Morrisville, North Carolina

History

The area was originally named in 1852 after Jeremiah Morris. Morris donated land to the North Carolina Railroad for a depot, water tower, and other buildings. The town continued to grow as a result of the rail line and its location at the intersection of roads leading to Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Hillsborough.

On April 13, 1865, in the Battle of Morrisville, United States cavalry under the command of Gen. Judson Kilpatrick skirmished with the retreating Confederate armies at Morrisville Station. The Confederate troops were successful in evacuating their remaining supplies and wounded to the west toward Greensboro, but Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman's cavalry forced the Confederates to leave the train behind and retreat toward Durham and the eventual surrender of the largest Confederate force of the war at Bennett Place.

The town was officially chartered in 1875 but was disincorporated in 1933. Eventually the town charter was restored in 1947.

Morrisville History (as listed on historical marker):

The history marker notes it was given in memory of Commissioner C.T. Moore.

On December 13, 1994, Flagship Airlines Flight 3379 crashed in Morrisville, killing 15 of the 20 people on board.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 21.5 sqkm, of which 21.4 sqkm is land and 0.1 sqkm, or 0.62%, is water.

Morrisville is located in the northeast central region of North Carolina, where the North American Piedmont and Atlantic Coastal Plain regions meet. This area is known as the "Fall Line" because it marks the elevation inland at which waterfalls begin to appear in creeks and rivers. As a result, most of Morrisville features gently rolling hills that slope eastward toward the state's flat coastal plain. Its central Piedmont location situates the county approximately three hours west of Atlantic Beach by car and four hours east of the Great Smoky Mountains.

The central core of Morrisville is located along the upper portion of Crabtree Creek, which then feeds into Lake Crabtree, located in the southeastern part of the town.

Climate

Morrisville enjoys a moderate subtropical climate, with moderate temperatures in the spring, fall, and winter. Summers are typically hot with high humidity. Winter highs generally range in the low 50s°F (10 to 13 °C) with lows in the low-to-mid 30s°F (-2 to 2 °C), although an occasional 60 °F or warmer winter day is not uncommon. This is canceled out, however, with several days where highs do not get out of the 30s. There are usually one or two substantial snowfalls per winter, occurring mainly in February. Spring and fall days usually reach the low-to-mid 70s°F (low 20s°C), with lows at night in the lower 50s°F (10 to 14 °C). Summer daytime highs often reach the upper 80s to low 90s°F (29 to 35 °C). The rainiest months are July and August.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 29,630 people, 9,699 households, and 6,781 families residing in the town.

2015 census estimate

As of the 2015 census estimate, the population of the town was 23,699.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census there were 18,576 people, 7,641 households, and 4,752 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,237.7 PD/sqmi. There were 8,357 housing units at an average density of 1,006.9 /mi2. Known as North Carolina's "little India" by locals, Morrisville has become one of the most diverse towns in the state particularly due to the expansion of the technology industry. The racial makeup of the town was 54.0% White, 12.9% African American, 0.4% Native American, 27.2% Asian, 2.0% from some other race, and 3.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.9% of the population.

There were 7,641 households, out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them. 50.3% of all households were headed by married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43, and the average family size was 3.11.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 44.4% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 4.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.

In 2017, the median income for a household in the town was $95,763. Males had a median income of $59,982 versus $44,729 for females. The per capita income for the town was $43,054. About 3.4% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Morrisville's location adjacent to the Research Triangle Park, Raleigh-Durham International Airport, and Interstate 40 makes it an attractive location for offices, light industry and hotels. Companies based in Morrisville include Oracle, Syneos Health and Lenovo (operational headquarters).

Prior to its disestablishment, Midway Airlines had its headquarters in Morrisville.

The Morrisville Chamber of Commerce serves as the economic development arm for the town.

Employers

The computer technology, clinical trial and telecommunications industries have strong presence in the area. Major employers in 2019 included:

• Catalent Pharma Solutions
• ChannelAdvisor
• Credit Suisse
• Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies
• Labcorp
• Lenovo
• Metabolon
• NetApp
• Oracle
• PPD, Inc.
• Spectrum
• TrialCard Inc
• UNC Rex Healthcare
• Worldwide Clinical Trials

Arts and culture

National Register of Historic Places

The Morrisville Christian Church, Williamson Page House, and Pugh House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Parks and recreation

Morrisville is home to eight parks, two community centers, four greenways and a fitness center. Morrisville has several youth sports groups, such as youth basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, and cricket.

List of Parks

Government

Morrisville operates under the council–manager form of government. The citizens elect a mayor and town council as the town's governing body. After each municipal election, the town council selects a mayor pro tem. The town manager, Martha Paige, is appointed by the council to serve as the chief operating officer administering all municipal affairs. The current mayor is TJ Cawley and the mayor pro tem is Satish Garimella. Morrisville Council members include Steve Rao, Vicki Scroggins-Johnson, Satish Garimella, Anne Robotti, and Donna Fender.

