Garner

History

Land near the town of Garner was first settled around 1751. In the 1850s, the North Carolina Railroad was built, and before the 1870s, a wood-and-water stop was established in present-day downtown Garner. The community of Garner's Station received a post office in 1878 and was incorporated in 1883, but the community had its charter repealed in 1891. In 1905, the charter was reinstated as the Town of Garner. The first mayor was J.B. Richardson, and the first aldermen were H.D. Rand, J.J. Bagwell, H. Bryan, M.C. Penny, and J.S. Buffaloe. In 1912, the telephone came to Garner. The town is off of US 70, which in 1917 became the first paved highway to be built in North Carolina. An explosion and partial roof collapse of a ConAgra Foods plant on June 9, 2009, killed four and injured some 40 workers. The Downtown Garner Historic District, Edenwood, and Meadowbrook Country Club are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.34%, is water. Garner is located entirely within Wake County. There are unincorporated areas of Wake County and Johnston County that have Garner postal addresses, including a portion of the unincorporated, but densely populated, Cleveland Community.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  59,587
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  54,599
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  47,759
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  47,122
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  42,249
• Eastern Bluebird

  Sialia sialis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  42,050
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  41,462
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  39,423

Largest nearby schools

• Enloe High
  High · Raleigh · 2,502 students · 17.5:1 ratio
• Needham Broughton High
  High · Raleigh · 2,128 students · 17.6:1 ratio
• Athens Drive High
  High · Raleigh · 2,062 students · 16.2:1 ratio
• South Garner High
  High · Garner · 1,824 students · 17.5:1 ratio
• Garner High
  High · Garner · 1,683 students · 15.9:1 ratio
• Middle Creek High
  High · Apex · 1,659 students · 17.8:1 ratio
• Southeast Raleigh High
  High · Raleigh · 1,401 students · 13.7:1 ratio
• East Garner Middle
  Middle · Garner · 1,186 students · 14.8:1 ratio