Sanford is a city in Lee County,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

, United States. The population was 30,261 at the 2020 census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

of Lee County.

History

Sanford was named for C.O. Sanford, a railroad

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

instrumental in the building of the rail lines through the area that formed the foundation of what became the city of Sanford. Sanford is located in

Lee County, North Carolina Lee County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 63,285. The county seat is Sanford. It was established on March 6, 1907, from parts of Chatham and Moore counties, and named fo ...

, which was formed from parts of the surrounding three counties in 1907. On creation of the new county, Sanford and Jonesboro were the major towns in the area. Rather than decide which would be the county seat, the decision was to place the county's new courthouse directly between the two towns. For decades, Lee County was the only county in the United States to have a courthouse with an RFD address. In the late 20th century Sanford had grown to such an extent that it eventually merged with Jonesboro. The town of Jonesboro became Jonesboro Heights, and the name of Sanford was kept for the town. The general Sanford area played key roles in the

Revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

and

Civil Wars 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 polici ...

, specifically regarding sites like the House in the Horseshoe and Endor Iron Furnace. Over the following decades, the Sanford area became an important source of coal,

brownstone Brownstone is a brown Triassic–Jurassic sandstone that was historically a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States and Canada to refer to a townhouse clad in this or any other aesthetically similar material. Type ...

, and brick. In particular brownstone and subsequent brick production made Sanford a key provider of these building materials for areas throughout the United States. For seven seasons, 1941–42 and 1946–50, Sanford fielded a professional minor league baseball team. In 1941–42, the Sanford Spinners played in the Class D level Bi-State League. After the war, a new Spinners team was a member of the Class D level Tobacco State League from 1946 to 1950. Home games were played at Temple Park. Led by manager Zeb Harrington, the Spinners won the regular season pennant three times. On April 16, 2011, a large tornado ripped through Sanford, demolishing a Lowe's hardware store and a warehouse, and destroying multiple homes and buildings before moving into Wake County. On October 21, 2014, Sanford established a formal sister city relationship with

Yixing Yixing () is a county-level city administrated under the prefecture-level city of Wuxi in southern Jiangsu province, China, and is part of the Yangtze River Delta. The city is known for its traditional Yixing clay ware tea pots. It is a pene-exc ...

, China, under the representation of Sanford Mayor Chet Mann. The Buffalo Presbyterian Church and Cemeteries, Downtown Sanford Historic District, East Sanford Historic District, Euphronia Presbyterian Church, Farish-Lambeth House, Hawkins Avenue Historic District, Lee Avenue Historic District, Lee County Courthouse, Lee County Training School, John D. McIver Farm, Railroad House, Rosemount-McIver Park Historic District, Sanford High School, Former, Seaboard Milling Company, and Temple Theatre 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

Sanford is southwest of

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 ...

, the state capital, southeast of Greensboro, and northwest of Fayetteville. 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 th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.88%, are water.

Little Buffalo Creek Little Buffalo Creek is a tributary of Buffalo Creek in Union County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through White Deer Township and Kelly Township. The watershed of the creek has an area of . The creek i ...

, a tributary of the Deep River, flows northward through the center of the city. Big Buffalo Creek flows through the west side of the city, and the entire city is part of the

Cape Fear River The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River (North Caro ...

watershed. Lick Creek and its tributaries drain the east side of the city.

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 off ...

, there were 30,261 people, 10,418 households, and 6,723 families residing in the city.

2009

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 inc ...

of 2009, there were 29,922 people, which was a 28.9% increase from 2000. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 1,243 people per square mile (372.5/km²). There were 9,223 housing units at an average density of 383.2 per square mile (147.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 55.87%

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 ...

, 29.19%

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 ...

, 0.50% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 0.03%

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 ...

, 11.93% from other races, and 1.41% 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 for ...

or Latino people of any race were 19.03% of the population. There were 8,550 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 17.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 people and the average family size was 3.15 people. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,804, and the median income for a family was $39,447. Males had a median income of $30,527 versus $23,393 for females. 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 $17,038. About 14.8% of families and 17.1% 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 ...

