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 the year 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 formed in 1849 from Orange County. Early settlers included Quakers, German farmers, and Scots-Irish immigrants.

Burlington began in the 1850s when the North Carolina Railroad needed a place to build and maintain its tracks. The railroad chose land west of Graham, and on January 29, 1856, completed the railroad connecting Goldsboro and Charlotte. The railroad then built repair shops nearby. In 1866, the village was named "Company Shops." Later, the name changed to Burlington after a contest in 1887.

In the early 1900s, Edwin M. Holt started a cotton mill along the Haw River, which grew into Burlington Industries, a major textile company. During World War II, new industries came to Burlington, bringing jobs and growth. Today, downtown Burlington remains an important part of the community with shops, services, and offices. Many historic buildings in Burlington are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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

Geography

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

The city covers a total area of 31.82 square miles (82.4 km²), with 30.27 square miles (78.4 km²) being land and 1.55 square miles (4.0 km²) being water.

Burlington has a Humid subtropical climate, which means it has warm temperatures and rain spread evenly throughout 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.

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 and have been a place where many famous players started their careers. 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 over 75 acres of fun things to do, like a carousel, a miniature train, boat and car rides, a playground, and walking trails. The park even has a special carousel that is very old and important, drawing many visitors each year. 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

According to the 2020 census, Burlington had 57,303 people living there. The average age was 38.9 years. About 23% of the residents were younger than 18, and 18% were 65 or older.

Most people in Burlington lived in urban areas, with only a tiny fraction living in rural spots.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded 49,963 people in Burlington. The city had many different groups of people, including White, African American, Native American, Asian, and others.

Many families lived together, but a good number of people lived alone or in smaller households.

2023 ACS 5-year estimates

By 2023, there were about 24,713 households in Burlington. Each household had around 2.3 people on average, and families had about 3.1 people each. The typical household earned around $73,496 each year.

Education

The schools in Burlington are part of the Alamance-Burlington School System, which came together when two school groups merged 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 and is part of the public North Carolina Community College System. It has locations in Burlington and nearby Graham. Elon University, a private university, is located close by in Elon.

Transportation

The Piedmont train from Amtrak links Burlington to cities like Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, and Greensboro in central North Carolina. The Carolinian train goes all the way to New York, stopping in places such as Richmond, Washington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. You can catch these trains at Burlington Station on North Main Street.

Burlington started its first public bus service called Link Transit on June 6, 2016. Since then, over 100,000 people have ridden the buses. There are also other travel options through the Alamance County Transportation Authority, and students from nearby Elon University can use 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 big highways: Interstate 40, Interstate 85, and U.S. Route 70.

Business

Burlington is home to many important businesses. Labcorp, a big company that does health testing, has its main office and many facilities there. It is the largest employer in Alamance County, with over 5,000 workers.

Recently, Honda Aero, a part of the Honda company, announced it will move its main office to Burlington. It plans to build a $21 million 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 also popular local restaurants like Zack's Hotdogs, which opened in 1928.

Shopping

The city has one indoor mall called the Holly Hill Mall, found where Huffman Mill Road meets Church Street (US 70). There is also an outdoor mall named Alamance Crossing that opened in 2007 near Interstate 40/85 and University Drive. Close to I-40/85 is the Burlington Outlet Village, which 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 of them 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, who starred in movies and TV shows. There are also leaders from politics, such as former Governor of North Carolina W. Kerr Scott.

Sister cities

Burlington has two sister cities. These special friends help the cities work together and learn from each other.

The sister cities are:

• Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Soledad de Graciano Sánchez, San Luis Potosí, Mexico