Love Valley, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
Love Valley is a town in Iredell County
, North Carolina
, United States
. The population was 90 at the 2010 census; a 2008 newspaper article in the Statesville Record & Landmark reported 117 residents.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²), all of it land.
of 2010, there were 90 people, 17 households, and 9 families residing in the town. The population density
was 450.0 people per square mile (57.9/km²). There were 31 housing units at an average density of 154.0 per square mile (59.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 100.00% White.
There were 17 households out of which 11.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples
living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.2% were non-families. 41.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.76 and the average family size was 2.20.
In the town the population was spread out with 6.7% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 20.0% from 25 to 44, 36.7% from 45 to 64, and 30.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 55 years. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $24,375, and the median income for a family was $25,313. Males had a median income of $0 versus $0 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $9,848. There were 15.4% of families and 31.0% of the population living below the poverty line, including 50.0% of under eighteens and none of those over 64.
of northwestern North Carolina. Its creation in 1954 marked the fulfillment of a dream for founder Andy Barker. Barker developed two visions as a young man—he wanted to build a Christian community, and he wanted to be a cowboy. In 1954 he combined those visions to create an authentic, Old West-style village in the hills of northwestern Iredell County. The town was chartered in 1963.
Modeled after the Old West towns seen in countless Hollywood films, Love Valley boasts a saloon, general store, hitching posts, and rodeos. Automobiles are not allowed inside the town limits; people still use horses and horse-drawn vehicles to travel in the town. A small, nondenominational Christian church sits on a hill overlooking the town, thus emphasizing Barker's vision of a Christian utopia. However, the town also garnered its share of controversy in the 1960s and 1970s; among the controversies was the "Love Valley Rock Festival", which local farmers complained brought drug addicts and other "troublemakers" to the area during the festival. However, over the last two decades the town has settled down considerably and is now known as a popular gathering spot for horse-lovers and horseback riding. There are miles of horseback riding trails in the surrounding Brushy Mountains.
Iredell County, North Carolina
Iredell County, along with Moore County in the eastern Piedmont, are among a very few counties in the United States sharing borders with nine adjacent counties.-Demographics:...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 90 at the 2010 census; a 2008 newspaper article in the Statesville Record & Landmark reported 117 residents.
Geography
Love Valley is located at 35°59′22"N 80°59′18"W (35.989376, -80.988206).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2010, there were 90 people, 17 households, and 9 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 450.0 people per square mile (57.9/km²). There were 31 housing units at an average density of 154.0 per square mile (59.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 100.00% White.
There were 17 households out of which 11.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.2% were non-families. 41.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.76 and the average family size was 2.20.
In the town the population was spread out with 6.7% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 20.0% from 25 to 44, 36.7% from 45 to 64, and 30.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 55 years. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $24,375, and the median income for a family was $25,313. Males had a median income of $0 versus $0 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $9,848. There were 15.4% of families and 31.0% of the population living below the poverty line, including 50.0% of under eighteens and none of those over 64.
History
Love Valley is a small, unique town located in a remote valley in the Brushy MountainsBrushy Mountains (North Carolina)
The Brushy Mountains are a mountain range located in northwestern North Carolina. They are an isolated "spur" of the much larger Blue Ridge Mountains, separated from them by the Yadkin River valley...
of northwestern North Carolina. Its creation in 1954 marked the fulfillment of a dream for founder Andy Barker. Barker developed two visions as a young man—he wanted to build a Christian community, and he wanted to be a cowboy. In 1954 he combined those visions to create an authentic, Old West-style village in the hills of northwestern Iredell County. The town was chartered in 1963.
Modeled after the Old West towns seen in countless Hollywood films, Love Valley boasts a saloon, general store, hitching posts, and rodeos. Automobiles are not allowed inside the town limits; people still use horses and horse-drawn vehicles to travel in the town. A small, nondenominational Christian church sits on a hill overlooking the town, thus emphasizing Barker's vision of a Christian utopia. However, the town also garnered its share of controversy in the 1960s and 1970s; among the controversies was the "Love Valley Rock Festival", which local farmers complained brought drug addicts and other "troublemakers" to the area during the festival. However, over the last two decades the town has settled down considerably and is now known as a popular gathering spot for horse-lovers and horseback riding. There are miles of horseback riding trails in the surrounding Brushy Mountains.