Burlington, North Carolina

Burlington is a city in Alamance and Guilford counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the main city of the Burlington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Alamance County. Burlington is also part of a larger area called the Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point, NC Combined Statistical Area.

In 2020, the city had a population of 57,303 people. This makes Burlington the 18th-largest city in North Carolina. The city has a rich history and offers many places for people to visit and enjoy.

History

Alamance County was created in 1849 from Orange County. Early settlers were Quakers, German farmers, and Scots-Irish immigrants.

Buildings along Main Street

Burlington started in the 1850s when the North Carolina Railroad needed a place for its tracks. The railroad finished a line between Goldsboro and Charlotte in 1856 and built repair shops nearby. In 1866, the village was called “Company Shops.” It was later renamed Burlington after a contest in 1887.

In the early 1900s, Edwin M. Holt opened a cotton mill along the Haw River. This mill grew into Burlington Industries, a big textile company. During World War II, new industries came to Burlington, creating jobs and growth. Today, downtown Burlington has shops, services, and offices. Many old buildings there are on the National Register of Historic Places.

On November 4, 2025, Beth Kennett became the first woman elected mayor of Burlington.

Geography

Burlington is in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. The land there is mostly flat with a few gentle rolling hills.

The city covers an area of 31.82 square miles (82.4 km²). Most of this is land, and a small part is water.

Burlington has a Humid subtropical climate. This means the weather is warm and there is rain through the year.

Parks, sports, and recreation

Burlington has many parks to explore, such as Joe Davidson Park and Burlington City Park. These parks offer fun activities like playing baseball, basketball, soccer, and disc golf. They also have playgrounds and tennis courts for everyone to enjoy.

Alamance Battleground State Historic Site, southwest of Burlington

The Alamance County Recreation and Parks Department takes care of parks and community centers in places like Cedarock Park and Pleasant Grove Recreation Center. You can go hiking or paddle on the Haw River Trail and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

Burlington is also home to a baseball team called the Burlington Sock Puppets. They play at Burlington Athletic Stadium. The city also has a nice golf course called The Valley Golf Course.

Burlington City Park is the biggest and most popular park. It has lots of fun things to do, like a carousel, a miniature train, boat and car rides, a playground, and walking trails. The park has a special carousel that is very old and important. There is also a festival held there every year.

The city is also home to the Burlington Boys' Choir, which is the oldest choir of its kind in the state. It was started in 1959 and has traveled all over the world.

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 census said that 57,303 people lived in Burlington. The average age was 38.9 years. About 23% were younger than 18, and 18% were 65 or older.

Most people lived in towns, with only a few living in the country.

2010 census

The 2010 census counted 49,963 people in Burlington. The city had many kinds of people, like White, African American, Native American, Asian, and others.

Many families lived together, but some people lived alone or in small groups.

2023 ACS 5-year estimates

In 2023, there were about 24,713 homes in Burlington. Each home had about 2.3 people, and families had about 3.1 people. A usual home made about $73,496 each year.

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	817	—
1890	1,716	110.0%
1900	3,692	115.2%
1910	4,808	30.2%
1920	5,952	23.8%
1930	9,737	63.6%
1940	12,198	25.3%
1950	24,560	101.3%
1960	33,199	35.2%
1970	35,930	8.2%
1980	37,266	3.7%
1990	39,498	6.0%
2000	44,917	13.7%
2010	50,042	11.4%
2020	57,303	14.5%
2023 (est.)	60,032	4.8%
U.S. Decennial Census

Burlington racial composition
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	25,810	45.04%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	16,118	28.13%
Native American	193	0.34%
Asian	1,353	2.36%
Pacific Islander	42	0.07%
Other/Mixed	2,296	4.01%
Hispanic or Latino	11,491	20.05%

Racial composition as of the 2020 census
Race	Number	Percent
White	27,185	47.4%
Black or African American	16,338	28.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native	564	1.0%
Asian	1,374	2.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	48	0.1%
Some other race	7,715	13.5%
Two or more races	4,079	7.1%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	11,491	20.1%

Education

The schools in Burlington are part of the Alamance-Burlington School System. This system was formed when two school groups joined together in 1996.

Elementary schools include Alexander Wilson, Altamahaw-Ossipee, Audrey W. Garrett, and many more. Middle schools include Broadview, Graham, Hawfields, and others. High schools include Eastern Alamance High School, Graham High School, Hugh M. Cummings High School, and several others.

There are also independent schools such as Alamance Christian School and charter schools like Clover Garden School.

For higher education, Alamance Community College offers many programs. It is part of the public North Carolina Community College System and has locations in Burlington and nearby Graham. Elon University, a private university, is located close by in Elon.

Transportation

Burlington Station

The Piedmont train from Amtrak connects Burlington to cities like Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, and Greensboro. The Carolinian train travels to New York, stopping in places such as Richmond, Washington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. You can board these trains at Burlington Station on North Main Street.

Burlington began its first public bus service called Link Transit on June 6, 2016. Many people have used these buses since then. There are also other ways to travel through the Alamance County Transportation Authority, and students from Elon University can ride the BioBus.

The city is about 35 miles from the Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro and around 48 miles from the Raleigh-Durham International Airport near Cary. Drivers can use three major highways: Interstate 40, Interstate 85, and U.S. Route 70.

Business

Burlington is home to many important businesses. Labcorp is a big company that does health testing, and it has its main office there.

Honda Aero, part of the Honda company, will move its main office to Burlington. It will build a plant at the Burlington-Alamance Regional Airport to make jet engines for small airplanes.

Other companies in Burlington include Glen Raven Inc., known for its Sunbrella fabric, and Gold Toe Brands, which makes socks.

The city also has several local newspapers, such as The Times-News, The Alamance News, and Burlington Latino.

There are popular local restaurants like Zack's Hotdogs, which opened in 1928.

Shopping

Holly Hill Mall

The city has one indoor mall called the Holly Hill Mall. It is where Huffman Mill Road meets Church Street (US 70). There is also an outdoor mall named Alamance Crossing. It opened in 2007 near Interstate 40/85 and University Drive. Close to I-40/85 is the Burlington Outlet Village. It used to be called the BMOC. When it opened in 1981, it was the first outlet mall in North Carolina.

Notable residents

Burlington has been home to many interesting people. Some became well-known in sports, like soccer player Adam Armour, former NBA player Jesse Branson, and former NFL players such as Billy Bryan and Sammy Johnson. Others made their mark in music, like Max Drake, or in entertainment, like Tequan Richmond. There are also leaders from politics, such as former Governor of North Carolina W. Kerr Scott.