the County:

1999 is Alamance County's Sesquicentennial and the county is celebrating its 150^th anniversary with a variety of activities throughout the year. AlamanceCounty.com's Sesquicentennial page is a good source of information about upcoming events in the area.

The first inhabitants of the area were various Siouan Indians such as Saponi, Occaneechi, Sissipahaw and Shakori. The first permanent settlers were pioneers who started coming to the area in the early 1700's from Pennsylvania. Most were either English or Irish Quakers, Scotch-Irish Presbyterian, or German Lutherans and Reformed.

Settlers' dissatisfaction with the Royal government came to a head on May 16, 1771 in a famous battle against Royal Gov. William Tryon's British militia -- The Battle of Alamance (the name given to the county at its official founding in 1849.) Nine men from each side were killed in the two-hour skirmish, but the local homesteaders were no match for Tryon's militia. Many of the locals' were wounded and prisoners executed. By July 1771, many residents had accepted the governor's pardon in exchange for alligiance to the government -- and many remained loyal to the Crown at the outbreak of the Revolution five years later. Several Revolutionary War engagements occured in Alamance County.

In the decade following the Revolution, growth was slow until the completion of the North Carolina Railroad in 1856. The railroad ran through the center of the county and the railroad's repair and maintainance shops were located two miles northwest of Graham in what became known as "Company Shops." In 1887, Company Shops was changed to Burlington, now the county's largest municipality.

The railroad gave a boost to the county's textile industry. One of the most successful textile operations was owned by the Holt family, which had 22 textile mills in Alamance County by the turn of the century. Portions of these mills were later consolidated into Burlington Industries. With the decline of the textile industry in the 1970's, Alamance County began to move toward the diversified economy it enjoys today.*
*The preceeding was excerpted from the BellSouth Yellow pages for the Alamance County area

Alamance County covers over 400 square miles. Its average annual temperature is about 60 degrees F, average rainfall is 44 inches, and average altitude is 650 feet above mean sea level. The county is located within an hour's drive of Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and the Research Triangle Park area (to the east); and Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point (to the west).

Major Communities:
The following communities are some of the major population centers in the county:

Alamance. Altamahaw. Burlington. Elon College. Gibsonville. Graham (the county seat).

Haw River. Mebane. Saxapahaw. Snow Camp. Swepsonville.

Zipcodes:
The following communities have these zipcodes assigned:

27201 Alamance. 27202 Altamahaw. 27215 Burlington. 27216 Burlington. 27217 Burlington. 27249 Gibsonville. 27215 Glen Raven.

27253 Graham. 27258 Haw River. 27302 Mebane. 27340 Saxapahaw. 27349 Snow Camp. 27359 Swepsonville.

Education:

The Alamance-Burlington School System has 18 elementary schools, 6 middle schools, 6 high schools and 1 alternative school.

A number of private schools, including Alamance Christian School, Burlington Christian Academy, Burlington Day School, and Blessed Sacrament Catholic School, can also be found in the area.

Higher education is served by Elon College, a 4-year liberal arts college and by the Alamance Community College System, which provides majors in many fields as well as vocational training.

Burlington-Alamance County Convention & Visitors Bureau:

If you are interested in visiting our neck of the woods in North Carolina, you can contact the Burlington-Alamance County Convention and Visitors Bureau at 336-570-1444 or 1-800-637-3804 or email info@burlington-area-nc.com for useful information and guides for our area.

Our Government:

Alamance County is governed by a commissioner-manager system consisting of a commission of 5 members elected for 4-year terms. The elections are staggered in 2-year intervals, with 3 of the commission members facing election one time and the remaining 2 running the alternate term. The current list of government officials, maintained by the Secretary of State's office, is HERE as well as other information about our state government. You can also visit the homepage for the Alamance County Government at www.alamance-nc.com

Transportation:

Alamance County is served by Interstate-40 and Interstate-85 as well as US-70 and NC routes 49, 54, 61, 62, 87, 100, and 119. Southern Railway provides rail-freight service. Burlington has a municipal airport with a 5,000 ft runway to serve commercial and private air traffic. Carolina Trailways has a bus station in Burlington, and AMTRAK has a terminal there also. Alamance County is 3/4 hour away from both RDU (Raleigh-Durham) International Airport and Piedmont Triad Airport (Greensboro).

Chamber of Commerce:

The Alamance County Area Chamber of Commerce is located at 610 S. Lexington Ave. in Downtown Burlington and can be reached at 910-228-1338 or emailed at chamber@netpath.net.

Sports:

Since 1986, the Burlington Indians baseball team, a Class A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, has called Burlington home. As a member of the Appalachian League, the Indians play their home games at Burlington Atheletic Stadium, located at 1450 Graham St in Burlington. The season lasts from June - August. Tickets and information are available by calling (336) 222-0223.

