Asheboro, North Carolina, United States

🇺🇸 Asheboro is a city in and the county seat of Randolph County, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Greensboro-High Point Metropolitan Area of the Piedmont Triad and is home of the state-owned North Carolina Zoo.

History Asheboro was named after Samuel Ashe, the ninth governor of North Carolina (1795–1798), and became the county seat of Randolph County in 1796. It was a small village in the 1800s, with a population of less than 200 through the Civil War; its main function was housing the county courthouse, and the town was most active when court was in session. Asheboro's population only began to grow significantly following its connection to railroads: the High Point, Randleman, Asheboro and Southern Railroad first served the city in 1889, followed by the Montgomery Railroad in 1896.

Asheboro emerged as a textile production centre in the 20th century with the opening of the Acme Hosiery Mills in 1909. After World War II, the city's manufacturing sector grew to include batteries, wires and food products. The city's main tourist attraction, the North Carolina Zoo, opened in 1974.

Asheboro suffered from an economic downturn in the 2000s due to a decline in its traditional manufacturing industries amid increasing competition from overseas; the national news program 60 Minutes described it as a "dying town" in 2012.

Historic buildings The following buildings in Asheboro are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: • Acme-McCrary Hosiery Mills • Asheboro Hosiery Mills and Cranford Furniture Company Complex • Central School • Wilson Kindley Farm and Kindley Mine • Lewis-Thornburg Farm • Mount Shepherd Pottery Site • Randolph County Courthouse • Sunset Theater • Thayer Farm Site (31RD10).

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.4 square miles (40 km²), of which 15.3 square miles (40 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (0.58%) is water. Asheboro is known as the centre point of North Carolina. Although Asheboro is located in the gently rolling Piedmont plateau region of central North Carolina, far to the east of the Appalachian Mountains, the town and surrounding area are surprisingly hilly. The town lies within the Uwharrie Mountains, a series of ancient ridges and monadnocks which have been worn down by erosion to high hills. As such, Asheboro gives the impression of being in a more mountainous area than it actually is.

Economy: Top employers According to Asheboro's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city were: 1 Technimark; 2 Klaussner Furniture Industries; 3 Randolph Health 1,084

4 North Carolina Zoo; 5 Asheboro City Schools; 6 Energizer Battery; 7 City of Asheboro 330

8 DJO Global /Elastic Therapy; 9 Post Consumer Brands; 10 Bossong Hosiery.

In October 2012 Hyosung USA announced the closure of the Asheboro wire plant and loss of 310 jobs. Built by Goodyear and acquired by Hyosung in 2011, the plant makes wires for use in car and truck tires.

Black & Decker Corp was one of the main employers in the mid 1990s; one of its products, the SnakeLight, sold millions after being introduced in late 1994. The plant employed about 1,100 workers in 1998 and was one of the three biggest employers in Randolph County.

Sport • Asheboro is home to the Asheboro ZooKeepers of the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The ZooKeepers play at McCrary Park in Asheboro. The ZooKeepers began play for the 1999 season. • Caraway Speedway, a Whelen Southern Modified Tour racing location. It is.455 mile asphalt oval that has seen famous stockcar drivers Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, and Kyle Petty grace its track.

Economy: Retail Randolph Mall opened in 1982.

Transport Routes include U.S. Route 220 and Interstate 73/Interstate 74, which connect it to Greensboro, U.S. Route 64 bypasses most of Asheboro to the south, while it goes through more of the city limits as a separate business route. U.S. 64 also connects the city to Raleigh, and North Carolina Highway 49, which connects the city to Charlotte.

Asheboro Regional Airport serves general aviation traffic to and from the city. The closest airport with scheduled passenger service is Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro.

Education Asheboro City Schools operates public schools serving the city.

Fayetteville Street Christian School, located in Asheboro, is the largest private school in Randolph County.

In addition the Randolph County Schools has its headquarters in Asheboro.