Spencer, North Carolina
Spencer is a town of 3,349 people in Rowan County, North Carolina, founded in 1905.
Why visit Spencer
Townapedia lists 22 museums and landmarks, 5 parks and trails, 7 places to eat and 3 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Shober Bridge, Wil-Cox Bridge, Alexander Long House and Bernhardt House.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 88°F; January lows average 29°F.
Weather in Spencer
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Spencer
Spencer is a town in Rowan County, North Carolina, United States, incorporated in 1905. As of the 2020 census, Spencer had a population of 3,308.
From the Wikipedia article Spencer, North Carolina (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do3
Wil-Cox Bridge
Bridge · 2.3 mi
Historic concrete arch pedestrian bridge
Yadkin River Veterans Memorial Bridge
Bridge · 2.2 mi
Bridge in United States of America
Museums and landmarks22
Alexander Long House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
Historic house in North Carolina, United States
Bernhardt House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.6 mi
Historic house in North Carolina, United States
Brooklyn–South Square Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.7 mi
Historic district in Salisbury, North Carolina
Community Building
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.4 mi
Community building in Salisbury, North Carolina
Ellis Street Graded School Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.4 mi
Historic district in Salisbury, North Carolina
Grimes Mill
Museum · National Register of Historic Places · 3.1 mi
Destroyed historic mill in North Carolina, US
John Steele House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.8 mi
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Rowan County, North Carolina
Kesler Manufacturing Co.-Cannon Mills Co. Plant No. 7 Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.8 mi
Historic district in North Carolina, United States
Maxwell Chambers House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.6 mi
Salisbury, North Carolina, listed on the NRHP in Rowan County, North Carolina
McNeely-Strachan House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.7 mi
Historic house in North Carolina, United States
Napoleon Bonaparte McCanless House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.3 mi
Historic house in North Carolina, United States
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North Long Street-Park Avenue Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.2 mi
Historic district in North Carolina, United States
10 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds5
Restaurants and cafes7
History
The town was named for Samuel Spencer, first president of the Southern Railway, who is credited with establishment of the railroad's mechanical Spencer Shops at the site in 1896. The site was approximately the midpoint of the railroad's mainline between Atlanta, Georgia and Washington, D.C. As the shops were being built the Southern Railway developed a town, also named Spencer, alongside the shops for worker housing. Initially, the Southern partitioned 85 acres into 500 lots. Instead of creating a traditional "company" town in which the workers rented houses Southern sold the lots to workers or businesses for $100 apiece. The deeds did contain restrictive covenants which maintained that a dwelling costing in excess of $400 and approved by a Southern appointed architect be built within a year. The Southern donated lots for religious institutions. Southern also helped establish a YMCA in the town. The community grew quickly and by 1901 had 625 residents. By the 1920s it had 4,000 residents.
The former Spencer Shops were phased out during the 1950s through 1970s and have now become the location of the North Carolina Transportation Museum.
The Alexander Long House, Southern Railway Spencer Shops, and Spencer Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
From the History section of Spencer, North Carolina on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship16
Mount Zion Baptist Church
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 3.3 mi
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses
Church · Jehovahs Witness · 1.8 mi
1760 Old Union Church Road, Salisbury
Shopping2
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries15
Map of Spencer
72 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50°F | 29°F | 3.5 in | 1.4 in |
| Feb | 54°F | 32°F | 3.0 in | 0.1 in |
| Mar | 62°F | 38°F | 4.1 in | 0.1 in |
| Apr | 72°F | 48°F | 3.7 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 78°F | 56°F | 3.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 85°F | 65°F | 4.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 88°F | 69°F | 4.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 86°F | 67°F | 3.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 80°F | 60°F | 3.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 72°F | 48°F | 3.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 61°F | 37°F | 3.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 53°F | 32°F | 3.5 in | 0.8 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Salisbury Hcn (4 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Rowan County has had 14 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2026-01-24: Severe Winter Storm (Winter Storm)
- 2024-09-28: Tropical Storm Helene (Tropical Storm)
- 2024-09-26: Hurricane Helene (Tropical Storm)
- 2024-08-06: Tropical Storm Debby (Tropical Storm)
- 2022-10-01: Hurricane Ian (Hurricane)
- 2021-03-03: Tropical Storm Eta (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Mid-Carolina Regional (Rowan County) Airport (SRW) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 7 miles away.
