Carrboro is a town in Orange County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 21,295 at the 2020 census. The town, which is part of the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill combined statistical area, was named after North Carolina industrialist Julian S. Carr.

Located directly west of Chapel Hill, home of the University of North Carolina's flagship campus, Carrboro has a reputation as one of the most progressive communities in the Southeastern United States. It was the first municipality in North Carolina to elect an openly gay mayor (Michael R. Nelson in 1995) and the first municipality in the state to grant domestic-partner benefits to same-sex couples. In October 2002, Carrboro was among the first municipalities in the South to adopt resolutions opposing the Iraq War and the USA PATRIOT Act.

History Before European settlement, the Occaneechi Indians lived in the area of what is now Hillsborough, north of Carrboro. As part of North Carolina's piedmont region, European settlement in the area likely did not begin until at least the 1730s.

The history of Carrboro is similar to the history of many mill towns in North Carolina and largely parallels the histories of the State University Railroad and the Alberta Cotton Mill. Located just west of Chapel Hill, Carrboro was originally known as West End. It was settled in 1882 near the terminus "in a vacant field" of the State University Railroad spur from University Station in Glenn, North Carolina. (State law required that the railway be at least from the university campus "to guard against possible damage to student morals and habits of study," or as it was more cynically put, "to discourage students from leaving on the weekends and spending their money elsewhere.) Settlement in West End increased after 1898 when Thomas F. Lloyd of Chapel Hill built a steam-powered grist mill near the depot. This would become the Alberta Cotton Mill, and in 1900 the town briefly called itself Lloydville in his honor.

Durham businessman Julian S. Carr bought the mill and other nearby buildings in 1909, adding them to the chain of mills that became Durham Hosiery Mills. In 1911, West End was incorporated and named Venable in honor of chemistry professor and University of North Carolina president Francis Preston Venable, but only two years later was renamed Carrboro, after Carr provided electric power for the community and expanded the mill. In addition to the university and the textile mills, the railroad depot in Carrboro also served the local lumber industry, and in the 1920s and 1930s Carrboro became a major hub in the hardwood cross-tie market.

A 1920s building boom in Carrboro, sparked by a fire in the downtown business district, ended as business at the Durham Hosiery Mills declined towards the end of the decade. The Great Depression also took an economic toll and in 1930 the company closed Mill No. 4, the original Alberta Cotton Mill. Passenger service on the train line ended in 1936. In 1938 Durham Hosiery Mills closed Mill No. 7, across Main Street from Mill No. 4, and ceased operations altogether.

In 1937, the border between Carrboro and Chapel Hill was the site of a 1937 Chapel Hill Race Riot resulting from the mill closures, general economic hardship, racial tensions, and neglect of Chapel Hill's Black community. Geeta N. Kapur and John K. Chapman described the incident as a revolt by Black workers.

As a result of the riot, Carrboro and Chapel Hill leadership met to "sum up events and explore methods of suppressing future disorders." Chapel Hill Town Manager Caldwell made plans to purchase "a submachine gun with ammunition, twelve hand grenades, and 'three gas billies with twelve cartridges'". It was decided that Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and UNC would split the costs of the purchase, and ended up spending $164.50 each on the acquisition.

"Robert 'Bob' Drakeford, the town's first Black mayor, elected in 1977, recalled when Carrboro was a sundown town, where people of color knew not to be out after dark."

During World War II, Mill No. 7 became the site of a munitions factory. After the war, Pacific Mills bought both Mills No. 4 and 7 and operated them as Carrboro Woolen Mills. When Pacific Mills closed in the mid-1960s - the final activity at the mill was sorting and shipping BVD underwear - Carrboro was no longer able to depend upon the textile industry to sustain itself. The University of North Carolina and other businesses in the area were growing rapidly and provided work in a wide range of occupations and locations.

The mill remained abandoned for nearly a decade and changed hands several times. In 1975 the owner, with the assent of the Carrboro Board of Aldermen, intended to have it demolished. A community petition and fund-raising effort provided for its restoration as Carr Mill Mall. It has since grown into a bustling hub of activity, hosting many businesses such as Weaver Street Market.