, including 21.4% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Sanford is geologically located above the meeting of white beach sand and

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

clay, enabling the city to be a producer of clay bricks. In 1959, Sanford produced 10 percent of the bricks in the United States and was named "Brick Capital of the USA". Brick production continues by manufacturers such as General Shale and Lee Brick and Tile. Sanford produces textiles, and a Wyeth vaccine facility became the area's largest employer in 2006.

Arts and culture

Museums

* Railroad House Museum

Performing arts

* Temple Theatre

Government

Sanford operates under a council-manager government. The city council consists of the mayor and seven council members, each with a four-year term. Five of the council seats are ward (district) representatives, and two seats are citywide representatives elected

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

Education

The Lee County campus of

Central Carolina Community College Central Carolina Community College is a public community college with campuses in Chatham, Harnett and Lee counties. It is part of the North Carolina Community College System. It offered its first classes in 1961. Academics Central Carolina Com ...

CCCC is located in Sanford. CCCC awards degrees, diplomas and certifications in a variety of programs. Three

high schools A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

are located in Sanford: Lee County High School, Lee Early College on CCCC's campus, and

Southern Lee High School Southern Lee High School is one of two high schools in Sanford, North Carolina, and serves grades 9–12. The school mascot is the cavalier and the school's colors are navy and orange. Notable alumni * Aaron Mellette, former NFL wide receiver * ...

. Southern Lee High School and Lee Early College both opened during the 2005–2006 school year. There are three middle schools: West Lee Middle School, East Lee Middle School and SanLee Middle School. SanLee Middle School opened in the 2008–2009 school year. An alternative school, Bragg Street Academy, serves students in grades 6 through 12. The Lee county school system has seven traditional elementary schools: B.T. Bullock Elementary, Broadway Elementary, Deep River Elementary, Greenwood Elementary, J. Glenn Edwards Elementary, J.R. Ingram, Jr, and W.B. Wicker. Elementary. Lee County is also the location of an optional year round elementary school: Tramway Elementary. Montessori school, and Griffin Academy, are private elementary schools. There are two private Christian schools, serving preschool through 12th grade: Grace Christian and Lee Christian as well as a charter school, Provisions Academy.

Media

Newspapers

The city's newspaper of record is '' The Sanford Herald'', which has published continuously since 1930. The newspaper is owned by

Paxton Media Group Paxton Media Group of Paducah, Kentucky, is a privately held media company with holdings that include newspapers and a TV station, WPSD-TV in Paducah. David M. Paxton is president and CEO. The company owns 32 daily newspapers and numerous week ...

, based in

Paducah, Kentucky Paducah ( ) is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky. The largest city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located at the confluence of the Tennessee and the Ohio rivers, halfway between St. Louis, Miss ...

. ''The Herald'' is a five-day-a-week morning newspaper and is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations and of the North Carolina Press Association. "The Rant" was founded in 2008 by former journalists with experience at several print publications, including ''The Sanford Herald''. Initially a radio show, it became an online news site in 2014. In 2019, it began publishing a monthly print edition.

Radio stations

WFJA WFJA (105.5 FM) is a classic hits formatted radio station licensed to Sanford, North Carolina Sanford is a city in Lee County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 30,261 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lee County. H ...

Classic Hits and Oldies 105.5 FM - classic hits and oldies * WWGP 1050 AM Today's Best Country – country, The Swap Shop and local news * W204AV 88.7 – Christian * WDCC 90.5 – variety (owned by

) * WLHC 103.1 – pop standards * WDSG 107.9 – beach, oldies, and gospel * WXKL 1290 – gospel

Infrastructure

Transportation

Air

Raleigh Executive Jetport Raleigh Exec: The Raleigh Executive Jetport or Raleigh Exec Jetport at Sanford-Lee County is a public use airport located seven nautical miles (8 mi, 13 km) northeast of the central business district of Sanford, a city in Lee Co ...

(ICAO: KTTA, FAA LID: TTA), formerly known as Sanford-Lee County Airport, is located northeast of Sanford via

U.S. 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...

