Kannapolis, North Carolina
| Kannapolis, North Carolina | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Kannapolis Downtown
|
|
 Location of Kannapolis, North Carolina |
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| Coordinates: 35°29′14″N 80°37′18″W / 35.48722°N 80.62167°W | |
| Country |
 United States
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| State | North Carolina |
| Counties | Cabarrus and Rowan |
| Founded | 1906 |
| Incorporated | 1984 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council - Manager |
| • Mayor | M. Darrell Hinnant |
| Area | |
| • Total | 32.54 sq mi (84.28 km2) |
| • Land | 31.94 sq mi (82.73 km2) |
| • Water | 0.60 sq mi (1.56 km2) |
| Elevation | 780 ft (237.74 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 42,625 |
| • Density | 1,335/sq mi (515.3/km2) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 28081, 28082, 28083 |
| Area code(s) | 704, 980 |
| FIPS code | 37-35200 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1021013 |
| Website | kannapolisnc |
Kannapolis (Kŭh-nă-pŭh-lŭs) is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte and is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The city of Kannapolis was incorporated in 1984. The population was 42,625 at the 2010 census, which makes Kannapolis the 20th largest city in North Carolina. It is the home of the Kannapolis Intimidators, the Class A baseball affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, and it is the hometown of the Earnhardt racing family. The center of the city is home to the North Carolina Research Campus, a public-private venture that focuses on food, nutrition, and biotech research.
Early meaning and usage of the city's name was a direct reference to Cannon Mills Corporation, or James William Cannon himself. Early published name variations include "Cannon-opolis" and "Cannapolis". A widely accepted origin of the word "Kannapolis" comes from the combination of the Greek words kanna (reeds, not looms) and polis (city), which some believed meant "City of Looms". Dr. Gary Freeze, Catawba College history and politics department chairman, said a Concord newspaper used the name "Cannon City" in 1906. After mill workers or newspapers called the town "Cannapolis", J.W. Cannon asked Cabarrus County commissioners to give the town the name, but starting with a "K". Kannapolis historian Norris Dearmon said the K might have been to distinguish the town from his Concord mill village. Since, Freeze said, "Jim Cannon didn't study Greek," Cannon did not name the town "city of looms".In 1906 J.W. Cannon purchased the land that later became Kannapolis, and acquired a total of 1008 acres in Cabarrus and Rowan Counties. Approximately 808 of those acres of farmland, purchased along the historic wagon road between Salisbury and Charlotte, became the location of the new textile mill, Cannon Manufacturing. Cannon Manufacturing began production in 1908. In 1914 Cannon Manufacturing became known as the world’s largest producer of sheets and towels. Shortly after, Mr. Cannon opened plants in Rowan County, Concord and in South Carolina totaling 20,000 workers. Mill founder J.W. Cannon’s youngest son, Charles A. Cannon, consolidated all the separate mills into the giant Cannon Mills Company in 1928.
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