The Elon College "Fighting Christians" teams compete in 14 intercolligiate sports in NCAA Div I (I-AA in Football), and is a member of the Big South Conference.

NASCAR Winston Racing Series events are held at the 4/10-mile asphalt track at Ace Speedway, located approximately 6 miles north of Burlington on Hwy 87 in Altamahaw. Racing divisions include Late Model, Modifieds, Super-Stock, Mini Stock and Chargers.

Golf is always popular with one of the county's eleven area golf courses including:

Arrowhead Challenge at Hideaway Farms Indian Valley Golf Course Shamrock Shillelagh

Sourwood Forrest Southwick Stoney Creek Quarry Hills (Private) Alamance Country Club (Private)

Parks and Recreation:
The Burlington-Alamance County area offers a wide variety of Public Parks and Recreation facilities including:

Broad Street Gym City Lake Burlington City Park Cedarock Park Joe C. Davidson Park Dothan Park Elmira Park Eva Barker Park Fairchild Community Center Forrest Hills Park Glen Raven Park Graham Activities Center Graham Municipal Park Graham Recreation Center

Guilford Park and Marina Indian Valley Golf Course Lake Cammack Lake Machintosh Park Mebane Arts & Community Center & Atheletic Complex Morgan Place Park North Park Northwestern Park Petersburg Park Robinson Park Southern Neighborhood Park Town & Country Nature Park Willowbrook Park

Points of Interest:

Alamance County has many areas of interest. The county itself is a wonderful mix of urban and rural areas, with quaint farms and wooded areas within minutes of the major communities.

• Alamance Battleground State Historic Site is located on NC route 62 south of Burlington and Alamance Community. This site commemorates the famous pre-revolutionary battle between the Regulators and the English during 1771. The field of battle has been preserved and visitors may view a presntation shown in the visitor's center. There is also an authentic log cabin (constructed circa 1780) on the grounds.
  
  
• Alamance County Courthouse located in the center of Graham's downtown commercial district was originally constructed of brick in 1849, but was replaced by the current three-story stone structure in 1924.
  
  
• Historical Museum is located on NC route 62 south of Burlington, near to the Alamance Battleground. It is housed in a two-story structure wich was originally the home of the textile pioneer, E. M. Holt. The structure has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Exhibits included authenitic furniture of the Civil War era and other displays demonstrating the heritage of the county. The second floor is devoted to rotating and temporary exhibits dealing with aspects of local history, including quilts, Native American artifacts, pottery, antique clothing, antique toys and 19^th Century military artifacts.
  
  
• Burlington City Park and Dentzel Carousel - The carousel is a recently fully restored turn-of-the-century piece with 46 authentic hand-carved animals and is the centerpiece of the 76-acre City Park in Burlington. It was originally constructed between 1906 and 1910 by the Dentzel Carousel Company of Germantown, PA. and then purchased by the City of Burlington in 1948. It is one of only 12 remaining Dentzel Menagerie carousels in the United States
  
  
• Cedarock Park and Historical Farm is a 414 acre park which is located on NC route 49, approximately 6 miles south of Burlington. This park is owned and administered by the County, and offers nature studies, various trail systems, fishing, family picnic areas, disc golf courses, volleyball, basketball and horseshoe courts, a rope obstacle course, camping and several open areas. There is also a historical farm dating back to the 1830's, which features a kitchen with an open fireplace, one of the area's first post offices (established in 1870), an Antique Farm Equipment Museum, a corn crib and farm animals.
  
  
• The Burlington Manufacturer's Outlet Center (located off of I-40/85 at NC route 49) is a major attraction for tourists from all over the United States. Thousands of tourists, literally busloads) each year venture to Burlington, North Carolina to shop for bargains in an Outlet setting. The outlets contain 75+ stores selling everything from textile products, jewelry, sporting goods, clothing and shoes.
  
  
• Glencoe Mill Village is the remainder of the Glencoe Cotton Mill and its surrounding tenement community, which was built in the early 1880's. The 105 acres of the village is currently being restored, and it is being considered for National Historical Landmark status.
  
  
• Battle of Clapp's Mill Marker - Commemorating the March 2, 1781 Revolutionary War Battle with eight bronze plaques seated in granite in a circle around a replica grist stone. This battle took place just two weeks prior to the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.
  
  
• Historic Snow Camp includes several historic landmarks, seasonal activities and an amphitheater. Each summer, two dramatic historical plays are performed by a cast of local actors and actresses. The first is a prtrayal of the American Revolution and the struggle of the Quakers called "The Sword of Peace". The second tells the story of the Quakers who assisted the fugitives of the Underground Railroad before the Civil War. Snow Camp is also home to the Nationally known semi-annual "Bass Mountain Music Festival" featuring many of the top performers in Bluegrass music today. The Festivals are held each Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.