In addition to the Alberta Mill Complex, the Carrboro Commercial Historic District, Thomas and Mary Hogan House, and Thomas F. Lloyd Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Carrboro's origin story is closely tied to its historic railroad station, which was built in 1913. Initially known as "West Of" due to its proximity to Chapel Hill, the area around the station developed into a thriving settlement, eventually becoming the town of Carrboro.

Name Carrboro was named for Julian S. Carr, a UNC alumnus, trustee, honorary degree recipient, industrialist, and philanthropist whose company brought electric power to the town. Carr was also a white supremacist who opposed Black suffrage, defended the Ku Klux Klan and lynchings, and endorsed the "Lost Cause" interpretation of the Civil War, during which he served as a private in the Confederate States Army. A 2011 letter to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel, called attention to Carr's remarks at the 1913 dedication of the Silent Sam monument on the University of North Carolina campus. The following passage, quoted in the letter, has become locally famous:

As a result of this publication, a petition to change the town's name arose, and former mayor Jim Porto in 2016 asked the Board of Aldermen to rename the town. According to Alderwoman Jacquie Gist, "Changing Carrboro's name is not a realistic option". A name change would require legislative approval, and according to former mayor Mark Chilton, "You change it to something besides Carrboro, you're really asking to be interfered with by the state legislature, and it won't be for the best." In 2019, Carrboro erected a truth plaque, distancing the town from the values and actions of Julian Carr.

The Carrboro Board of Aldermen passed a resolution in 2017 calling for the removal of Silent Sam.

Geography According to the US Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Carrboro's 27510 zip code covers the town's core, and is an enclave surrounded on all sides by Chapel Hill's 27516 zip code, which also covers the outer areas of Carrboro.

Climate Carrboro typically has a North American humid subtropical climate. Summer conditions are hot and humid, with daily average high temperatures of and higher. Winter temperatures tend to remain above or well above freezing, though snowfall does happen and occasional snow and ice storms are not unusual. The average high temperature in July, the hottest month of the year, is , and the average high temperature in January, the coldest month, is . Average monthly precipitation ranges from , with the heaviest precipitation occurring during the summer months.

Demographics

2020 census As of the 2020 census, there were 21,295 people and 9,363 households, including 4,640 families, residing in the town. The median age was 32.9 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 9.8% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.0 males.

99.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.3% lived in rural areas.

Of the 9,363 households, 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.3% were married-couple households, 22.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 9,912 housing units, of which 5.5% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.6%.

+Carrboro racial composition Race Number Percentage White (non-Hispanic) 13,238 62.16% Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 2,142 10.06% Native American 39 0.18% Asian 1,881 8.83% Pacific Islander 10 0.05% Other/Mixed 1,262 5.93% Hispanic or Latino 2,723 12.79%

2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 19,582 people, 8,625 households, and 4,020 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 9,258 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 70.9% White, 10.1% African American, 0.4% Native American, 8.2% Asian, 0.004% Pacific Islander, 7.5% some other race, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 13.8% of the population.

There were 8,625 households, out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them. 34.5% of all households were headed by married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.4% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 15.6% from 18 to 24, 36.1% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 5.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.

Economy Over the period 2008–2012, the median income for a household in the town was $45,159, and the median income for a family was $73,893. Males had a median income of $28,622 versus $26,198 for females. The per capita income for the town was $32,604. About 11.9% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.4% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.

Diversity

In the early 1990s, a sizable influx of Latino immigrants began moving to Carrboro, attracted by jobs in the building and service trades. The Hispanic population of Carrboro increased by 936% between 1990 and 2003, to 12% of the Carrboro population. As these immigrants settled in Carrboro, they brought the food and culture of their native countries to the town. Carrboro is now home to three Latino tiendas (grocery stores). Other businesses, including national grocery chains like Food Lion, adapted to the change in demographics by stocking a wider variety of Central and South American food products.

The Human Rights Center serves the Latinos, day laborers, Burmese and Karen populations. It petitioned the town government to adopt the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which it did in 2009.

As with neighboring Chapel Hill, affordable housing has become a pressing local issue. Arts and culture

Attractions