- East Spencer 1 mi south, about 2 min by car
- Salisbury 5 mi southwest, about 7 min by car
- Granite Quarry 6 mi south, about 10 min by car
- Southmont 9 mi southeast, about 14 min by car
- Rockwell 10 mi south, about 16 min by car
- Lexington 11 mi northeast, about 17 min by car
- China Grove 12 mi southwest, about 20 min by car
- Landis 15 mi southwest, about 23 min by car
- Cleveland 15 mi west, about 24 min by car
- Mocksville 16 mi northwest, about 26 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Spencer, North Carolina 04, Indy beetle, CC0
- Spencer town hall and former high school, Nyttend, Public domain
- Southern Railway No. 7993 hopper car at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, Spencer, NC, March 2022, David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
- Southern Railway Catawba River passenger car at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, Spencer, NC, March 2022, David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
- 1959 Divco Milk Truck at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, Spencer, NC, March 2022, David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
- Antique automobiles at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, Spencer, NC, March 2022, David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
- Thomas School bus at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, Spencer, NC, March 2022, David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
- Southern Railway No. 550555 boxcar at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, Spencer, NC, March 2022, David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
- Southern Railway No. 6900 at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, Spencer, NC, March 2022, David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
- Airplane under restoration at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, Spencer, NC, March 2022, David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
- RDG - 284 at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, Spencer, NC - May 2014, NOYB #1, CC BY 2.0
- TRR 8859 at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, Spencer, NC - May 2014, NOYB #1, CC BY 2.0
- TRR 8823 at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, Spencer, NC - May 2014, NOYB #1, CC BY 2.0
- NS 4271+LACK 664+WAB 1009 at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, Spencer, NC - May 2014, NOYB #1, CC BY 2.0
- Steam locomotives at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, Spencer, NC, March 2022, David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
- Exhibits on display at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, Spencer, NC March 2022, David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
- Exhibits on display at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, Spencer, NC, March 2022, David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
- Piedmont & Northern No. 5103 at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, Spencer, NC, March 2022, David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
- Southern Railway No. 6133 at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, Spencer, NC, March 2022, David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
- Spencer Shops roundtable at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, Spencer, NC, March 2022, David Wilson, CC BY 2.0
- East Spencer Graded School, Nyttend, Public domain
- Park Ave Salisbury NC; M&M House, Ncpappy, CC BY-SA 3.0
- John Steele House Salisbury NC, Ncpappy, CC BY-SA 3.0
- North Main at Miller, Salisbury, Nyttend, Public domain
- MountZionBaptistChurch-Salisbury-NorthCarolina, JoannaSerah, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Spencer train repair shop, Ted Abbott, CC BY-SA 2.0
- GrimesMill-Salisbury-NorthCarolina, JoannaSerah, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Salisbury (NC) station front, Mackensen, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Dr Josephus Hall Hosue Salisbury NC; on the National Register as McNeely-Strachan House, Ncpappy, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Shober Bridge, Ncpappy, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Napoleon Bonaparte McCanless House, Nyttend, Public domain
- Bernhardt House - E Innes St - Salisbury NC, Ncpappy, CC BY-SA 3.0
- RowanMuseum-CommunityBldg-SalisburyNC, JoannaSerah, CC BY-SA 3.0
- McCanless House, Confederate Ave, Salisbury NC, Ncpappy, CC BY-SA 3.0
- WSQ Maxwell Chambers House, Kharris0317, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Shaver Rental Houses, Salisbury NC, Ncpappy, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Kesler - Cannon Mill remains Salisbury NC, Ncpappy, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Henderson-Law-Office-SalisburyNC, JoannaSerah, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 140427-2007 Linwood (14095021582), Mark Clifton, CC BY-SA 2.0
- North Rowan High School entrance, JoannaSerah, CC BY-SA 3.0
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