Graham, N.C.

Location:

Graham, NC is located right about in the middle of North Carolina, and is in Alamance County. The city is off of I-40/85, and borders the cities of Burlington and Haw River, with the river running right along it.

Population	14,357
Median Age	37.5
Median Household Income	$39,300
Poverty Rate	19.3%
Average Persons Per Household	2.43
Percent of Housing Units Vacant	11%

History:

When Alamance County was formed, Graham was made the county seat. This means the city is the center for government and politics for all of Alamance County. One of the first buildings finished in Graham was a courthouse in 1851, and shortly after, the town became incorporated. Soon commercial buildings were built and slowly more people came to buy and sell at the stores that were newly opened and then, after a while, they started to reside in Graham. A railroad station was built due to the central location of the town, and the railroad tracks were built north of the town. In 1892, paved roads were constructed, and then in 1961 the town's population grew and Graham became a city.

Population:

The most recent census reported that the population of Graham was 14,357. To put this statistic in perspective, the population of Graham in 1950 was 5,043, which is a difference of 53.1% compared to 14,357. Over the years the city of Graham has become more diverse, and the population today is 62.9% White, 22.8% African American, 1.2% American Indian, 1.3% Asian, 9.4% other races, and 2.4% two or more races. An additional statistic is 22.4% of people in Graham speak English and another language. The largest age group in Graham are those born in 1982 to 2000 (Millenials) with these people making up 26% of the population. Of the population as a whole 25% do not a high school diploma, and the amount of people who have a four-year college degree is at 18%.

Education:

There are a total of ten schools in Graham. The elementary schools are E.M. Holt, Haw River, North Graham, and South Graham. The two middle and high schools are Graham and Southern Alamance (they have separate buildings for each middle and high school). There are also two private schools that are K-12. The first is a charter school that is free of tuition and based on a lottery system for admittance. The other is a fully accredited, non-denominational Christian school. Additionally, Alamance Community College is located in Graham, and was founded in 1958. This makes it one of the oldest community colleges in North Carolina.

Economy:

The median household income in Graham is $39,300, and the per capita income in Graham was $20,710 in 2011. Graham has a poverty rate of 19.3% which is higher than the poverty rate of the entire state of North Carolina (16.1%). However, if one were to search for a job in Graham there are many job openings at this time (2013).

Recreation and Parks:

There are many recreational opportunities for kids to take part of in Graham. There are recreation sports teams for all of the major sports such as football, soccer, basketball, and cheerleading, and there are opportunities for parents or adults to coach the youth teams. Graham also has many parks and facilities which are used to host events.