The North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners has its headquarters in Morrisville.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Public Transit

Morrisville is not served directly by passenger trains. Amtrak serves the nearby municipalities of Cary and Raleigh. The North Carolina Railroad passes through the town.

Air

Raleigh-Durham International Airport is located in northwestern Wake county on I-40, just to the north of Morrisville.

Roads & Highways

• is a major highway that goes through town and provides easy access to Cary, Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill.
• runs through the eastern part of the town.
• serves the Morrisville area and is located to the west of the town. The highway offers access to I-40, North Raleigh, RDU airport and eastern Wake County.
• is located in the northern part of town and provides easy access to Durham.

Utilities

Water and wastewater services are provided by the Town of Cary. Cary sources water from Jordan Lake. Electricity is provided by Duke Energy and Natural Gas is provided by Dominion Energy. Solid waste collection is contracted by the town to GFL Environmental.

Notable people

• David Ray Boggs, former NASCAR driver
• Hill Carrow, sports tourism executive
• Tom Murry, politician, attorney, and pharmacist
• Mabel Pugh (1891–1986), art teacher, painter, woodblock printmaker and illustrator
• Vic Sorrell, former Major League Baseball pitcher+
• Alvin Kallicharran, former West Indies cricket team cricketer.

References

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau.
2. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. {{GNIS. 2406198
4. "General Information". Town of Morrisville.
5. "P.L. 94-171 County Block Map (2010 Census): Wake County, NC (Map Sheet 17)". U.S. Census Bureau.
6. "QuickFacts: Morrisville town, North Carolina". United States Census Bureau.
7. Dollar, Ernest. "Morrisville History".
8. "History {{!}} Town of Morrisville, NC".
9. "Morrisville Historical Marker".
10. (October 24, 1995). "Uncontrolled collision with terrain, Flagship Airlines, Inc., dba American Eagle Flight 3379, BAe Jetstream 3201, N918AE, Morrisville, North Carolina, December 13, 1994". National Transportation Safety Board.
11. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Morrisville town, North Carolina". [[United States Census Bureau]].
12. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
13. "Explore Census Data".
14. Kurry, Dawn. (November 29, 2013). "Triangle's Little India". Triangle Business Journal.
15. "Morrisville Demographics".
16. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Morrisville town, North Carolina". [[United States Census Bureau]].
17. "Locations – Lenovo US".
18. (April 18, 2000). "Corporate Information". Midway Airlines.
19. "Major Employers of Morrisville". Choose Morrisville.
20. (2019). "Morrisville Municipal Profile 2019". Morrisville Chamber of Commerce.
21. (July 3, 2014). "National Register of Historic Places Listings". National Park Service.
22. (April 27, 2012). "National Register of Historic Places Listings". National Park Service.
23. (July 3, 2014). "National Register of Historic Places Listings". National Park Service.
24. "Parks and Greenways". Town of Morrisville.
25. "Youth Basketball". Town of Morrisville.
26. "Athletics". Town of Morrisville.
27. "Youth Cricket". Town of Morrisville.
28. "Wayback Machine".
29. "Morrisville Community Park". Town of Morrisville.
30. "Shiloh Park / Luthor Green Center". Town of Morrisville.
31. "Crabtree Creek Nature Park". Town of Morrisville.
32. "Ruritan Park". Town of Morrisville.
33. "Ruritan Park".
34. "Indian Creek Greenway and Trailhead". Town of Morrisville.
35. "Cedar Fork District Park". Town of Morrisville.
36. Doran, Will. (December 29, 2014). "Morrisville gears up for new parks". cary news.
37. "Lake Crabtree County Park".
38. Airport, Raleigh-Durham International. "Observation Park".
39. "Town Council". Town of Morrisville.
40. "Council Members". Town of Morrisville.
41. "[http://www.ncdentalboard.org/ Home]." [[North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners]]. Retrieved on May 15, 2013. "507 Airport Boulevard, Suite 105 Morrisville, NC 27560-8200"
42. [https://www.racing-reference.info/owner/David_Ray_Boggs David Ray Boggs Owner Statistics]. ''Racing-Reference''. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
43. [https://www.sportsdestinations.com/sdm-author/hill-carrow-4385 Hill Carrow. Sports Destination Management]. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
44. Campbell, Colin. (January 30, 2015). [https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/under-the-dome/article10237541.html Former Rep. Tom Murry lands legal counsel job at NC Administrative Office of the Courts]. ''The News & Observer''. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
45. Sybil H. Argintar. (September 2013). "Pugh House". North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office.
46. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sorrevi01.shtml Vic Sorrell Stats]. ''Baseball-Reference''. Retrieved October 29, 2020.