. The airport opened in 2000, replacing the Sanford Lee County Brick Field, and provides both recreational and corporate services.

Designated routes and highways

* United States Highways: **

, known also in parts as Jefferson Davis Hwy and Hawkins Avenue (U.S. Bus 1) ** U.S. Route 15 ** U.S. Route 421, known as Horner Boulevard **

U.S. Route 501 U.S. Route 501 (US 501) is a spur of U.S. Route 1. It runs 355 miles (571 km) from Buena Vista, Virginia at U.S. Route 60 to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at U.S. Route 17 Business. It passes through the states of Virginia, North Caroli ...

* North Carolina Highways: ** N.C. Route 42 ** N.C. Route 78 ** N.C. Route 87

Commercial rail service

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...

Atlantic and Western Railway The Atlantic and Western Railway is a Class III short-line railroad operating about of track in Lee County, North Carolina. Atlantic and Western is part of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. and formerly part of Rail Management and Consulting. It was ...

short line. * Atlantic and Yadkin Railway

Public transit

The County of Lee Transit System (COLTS) is a coordinated transit system that provides transportation services in Sanford and Lee County.

Bicycle and pedestrian

* The Maine-to-Florida

U.S. Bicycle Route 1 U.S. Bicycle Route 1 (often called U.S. Bike Route 1, abbreviated USBR 1) is a cross-country bicycle route that will run the length of the United States eastern seaboard from Florida to Maine. It is one of the two original U.S. Bicycle Rout ...

passes through downtown Sanford and Lee County. * A half-mile greenway trail is located in the Kiwanis Family Park with additional mileage under development.

Notable people

Hardy Boyz The Hardys, also known as The Hardy Boyz, are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy, who are currently appearing in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The team is currently inactive due to Jeff ...

, WWE wrestlers (older brother Matt was born in a Sanford hospital, and both lived there for a few months) * Bill Briggs, NFL defensive end *

Britton Buchanan The fourteenth season of the American reality '' The Voice'' premiered on February 26, 2018, on NBC. Adam Levine and Blake Shelton returned for their fourteenth season as coaches. Meanwhile, Alicia Keys returned for her third season after a one-s ...

, runner-up on the fourteenth season of '' The Voice'' * Floyd Council,

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

musician * Lita (Amy Dumas), former WWE Diva; now resides in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...

* Bill Harrington, MLB pitcher *

J. D. McDuffie John Delphus McDuffie Jr. (December 5, 1938 – August 11, 1991) was an American racing driver. He competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series from 1963 to 1991, collecting 106 top-10 finishes during his career, despite never finishing on the lead ...

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...

driver *

Wayne Judd Wayne Judd (born 26 October 1948) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Richmond in the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as o ...

, Celebrity Chef, star of CookItUp! With Chef Wayne television, former principal trumpet Lee County Community Orchestra, former youth pastor Abundant Life Christian Center * Jack Pittman, illustrator and cartoonist *

ACHES Patrick Price (born July 18, 1994) known by his video game moniker ACHES, is an American professional esports player. Price is best known for playing ''Call of Duty''. Career Price won the Call of Duty Championship 2014 with compLexity Gaming a ...

(Patrick Price), professional

eSports Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional sports, professional players, individually or as ...

player, best known for playing ''

Call of Duty ''Call of Duty'' is a first-person shooter video game franchise published by Activision. Starting out in 2003, it first focused on games set in World War II. Over time, the series has seen games set in the midst of the Cold War, futuristic ...

'' * Robert T. Reives II, member of the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, ...

* Herb Thomas, NASCAR driver * Dennis Wicker, former lieutenant governor; partner at Nelson Mullins Law Firm; board member of Coca-Cola Consolidated and First Bank

Sister city

Sanford has one

sister city 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 citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between communities in the United States and those in other countries, particularly through the establishment of " sister citie ...

:Martinez, Logan
Mann: Community should run sister city program
''growsanfordnc.com''. Retrieved Jul 21, 2020. *

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with it ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

References

External links

*
Sanford Area Chamber of Commerce
* {{authority control Cities in North Carolina Cities in Lee County, North Carolina County seats in North Carolina