, producing more than 140 million pairs of socks annually. History Gold Toe was founded by Fritz S. Stern, Fritz Bendheim and J. Kuglemanin in Bally, Pennsylvani ...

, a manufacturer of socks. * ''The Times-News'' is Burlington's only daily newspaper, and the area's dominant media outlet. * Zack's Hotdogs, a local restaurant opened by Zack Touloupas in 1928 is located in the revitalized downtown area.

Shopping

The city's only indoor mall, Holly Hill Mall, is located at the intersection of Huffman Mill Road and Church Street (US 70). An outdoor mall,

Alamance Crossing Alamance Crossing is a lifestyle center (outdoor shopping mall) in Burlington, North Carolina, United States. Opened in 2007, it is the second shopping mall in the city, as well as the larger. Alamance Crossing comprises more than seventy tenants, ...

, opened in 2007 at Interstate 40/85 and University Drive. Most shopping, restaurants and services can be found on Huffman Mill Road and Church Street (US 70). Just off I-85/40 at Exit 145 is North Carolina's original outlet mall, the Burlington Outlet Village (formerly known as the BMOC).

Notable people

Billy Bryan William Kirby Bryan (born June 21, 1955) is a former American football player in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 1977 NFL Draft out of Duke University. Bryan holds the second ...

, former NFL center * Josh Bush, former NFL free safety * Jesse Branson former NBA player * Chris Castor, former NFL wide receiver *

Drew Coble George Drew Coble (born December 18, 1947) is an American former professional baseball umpire who worked in the American League from 1982 to 1999. Coble umpired 2,303 major league games in his 18-year career. Coble wore uniform number 37. He was ...

, former American League umpire * Geoff Crompton, former NBA player * Max Drake (born 1952), musician; born in Burlington * William Edward Ellis, Vice admiral in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Andrew Everett Andrew Everett Wenkel (born July 9, 1992) better known by the ring name Andrew Everett, is an American professional wrestler best known for his time in Impact Wrestling, where he was a former Impact World Tag Team Champion. He's also wrestlin ...

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

* Frank Haith, college basketball head coach,

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

; grew up in Burlington *

Charley Jones Charles Wesley Jones (born Benjamin Wesley Rippay on April 30, 1852 – June 6, 1911) was an American left fielder in the National Association and Major League Baseball who hit 56 home runs and batted .298 during his twelve-year career. He wa ...

, former

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player * Dwight Jones, former University of North Carolina and NFL wide receiver * Sammy Johnson, former NFL

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

Don Kernodle Charles Donald Kernodle Jr. (May 2, 1950 – May 17, 2021) was an American professional wrestler with the National Wrestling Alliance's Jim Crockett Promotions. Professional wrestling career In college, Kernodle lettered four times in amate ...

, born in Burlington, five-time NWA champion and tag team partner of Sgt Slaughter; appeared in ''

Paradise Alley ''Paradise Alley'' is a 1978 American sports drama film written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone (in his feature directorial debut). The film tells the story of three Italian American brothers in Hell's Kitchen in the 1940s who beco ...

'' with Sylvester Stallone *

Blanche Taylor Moore Blanche Kiser Taylor Moore (born February 17, 1933) is an American convicted murderer and possible serial killer from Alamance County, North Carolina, Alamance County, North Carolina. Moore is awaiting execution in North Carolina for her boyfrien ...

, convicted

murderer Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...

, whose life story was portrayed in the television movie "Black Widow: The Blanche Taylor Moore Story", starring

Elizabeth Montgomery Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery (April 15, 1932 – May 18, 1995) was an American actress whose career spanned five decades in film, stage, and television. She is best remembered for her leading role as the witch Samantha Stephens on the televisi ...

* Danny Morrison, former president of the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

* Will Richardson, NFL offensive lineman *

Tequan Richmond Tequan Richmond (; born October 30, 1992), also known as T-Rich, is an American actor best known for playing Drew Rock on the UPN/ CW sitcom ''Everybody Hates Chris''. Richmond played Ray Charles Jr. (son of singer and musician Ray Charles) in ...

, born in Burlington, stars as Drew Rock in ''

Everybody Hates Chris ''Everybody Hates Chris'' is an American television semi-autobiographical sitcom that is inspired by the memories of the teenage years of comedian Chris Rock. The show is set from 1982 to 1987, although Rock himself was actually a teenager from ...

'', and played a young Ray Charles in the movie '' Ray'' * W. Kerr Scott, Governor of North Carolina from 1949 to 1953, U. S. senator (Class 2) from 1954 to 1958 * Brandon Spoon, former NFL

middle linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

for the Buffalo Bills *

Brandon Tate Brandon Tate (born October 5, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina. Early years and family Tate att ...

, former NFL wide receiver, holds

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

career record for most combined return yards (3,523) * Floyd Wicker, former MLB player

Sister cities

Burlington has two

sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

, as designated by

Sister Cities International Sister Cities International (SCI) is a nonprofit organization, nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between communities in the United States and those in other countries, particularly through the establish ...

: *

Gwacheon Gwacheon () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It lies close to Seoul in the heart of the Seoul National Capital Area, and also lies just east of Anyang. Seoul Subway Line 4 passes through the city. Various attractions usually associate ...

, Gyeonggi-do,

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

Soledad de Graciano Sánchez Soledad de Graciano Sánchez, formerly Soledad Diez Gutiérrez, is the second-largest city of the state of San Luis Potosí in Mexico. It lies adjacent to the east side of the state's capital city of San Luis Potosí in the west-central part of t ...

, San Luis Potosí,

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

References

External links

*
Burlington/Alamance County Convention & Visitors Bureau
{{authority control Cities in North Carolina Cities in Alamance County, North Carolina Cities in Guilford County, North Carolina Populated places established in 1857 1857 establishments in North Carolina