Huntersville, North Carolina

Huntersville is a town in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 24,960 at the 2000 census. It is located about 12 miles north of uptown Charlotte. It is thought that the town derives its name from the Rev. Humphrey Hunter, a minister at Steele Creek and Unity Presbyterian Churches and a local Revolutionary War hero.

Geography and the government
Huntersville is located at °N, °W (35.409544, -80.863622).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 31.2 square miles (80.7 km²), of which, 31.1 square miles (80.7 km²) of it is land and 0.03% is water.

The town is run by an elected Mayor and a Board of Commissioners.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 24,960 people, 9,171 households, and 6,859 families residing in the town. The population density was 801.4 people per square mile (309.4/km²). There were 9,859 housing units at an average density of 316.5 per square mile (122.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 88.42% White Americans, 7.47% African American, 0.37% Native American, 1.50% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.06% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.88% of the population.

There were 9,171 households out of which 41.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.6% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the town the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 40.7% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 6.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $71,932, and the median income for a family was $80,821 (these figures had risen to $80,328 and $90,739 respectively as of a 2007 estimate ). Males had a median income of $53,553 versus $33,877 for females. The per capita income for the town was $30,256. 3.1% of the population and 1.9% of families were below the poverty line.

Transportation
Huntersville is one of three towns (the others are Cornelius and Davidson) located north of Charlotte, North Carolina, but within the same county. These three towns make up the area known as "North Meck." Express bus transportation and an interstate with HOV lanes that ends five miles south of Huntersville provide access to the downtown business areas of Charlotte, making Huntersville primarily a town of commuters.

Two exits from Interstate 77 serve Huntersville. Exit 23 (Gilead Road) connects the expressway with the original town. Exit 25 (North Carolina Highway 73, but most often referred to as Sam Furr Road) provides access to the Birkdale Village area and shopping, medical, and office complexes that have been built since the exit opened.

Huntersville is served by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, with students from Huntersville attending Hough High School (which opened in the fall of 2010), Hopewell High School and North Mecklenburg High School. Central Piedmont Community College's North Campus (which features training facilities for law enforcement and auto mechanics in addition to the usual academic subjects) is located off Statesville Road, just south of Mount Holly-Huntersville Road.

Recreation
The town also is known recreationally as a lake community because of its proximity to Lake Norman, a large man-made lake created by Duke Power to serve the nuclear power plant. It is also home to Mountain Island Lake, a smaller man made lake that is used as Charlotte's city water. The lakes both attract boaters and water skiers from several surrounding states. Huntersville is also home to one private golf course, NorthStone Country Club, two Semi-Private courses in Skybrook Golf Club and Birkdale Golf Course. These two courses are owned and operated by the IRI group and a part of the 6-course Carolina Trail where package deals are available.

NASCAR in Huntersville
Huntersville is headquarters to the NASCAR race shops of Joe Gibbs Racing, located in the Huntersville Business Park off I-77 exit 23. The shop currently operates three Sprint Cup Series teams, the #11 FedEx Toyota Camry, the #18 M&M's Toyota Camry, and the #20 Home Depot Toyota Camry.

Notable residents

 * Eddie Long, Pastor of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
 * Derek Morris, NFL football player
 * John Roberts, Speed Channel host
 * Drew Saunders, member of the North Carolina General Assembly
 * Ben Shields, Former Major League Baseball pitcher
 * Andrea Stinson, Former Professional Female Basketball player
 * Jim Vandiver, retired NASCAR driver
 * Brian Whitesell, Team manager in NASCAR Sprint Cup
 * Hoyt Wilhelm, Former Major League Baseball pitcher
 * Caleb Parks, Resident of Huntersville

School system
Residents of the Huntersville area attend Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Elementary schools include:
 * Barnette Elementary
 * Huntersville Elementary
 * Legette Blythe Elementary
 * Torrence Creek Elementary
 * Long Creek Elementary School
 * Hornets Nest Elementary School

Middle schools include:
 * Francis Bradley Middle
 * John M Alexander Middle
 * Bailey Middle

High schools include:
 * Hopewell High School
 * North Mecklenburg High School
 * Hough High School

Charter schools
Children Community School of Davidson
 * Lake Norman Charter

Private schools

 * Lake Norman Christian School
 * Chesterbrook Academy
 * Cannon School, located in nearby Concord, serves Huntersville families.
 * Children's Community School
 * Christian Montessori School At Lake Norman
 * Davidson Day School
 * Grace Covenant Academy, located in the neighboring town of Cornelius, NC
 * Phoenix Montessori Academy
 * SouthLake Christian Academy
 * St Mark Catholic School
 * Woodlawn School, located 1 mile north of Davidson College
 * Corvian Community School

Libraries
Huntersville and the surrounding area is served by the North County Regional branch of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. The library is located on Holly Crest Lane, just southeast of exit 25 on I-77, off of Sam Furr Road.