Liberty, North Carolina – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Originally named Liberty Oak, the town was founded in 1809 near the plantation of John Leak.[3] The first church within the town was the Liberty Christian Church (now the United Church of Christ) founded on October 11, 1884. The town's first school, the Liberty Academy, was founded on May 6, 1885, as a charter school, and helped to foster the town's early reputation as a place of higher learning. Liberty is home to the mother church of the Southern Baptist denomination (Sandy Creek Baptist Church),

The Liberty Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.[4]

Liberty is also home to the famous the Liberty Antiques Festival. Also, the Liberty Showcase has had many famous Nashville recording stars such as Ronnie McDowell, Lorrie Morgan, Gene Watson, Exile, and many more. The movies Killers Three (1968) and Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice (1992) were filmed in Liberty and the surrounding areas.

One of Liberty's most noticeable landmarks is the Patterson House Museum, near the town hall; it was originally constructed in 1885 by Dr. Armstead Jackson Patterson as a retirement home for his parents. Other local landmarks are the historical Liberty train station (which is not open to the public), and the Vance York house.

In 2001, Liberty was honored to become one of the few towns on the North Carolina National Historic Register for its rich history and historic architecture, largely due to the efforts of Mrs. Francine Swaim, a local writer, teacher, and historian.

As of the census[1] of 2000, 2,661 people, 1,033 households, and 708 families resided in the town. The population density is 1,020.8 people per square mile (393.6/km). The 1,094 housing units averaged 419.7 per square mile (161.8/km). The racial makeup of the town is 65.69% White, 23.64% African American, 0.71% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 8.08% from other races, and 1.80% from two or more races. About 14.2% of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 1,033 households, 32.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% are married couples living together, 14.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% are not families; 27.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.56 and the average family size is 3.09.

In the town, the population is distributed as 26.1% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females, there are 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town is $35,052, and for a family is $44,179. Males have a median income of $27,944 versus $21,462 for females. The per capita income for the town is $16,345. About 12.2% of the population and 9.9% of families are below the poverty line. Of the total population, 12.9% of those under the age of 18 and 16.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Liberty has long been important to the aviation community. In addition to having several private airports in the vicinity, Liberty lies at the intersection of several air traffic routes that serve the East Coast. A Vortac owned by the Federal Aviation Administration for air traffic navigation is based just outside town near Sandy Creek Church. Liberty is also located near the delineation point for the Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center (Atlanta Center) and the Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center (Washington Center). All planes flying west of Liberty must be directed by Atlanta, while all planes flying east must be directed by Washington.

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Liberty, North Carolina - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia