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The story
History
The area was originally named in 1852 after Jeremiah Morris. Morris donated land to the North Carolina Railroad for a depot, water tower, and other buildings. The town continued to grow as a result of the rail line and its location at the intersection of roads leading to Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Hillsborough.
On April 13, 1865, in the Battle of Morrisville, United States cavalry under the command of Gen. Judson Kilpatrick skirmished with the retreating Confederate armies at Morrisville Station. The Confederate troops were successful in evacuating their remaining supplies and wounded to the west toward Greensboro, but Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman's cavalry forced the Confederates to leave the train behind and retreat toward Durham and the eventual surrender of the largest Confederate force of the war at Bennett Place.
The town was officially chartered in 1875 but was disincorporated in 1933. Eventually the town charter was restored in 1947.
Morrisville History (as listed on historical marker):
Morrisville Station: "On April 16, 1865, Union cavalry under the command of General William T. Sherman, captured Raleigh and pursued the retreating Confederate cavalry west along the railroad. Rearguard skirmishes erupted at points along the Hillsborough Road until the combatants reached Morrisville. Using cavalry and artillery, Union forces attacked a Confederate train loaded with supplies and wounded. Before withdrawing, the Confederate cavalry repelled the attack long enough to allow the railcars of wounded to escape while abandoning the supplies. This was the last major cavalry engagement in Sherman's campaign. The next night, a courier from the Confederate commander, General Joseph E. Johnston, rode into the Union camp at Morrisville with a truce proposal. Subsequent negotiations between Johnston and Sherman led to the largest Confederate surrender of the Civil War at the Bennett Farm in Durham on April 26."
The history marker notes it was given in memory of Commissioner C.T. Moore.
On December 13, 1994, Flagship Airlines Flight 3379 crashed in Morrisville, killing 15 of the 20 people on board.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Morrisville had a population of 29,630. The median age was 33.9 years. 27.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 7.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.8 males age 18 and over.
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100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 11,104 households and 6,781 families in Morrisville. Of all households, 44.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 55.8% were married-couple households, 17.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 11,757 housing units, of which 5.6% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.6%.
2010 census
As of the 2010 census there were 18,576 people, 7,641 households, and 4,752 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,237.7 inhabitants per square mile (864.0/km2). There were 8,357 housing units at an average density of 1,006.9 units per square mile (388.8 units/km2). Known as North Carolina's "little India" by locals, Morrisville has become one of the most diverse towns in the state particularly due to the expansion of the technology industry. The racial makeup of the town was 54.0% White, 12.9% African American, 0.4% Native American, 27.2% Asian, 2.0% from some other race, and 3.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.9% of the population.
There were 7,641 households, out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them. 50.3% of all households were headed by married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43, and the average family size was 3.11.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 44.4% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 4.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.
Parks and recreation
Morrisville is home to eight parks, two community centers, four greenways and a fitness center. Morrisville has several youth sports groups, such as youth basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, and cricket.
From Wikipedia’s article on Morrisville, North Carolina, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4