Hope Mills, North Carolina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hope Mills, North Carolina
Town
Street in Hope Mills
Motto(s):  "Where Families Live and Grow"
Location in Cumberland County and the state of North Carolina.
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Cumberland
Area
• Total	7.48 sq mi (19.37 km2)
• Land	7.39 sq mi (19.14 km2)
• Water	0.09 sq mi (0.23 km2)
Elevation	108 ft (33 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	15,176
• Estimate  (2019)	15,849
• Density	2,144.95/sq mi (828.13/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP code	28348
Area code(s)	910
FIPS code	37-32640
GNIS feature ID	0987040

Hope Mills is a town in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 15,176 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Hope Mills is located in western Cumberland County at 34°58′14″N 78°57′24″W / 34.97056°N 78.95667°W / 34.97056; -78.95667 (34.970679, -78.956603), south of Fayetteville, the county seat. The town center is next to a dam on Little Rockfish Creek, forming Hope Mills Lake. Little Rockfish Creek flows southeast to Rockfish Creek, a tributary of the Cape Fear River.

North Carolina Highway 59 (Main Street) runs through the center of the town, leading north 5 miles (8 km) to U.S. Route 401 in western Fayetteville, and south 2.5 miles (4.0 km) to Interstate 95 at Exit 41. Several pieces of land around Exit 41 are within the town limits although not connected to the town center.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 7.0 square miles (18.2 km²), of which 6.9 square miles (18.0 km²) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.2 km²), or 1.40%, is water, including Hope Mills Lake.

History

Chartered in 1891, Hope Mills can trace its beginning back to 1766, when due to the wealth of natural water power and the abundance of timber, a lumber camp, saw mill, grist mill and pottery business were established. In 1839, construction of the first cotton mill powered by the Hope Mills Dam was completed and was the beginning of a new era for the town. Much of the heritage and the town's name itself can be attributed to the cotton milling industry that followed.

Before it was known as Hope Mills, the area was known as Little Rockfish Village and as Hope Mills Number One.

The local cotton mill and many other buildings were burned by General Sherman's troops during the Civil War.

The Big Rockfish Presbyterian Church and Hope Mills Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Today

While the town is small, it offers its residents a full variety of services and recreation. There are public parks and recreational facilities located throughout the town. These facilities provide a wide range of activities from walking trails to tennis courts. Hope Mills has its own police and fire departments and is only minutes away from four major hospitals. The new county library provides a number of special services including summer reading programs and public meeting rooms. Five shopping centers, the historic downtown district, a post office, two medical clinics, five elementary schools Baldwin Elementary, Rockfish Elementary, Collier Elementary Cashwell Elementary, two middle schools South View Middle and Hope Mills Middle, two high schools South View High and Gray's Creek High and more than twenty churches round out a community in which to raise a family and enjoy life.

Hope Mills Lake, January 2009, after a rare snowfall

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 17,808 people, 5,759 households, and 3,834 families residing in the town.

Notable person

• Cal Koonce, Major League Baseball pitcher

See also

In Spanish: Hope Mills (Carolina del Norte) para niños