Wadesboro, North Carolina

. Originally named Newtown, the town was renamed by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1787 in honor of Colonel Thomas Wade after his service with the Anson County Regiment of militia in the American Revolutionary War. In 1900, astronomers determined that Wadesboro would be the best location in North America for viewing a total solar eclipse. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, then based in Washington, D.C., loaded several railroad cars with scientific equipment and headed to the town. The Boggan-Hammond House and Alexander Little Wing, United States Post Office, and Wadesboro Downtown Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ==Geography==

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which , or 0.20%, is water. Wadesboro is situated west of Rockingham, north of Cheraw, east of Monroe, and south of Albemarle. Climate ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Wadesboro had a population of 5,008. There were 2,002 households and 1,164 families residing in the town. The median age was 42.7 years. 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 81.7 males age 18 and over. Of households in Wadesboro, 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 27.4% were married-couple households, 20.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 45.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 2,303 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.1% were headed by married couples living together, 25.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40, and the average family size was 3.09. ==Education==

Wadesboro is served by the Anson County School District. The District includes Anson High School. The Anson County School system and the Wadesboro Rotary Club collaborated to make the Rotary Planetarium and Science Center available to students. ==Art and Culture==

Source: The Ansonia Theater was built in 1925. There are four museums, which are managed by The Anson County Historical Society: • The Leavitt House • The Boggan-Hammond House • The Alexander Little Wing • The Ashe-Covington Medical Museum. ==Media==

• The Anson Record Television stations available are from the Charlotte Designated Market Area, which Anson County and Wadesboro are a part of. Additionally, the local cable provider carries one station from Columbia, South Carolina, WIS-TV. ==Notable people==

• Thomas Samuel Ashe, congressman from North Carolina; practiced law in Wadesboro • Hugh Hammond Bennett, founder of the Soil Conservation Service, now Natural Resources Conservation Service, president of the Association of American Geographers • Risden Tyler Bennett, congressman • Tom Brewer, baseball player • John Culpepper, congressman from North Carolina • Edmund Strother Dargan, congressman from Alabama and representative to the Confederate States Congress during the American Civil War • Thomas F. Davis, fifth Episcopal bishop of South Carolina; deacon at Calvary Church in Wadesboro • Ed Emory, football player and coach • Blind Boy Fuller, musician • John Gaddy, baseball player • Pryor A. Gibson, III, eight-term member of North Carolina General Assembly • John T. Henley, member of the North Carolina House of Representatives and North Carolina Senate • Timmy Horne, nose tackle for the Atlanta Falcons • Alvin Paul Kitchin, congressman from North Carolina; practiced law in Wadesboro • Leon Levine, founder of Family Dollar variety store chain • James A. Lockhart, congressman from North Carolina; lived in Wadesboro • Elizabeth Reid Murray, historian and preservationist • Gary Porter, former driver of the Carolina Crusher and Grave Digger Monster Truck • Sylvester "Junkyard Dog" Ritter, professional wrestler • Cornelius Robinson, member of Provisional Confederate Congress • Leonidas D. Robinson, congressman from North Carolina • Jerome Robinson, baseball player • Will Robinson, basketball player • Trinton Sturdivant, football player • Hoyt Patrick Taylor, 21st lieutenant governor of North Carolina; former mayor of Wadesboro • Hoyt Patrick Taylor Jr., speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives and 26th lieutenant governor of North Carolina • William L. Terry, congressman from Arkansas • John Threadgill, Oklahoma and Texas politician • Colonel Thomas Wade, Revolutionary War hero and legislator ==In popular culture==

Horror film Evil Dead II was filmed in Wadesboro, and the Huntley House became the production office for the film. Most of Evil Dead II was filmed in the woods near that farmhouse, or J.R. Faison Junior High School, which is where the interior cabin set was located. ==See also==