Morrisville

Name of Location: Morrisville State: North Carolina County: Wake

Part of the Raleigh-Cary Metro Area, Morrisville is a town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. It is situated in the northeast central region of the state, where North American Piedmont and Atlantic Coastal Plain regions meet. This is an area where rolling hills slope eastward toward the state's flat coastal plain. The town was named so in honour of Jeremiah Morris who donated lands to the North Carolina Railroad.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town occupies a total area of 6.
8 square miles; all of it land. It is globally positioned at 35?49'39"N and 78?49'44"W coordinates, and is elevated at 299 ft (91 m) above sea level. It uses the area code 919, ZIP codes 27519, 27560, and it follows the Eastern Standard Time.

In the 2000 Census, the town is occupied by 5,208 people at an average population density of 769.0 people per square mile. In the total population count, there are 2,476 households, and 1,297 families. The average household size is 2.10 and the average family size is 2.80. The total population is racially distributed as follows: 76.46% Caucasian, 11.00% African American, 0.44% Native American, 9.06% Asian, 1.17% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. The age distribution of this population is as follows: 20.6% under the age of 18, 11.2% aged 18 to 24, 50.0% aged 25 to 44, 14.2% aged 45 to 64, and 4.0% aged 65 years and older. The average age is 30, and there are 100 females for every 106.5 males.

In terms of income, the average household income is $56,548 and the average income for a family is $64,625. The male income averages at $46,750 while for females it averages at $34,528. The town has a total of 3,210 housing units at an average density of 474.0 per square mile. The home value in this town averages at $211,520 and 55.25% of the population are renters. In the cost of living index, based on the US average of 100, the town is rated at 105.69. This means that cost of living here is higher than the US average. However, the unemployment rate is 8.30% while job growth is -3.00%. About 3.4% of families and 4.6% of the population live below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those below 18 years old and 13.0% of those aged 65 and over. In the next ten years, job growth is predicted to be at 25.70%.

Politically, the town adheres to bipartisan politics with 48.71% of the population registered as Democrats and 50.83% registered as Republicans. Only 0.46% remain independent. The town is under the Council-Manager form of government where voters elect a Mayor and Board of Commissioners. Currently, the town is governed by Mayor Jan Faulkner, and current Council Members include, Liz Johnson, Linda Lyons, Mark Stohlman, Mike Snyder, Pete Martin and Tom Murry.

In terms of education, the town is served by the Wake County Public School System. Elementary students attend Morrisville Elementary and Cedar Fork Elementary. High School students are accommodated by the Sterling Montessori Academy. Higher education in the town is provided by Wake Technical Community College, North Carolina Wesleyan College, and DeVry University. Public schools spend $4,994 per student. The ratio of teacher to student is one teacher for every 18 pupils.