Smithfield, North Carolina

This article is about the town in North Carolina, United States. For other uses, see Smithfield (disambiguation).

Smithfield, officially the Town of Smithfield, is a town in and the county seat of Johnston County, North Carolina,^[5] United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,292.^[6][7] The town is located near North Carolina's Research Triangle and is about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of downtown Raleigh. The Raleigh-Durham-Cary combined statistical area has a population over 2 million residents.

Smithfield, North Carolina
Town
Town of Smithfield
Downtown Smithfield Historic District
Seal
Location in Johnston County and the state of North Carolina
Smithfield Location in the United States
Coordinates: 35°30′50″N 78°21′00″W
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Johnston
Townships	Selma, Smithfield, Wilson Mills
Chartered	April 23, 1777 (248 years ago) (1777-04-23)
Named after	John Smith
Government [1]
• Type	Council–Manager
• Council	Town Council
• Manager	Michael Scott
Area [2]
• Total	12.39 sq mi (32.08 km2)
• Land	12.37 sq mi (32.05 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.04 km2)
Elevation [3]	125 ft (38 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	11,292
• Density	912.56/sq mi (352.34/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP code	27577
Area code	919
FIPS code	37-62520[4]
GNIS feature ID	2407352[3]
Major airport	RDU
Website	smithfield-nc.com

Smithfield is home to the Ava Gardner Museum, Wild Bill's Western Town named Shadowhawk, and is situated along the Neuse River, where visitors enjoy the annual Smithfield Ham and Yam Festival, walks along the Buffalo Creek Greenway, and the historic downtown district.

Formation

Smithfield, Johnston County's first town and second county seat after Hinton's Quarter, was chartered by the North Carolina General Assembly on April 23, 1777.^[8][9]

Geography

Smithfield is in central Johnston County and is bordered to the northeast by Selma. Interstate 95 runs along the southeastern edge of the town, with access from Exits 93, 95, and 97. I-95 leads northeast 46 miles (74 km) to Rocky Mount and southwest the same distance to Fayetteville. U.S. Route 301 passes through Selma on Brightleaf Boulevard, leading northeast 4 miles (6 km) to the center of Selma and southwest 15 miles (24 km) to Benson. U.S. Route 70 passes just northeast of Smithfield, leading northwest 30 miles (48 km) to Raleigh, and southeast 22 miles (35 km) to Goldsboro. U.S. Route 70 Business passes through the center of Smithfield as Market Street.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 12.1 square miles (31.4 km²), of which 0.02 sq mi (0.04 km²), or 0.11%, is covered by water.^[6] The Neuse River runs through the town west of the downtown area, separating it from the neighborhood of West Smithfield.

Climate

Smithfield has a humid subtropical climate(Cfa), with cool winters and hot summers. Its climate is famous for the growth of pine forests with laurel understory as well as live oaks.

Climate data for Smithfield, North Carolina(1991-2020 normals)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	53.6 (12.0)	57.0 (13.9)	64.5 (18.1)	74.1 (23.4)	81.0 (27.2)	88.9 (31.6)	91.7 (33.2)	89.3 (31.8)	83.6 (28.7)	74.3 (23.5)	64.4 (18.0)	56.7 (13.7)	73.3 (22.9)
Daily mean °F (°C)	42.5 (5.8)	45.2 (7.3)	51.9 (11.1)	60.8 (16.0)	69.2 (20.7)	77.1 (25.1)	81.2 (27.3)	78.9 (26.1)	73.3 (22.9)	62.2 (16.8)	51.7 (10.9)	45.2 (7.3)	61.6 (16.4)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	31.4 (−0.3)	33.3 (0.7)	39.3 (4.1)	47.5 (8.6)	57.4 (14.1)	65.9 (18.8)	70.8 (21.6)	68.6 (20.3)	62.9 (17.2)	50.1 (10.1)	39.0 (3.9)	33.8 (1.0)	50.0 (10.0)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	3.45 (88)	3.31 (84)	4.01 (102)	3.69 (94)	4.20 (107)	4.67 (119)	5.54 (141)	5.28 (134)	5.51 (140)	3.21 (82)	3.25 (83)	3.25 (83)	49.37 (1,257)
Source: https://w2.weather.gov/climate/

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	329		—
1870	415		—
1880	485		16.9%
1890	550		13.4%
1900	764		38.9%
1910	1,347		76.3%
1920	1,895		40.7%
1930	2,543		34.2%
1940	3,678		44.6%
1950	5,574		51.5%
1960	6,117		9.7%
1970	6,677		9.2%
1980	7,288		9.2%
1990	7,540		3.5%
2000	11,510		52.7%
2010	10,966		−4.7%
2020	11,292		3.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]

2020 census

Smithfield racial composition^[11]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	5,011	44.38%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	3,101	27.46%
Native American	40	0.35%
Asian	105	0.93%
Pacific Islander	6	0.05%
Other/mixed	363	3.21%
Hispanic or Latino	2,666	23.61%

As of the 2020 United States census, 11,292 people, 4,951 households, and 2,919 families resided in the town.

2000 census

As of the census^[4] of 2000, 11,510 people, 4,417 households, and 2,676 families resided in the town. The population density was 1,007.6 inhabitants per square mile (389.0/km²). The 4,674 housing units had an average density of 409.2 per square mile (158.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 62.66% White, 30.99% African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 4.16% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 9.9% of the population.

Of the 4,417 households, 26.6% had children under 18 living with them, 42.1% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% were not families. About 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.30, and the average family size was 2.97.

In the town, the age distribution was 21.3% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.4 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 97.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $27,813, and for a family was $37,929. Males had a median income of $29,567 versus $24,440 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,012. About 14.5% of families and 20.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.1% of those under 18 and 19.2% of those 65 or over.

Government

Smithfield has a council–manager form of government. The council, the town's legislative body, consists of seven members and a mayor. The council sets policy, and the manager oversees day-to-day operations.

Education

All of the county is in the Johnston County Schools school district.^[12]

• South Smithfield Elementary School
• West Smithfield Elementary School
• Smithfield Middle School
• The Innovation Academy at South Campus
• Johnston County Middle College High School
• Johnston County Early College Academy
• Smithfield-Selma High School

Other institutions:

• Neuse Charter School
• Johnston Community College

Healthcare

• UNC Health Care - Johnston Health

Notable people

• Elreta Alexander-Ralston, judge and attorney
• Gary Clark, NBA player^[13]
• Harmeet Dhillon, lawyer and Republican Party official^[14]
• Barry Foote, former Major League Baseball catcher
• Ava Gardner, actress, born in Grabtown southeast of Smithfield, buried in Smithfield^[15]
• Shane Helms, professional wrestler
• Neal Lancaster, professional golfer
• Amber O'Neal, professional wrestler
• Edward W. Pou, U.S. congressman, 1901–1934
• William Cary Renfrow, third governor of Oklahoma Territory
• Jerry Sands, professional baseball player
• Ray Tanner, South Carolina Gamecocks athletic director and former head baseball coach
• John Townsend, author
• Curtis Whitley, NFL offensive lineman
• Jonathan Williams, professional football running back

See also

• List of municipalities in North Carolina
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Johnston County, North Carolina