Morrisville, North Carolina

Morrisville is a town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. A small portion of the town extends into Durham County. The population was 18,576 according to a April 1, 2010 census. Morrisville is part of the Research Triangle metropolitan region. The regional name originated after the 1959 creation of the Research Triangle Park, located midway between the cities of Raleigh and Durham. The Research Triangle region encompasses the U.S. Census Bureau's Combined Statistical Area (CSA) of Raleigh-Durham-Cary. The estimated population of the Raleigh-Durham-Cary CSA was 1,565,223 as of July 1, 2006, with the Raleigh-Cary Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) portion estimated at 994,551 residents.

Geography
Morrisville is located at °N, °W (35.827493, -78.828930).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.8 square miles (17.5 km²).

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 about three hours west of Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, by car and four hours east of the Great Smoky Mountains of the Appalachian range.

The central downtown core of Morrisville is located essentially 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 (15 °C) 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 about 1 or 2 substantial snowfalls per winter, occurring mainly in January. 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.

Early 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, Federal cavalry under the command of Gen. Judson Kilpatrick skirmished with the retreating Confederate armies at Morrisville Station. Battle of Morrisville. The Confederate troops were successful in evacuating their remaining supplies and wounded to the west toward Greensboro, NC, General 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.

Government
Morrisville operates under the Council-Manager form of government. The citizens elect a Mayor and Town Council as the town's governing body. The Town Manager is appointed by the Council to serve as the chief operating officer administering all municipal affairs. The current mayor is Jackie Holcombe and current Council Members include Pete Martin (Mayor Pro Tem), Linda Lyons, Liz Johnson, Steve Diehl, Margaret Broadwell and Tom Murry.

Demographics
As of the most recent full federal census in 2000, there were 5,208 people, 2,476 households, and 1,297 families residing in the town. The population density was 769.0 people per square mile (297.0/km²). There were 3,210 housing units at an average density of 474.0 per square mile (183.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 76.46% White, 11.00% African American, 0.44% Native American, 9.06% Asian, 1.17% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.26% of the population.

However, since the last census, the population has grown to near 15,000 residents. Many of the new residents are from India, and a large Indian population now inhabits the Town of Morrisville. However the new influx of residents is apparent in the changing racial makeup of schools. Cedar Fork Elementary has over 40% of its population as Indian origin.

In 2000, there were 2,476 households out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.6% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.80.

In the town the population was spread out with 20.6% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 50.0% from 25 to 44, 14.2% from 45 to 64, and 4.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 106.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $56,548, and the median income for a family was $64,625. Males had a median income of $46,750 versus $34,528 for females. The per capita income for the town was $32,243. 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 (RTP), RDU, and I-40 makes it an attractive location for offices, light industry and hotels. Companies based in Morrisville include Lenovo (U.S.A. headquarters), Lulu.com, Tekelec and Sterling National Corp.

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

Parks and recreation
Morrisville is home to six parks and a community center. They include:
 * Morrisville Community Park - includes Hatcher Creek greenway in addition to rentable shelters, athletic fields, gazebo and picnic shelters
 * Shiloh Community Park & Luther Green Community Center - includes athletic field, picnic shelters, basketball court and playground
 * Crabtree Creek Nature Park - 34 acre wooded and wetland site with a multi-purpose field
 * Ruritan Park - includes a gazebo, open areas, and sand volleyball courts,
 * Indian Creek Greenway and Trailhead - includes two picnic shelters, a playground, restrooms, and a 1.8-mile trail
 * Cedar Fork District Park - 37 acre that includes eight multi-purpose fields

Morrisville has several youth sports groups, such as youth basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, and cricket.

Employers

 * Tekelec
 * iContact
 * Cisco Systems
 * Quintiles
 * Fidelity
 * IBM
 * JDSU
 * Lenovo
 * Salix
 * Sheraton
 * Time Warner Cable
 * Triangle United Way
 * Sterling National Corp
 * AT&T
 * Hotel Indigo
 * Merge Healthcare

Passenger



 * Air: Raleigh-Durham International Airport is located in northwestern Wake county on I-40, just to the north of Morrisville.
 * Interstate Highway: I-40 is the closest Interstate to Morrisville and is accessible by driving northeast on Aviation Parkway.
 * Morrisville is not served directly by passenger trains. Amtrak serves the nearby municipalities of Cary and Raleigh.
 * Local Bus: The Triangle Transit operates buses that serve the region and connect to municipal bus systems in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill.

Roads

 * I-540 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. The completed portion south of I-40 in the Morrisville area is technically called the Western Wake Parkway until the entire I-540 loop is completed.
 * NC 54 is the only other highway that serves the town.