Pittsboro, North Carolina
| Pittsboro, North Carolina | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
Hillsboro Street in downtown Pittsboro
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| Nickname(s): Circle City | |
 Location of Pittsboro, North Carolina |
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| Coordinates: 35°43′13″N 79°10′35″W / 35.72028°N 79.17639°WCoordinates: 35°43′13″N 79°10′35″W / 35.72028°N 79.17639°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Chatham |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.2 sq mi (10.8 km2) |
| • Land | 4.1 sq mi (10.7 km2) |
| • Water | 0.04 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 394 ft (120 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 3,743 |
| • Density | 905/sq mi (349.3/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 27228, 27312 |
| Area code(s) | 919 |
| FIPS code | 37-52660 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1021992 |
| Website | pittsboronc |
Pittsboro is a town in Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,743 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chatham County.
Pittsboro was established as a town in 1785. The Chatham County Court House stood on land belonging to Mial Scurlock; however, in 1787, the legislature declared that a town could not be established on Scurlock's land. The town's trustees instead purchased adjacent land belonging to William Petty and laid out the town. That same year, Pittsboro was officially named the county seat. Although Chatham County is named for William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, Pittsboro is named for his son, William Pitt the Younger.
Pittsboro was once considered as a potential site for both the University of North Carolina and the state capitol. The university was eventually sited in Chapel Hill, while the state capitol was located 34 miles (55 km) to the east of Pittsboro, in Raleigh.
Some citizens of Pittsboro have revitalized a local form of currency called the PLENTY. It was created in 2002. In 2009, it was being exchanged at a local bank at the rate of $9 for every $10 of PLENTY. The currency failed to gain traction during both releases.
On March 25, 2010, the Chatham County Courthouse (pictured above), while undergoing a $415,000 exterior renovation, caught fire. Smoke was first reported in the area around 4:15 p.m.; the fire was dispatched to the Pittsboro Fire Department around 4:45 p.m. By 5 p.m., smoke was reported to be rising from out of the clock tower, which was surrounded by scaffolds. The building was evacuated safely.
The building suffered severe damage to the clock tower and the third floor. It was reported that the fire had destroyed all the computers and records, but that there are offsite copies and the information should be recoverable.
On March 26, 2010, at approximately 1:30 a.m., the clock tower collapsed onto the main building, but the building as whole was only damaged on the second floor, and only had water and smoke damage throughout the rest of the building. Overall 11 fire departments participated in the fire efforts.
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