Rockingham, North Carolina


Rockingham is a city in Richmond County, North Carolina, United States named after the Marquess of Rockingham. The population was 9,558 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Richmond County.
The city is the home of Rockingham Speedway, formerly the North Carolina Speedway. It was a staple of the NASCAR schedule for nearly 40 years before the race was discontinued in 2004. A new three-story downtown RCC campus is being constructed and expected to be open for 2020 fall semester and was originally planned to open in January but go pushed back. It is expected to draw new businesses and retailers. Downtown Rockingham is currently being revitalized as a part of a ten-year plan named "Shaping our Future: 2023". The city is currently experiencing an economic boom with new business opening in downtown.
As of the 2018 estimates, the area is a part of the Hamlet-Rockingham metropolitan statistical area and has a population of 22,579. The area will eventually be served by I-73/I-74 which will go west of the city. The area has many hotels, in part because beach traffic comes through this city.

History

The city was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, British Prime Minister from 1765 to 1766 and again in 1782. Rockingham's administration was dominated by the issue of the Thirteen Colonies. Rockingham wanted to repeal the Stamp Act 1765 and won a Commons vote in 1766 on the repeal resolution by 275 to 167. As a result, he was a popular figure among British colonists in America. People in North Carolina were still sympathetic toward him in the years following the United States gaining independence.
During the early 19th century, numerous families from here migrated to Middle Tennessee, settling in what is now Nolensville. They quickly established their new community.
In 1950, the town fielded a professional minor league baseball team in the Class D Tobacco State League, the Rockingham Eagles. The club won the playoff title in their only season before disbanding with the entire league.
Rockingham has a number of historic buildings which have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since the late 1970s: the Bank of Pee Dee Building, Covington Plantation House, Alfred Dockery House, Hannah Pickett Mill No. 1, Manufacturers Building, Richmond County Courthouse, Roberdel Mill No. 1 Company Store, Rockingham Historic District, U. S. Post Office and Federal Building, and H. C. Watson House.

Geography

Rockingham is located at .
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of.7.3 square miles of it is land and of it is water.

Urban

The Midtown business district is densely populated with stores, boutiques, clothing stores and several apartment complexes just outside the area. While not as urban as many cities in North Carolina, it is considered by the census as the urbanized area for Rockingham and Richmond County.

Neighborhoods

The Rockingham area is divided into various neighborhoods and suburban many include different socioeconomic classes. These include, Cordova, Philadelphia, Ledbetter, Roberdell, East Rockingham, West Rockingham, Glenwood, Maplewood, East Side Park, and Knob Hill.

Education

The Leon Levine School of Business and Information Technology is planning to be completed in Downtown Rockingham, to offer post-graduate education to Rockingham. The campus is a part of RCC. It will be three stories, and is scheduled to be open for Fall 2020 semester. It will offer Accounting Specialist, IT Support — Healthcare, Healthcare Manager, Government Support Specialist, Cyber Security, Software and Web Developer and Mobile Application Developer programs. The school will also provide classroom space for the college's Workforce and Economic Development division and Small Business Center.
Education in Rockingham is rated as Above Average and received a B rating for Education.
Rockingham also offers other education centers such as RCC Main Campus, and a campus in Scotland County.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 9,553 people, 3,966 households, and 2,573 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,326.8 people per square mile. There were 4,375 housing units at an average density of 600.1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 65.57% White, 29.90% African American, 1.10% Native American, 1.34% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.81% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.10% of the population.There were 3,966 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were married couples living together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city, the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,574, and the median income for a family was $33,534. Males had a median income of $27,923 versus $20,313 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,426. About 18.0% of families and 20.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.4% of those under age 18 and 15.0% of those age 65 or over.

Media

Rockingham hosts "The Smokeout", and has also hosted the Carolina Rebellion rock festival.

Transportation

Air

, formerly known as Rockingham-Hamlet Airport is located approximately 3 miles southeast of Rockingham. The airport serves local and transient general aviation flights.
Interstates and major highways
Rockingham's unincorporated suburbs within Richmond County reside just outside the Rockingham-Hamlet statistical area.