Cornelius is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separ ...

an town located along Lake Norman in northern Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States. It is a major suburb in the

Charlotte metropolitan area The Charlotte metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as Metrolina, is a metropolitan area of the U.S. states of North and South Carolina, within and surrounding the city of Charlotte. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gasto ...

. The population was 24,866 at the 2010 census.

History

Potts Plantation Potts Plantation is a historic plantation complex and national historic district located near Cornelius, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The district encompasses 11 contributing buildings, 12 contributing sites, and 4 contributing structu ...

in Cornelius was 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 ...

in 1998.

Geography

Cornelius is located along Lake Norman in northern Mecklenburg County. The town is approximately located at (35.478954, −80.884532). 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 town has a total area of , of which is land and (3.20%) is water. Cornelius is one of three towns in Mecklenburg County located north of Charlotte. Along with its sister towns – Davidson and Huntersville – Cornelius serves as a suburb to Charlotte.

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 31,412 people, 12,307 households, and 7,853 families residing in the town.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 11,969 people, 5,113 households, and 3,374 families living in the town. The population density was 1,415.5 people per square mile (546.2/km²). There were 5,716 housing units at an average density of 676.0 per square mile (260.9/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the town was 91.65% White, 5.62% African American, 0.21% Native American, 1.24% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.79% of the population. Of the 5,113 households 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 27.0% of households were one person and 5.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.87. The age distribution was 22.4% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 36.7% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.9 males. According to Claritas Market Statistics, the median household income in 2010 was $83,789.

Schools and libraries

School system

The citizens of Cornelius, NC, attend the

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (abbreviated CMS) is a local education agency headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina and is the public school system for Mecklenburg County. With over 147,000 students enrolled, it is the second-largest school ...

. Elementary schools include Cornelius Elementary and JV Washam Elementary. Middle schools include Bailey Middle School. William A. Hough High School opened in August 2010 and currently serves over 2,000 students.

Private schools

* Grace Covenant Academy * New Beginnings Christian Academy * Phoenix Montessori Academy

Libraries

Cornelius is served by a branch of the

Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library (previously the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County) is the public library system of the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County in North Carolina. About Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is one ...

. The library is located in the heart of Cornelius, on Catawba Avenue just east of exit 28 on I-77.

Notable people

Erika Brown Erika Lynn Brown (born January 25, 1973) is an American curler, currently residing in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. She started curling in 1980 and throws right-handed. Career As a 15-year-old, Brown represent the United States at the 1988 Winter ...

, Olympic swimmer *

Vicky Bruce Victoria "Vicky" Frances Bruce (born May 31, 1994) is an American soccer player who plays as a defender for Bristol City in the English FA Women's Championship. Career She graduated from Cannon School in Concord N.C. As a soccer player at C ...

, professional women's

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player * Kevin Conway, professional stock car racing driver * Amber Cope, NASCAR driver * Jerry K. Crump, soldier in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

; received

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...

during the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

Christian Elder Christian Stuart Elder (December 6, 1968 – August 12, 2007) was an American racing driver. He raced in the Busch Series for Akins Motorsports for two years. His best finish of the year was 26th at Kentucky. Elder made his debut in 2001, ...

, NASCAR driver * Mark Fields, NFL cornerback * Erik Jones, NASCAR driver * Michael Jordan, Hall of Fame NBA basketball player (resident) * Steve Letarte, sportscaster and former NASCAR crew chief * Leilani Munter, former professional race car driver and environmental activist * Ricky Rudd, NASCAR driver * Daniel Steedman,

player * Jeff Tarte, politician * Thom Tillis, politician and businessman *

Brian Voss Brian Voss (born August 4, 1958) of Cornelius, North Carolina, is a professional ten-pin bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association since 1982. The right-hander owns 25 PBA Tour titles (11th all-time), including one major champions ...

, PBA and

United States Bowling Congress The United States Bowling Congress (USBC) is a sports membership organization dedicated to ten-pin bowling in the United States. It was formed in 2005 by a merger of the American Bowling Congress—the original codifier of all tenpin bowling sta ...

Hall of Fame bowler *

Scot Walters Scot Walters (born November 18, 1967) is an American stock car racing driver from Cornelius, North Carolina. He competed in NASCAR from 1997 to 1999 in the Craftsman Truck Series, as well as one Busch Series race in 1998. NASCAR career Walters, b ...

, NASCAR driverDriver Scot Walters Career Statistics
''racing-reference.info''. * Hoyt Wilhelm, MLB pitcher and member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame

References

External links

*
Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce

Visit Lake Norman
{{authority control Towns in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Towns in North Carolina