Mount airy : North carolina

The City of Mount Airy provides a full service parks and recreation department and includes the following facilities: Emily B. Taylor Greenway a 2.38 mile multipurpose trail; Riverside Park which has two picnic shelters, a lighted soccer field, a large playground facility for small children, picnic tables, outdoor basketball courts, green space, access to the Ararat River and fishing, plus restroom facilities; Westwood Park has a picnic shelter, two ball fields, walking trails that include both natural and paved surfaces, six miles of mountain bike trails, a 9 hole disc golf course, a reservoir with a  universally accessible floating pier and pedestrian bridge, a children’s playground, picnic tables, fitness stations and open green space plus woodland trails; Reeves Community Center is  a 55,000 square foot indoor facility with indoor and outdoor pools, Nautilus and free-weight areas, aerobics room, nursery, youth fitness room, basketball gym, youth camp room, bicycle spinning room, adult and youth locker rooms, racquetball courts, computer lab and classrooms. Our comprehensive Recreation Department facilitates summer camps and after school programs. Athletic programs include youth soccer, baseball, and aquatics programs as well as youth and adult basketball, volleyball and softball.    

The Surry County Scenic Bikeway and Mount Airy Loop address the needs of bicyclists. Numerous hiking trails are in close proximity as Mount Airy is twenty minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway and Pilot Mountain State Park. Stone Mountain and Hanging Rock State Parks are within forty-five minutes; Fisher River Park offers a second mountain biking opportunity nearby. As previously mentioned, Westwood Park in Mount Airy has a heavily used mountain bike trail system.

There are three local cycling events each year, Bikestock, Tour of Mayberry and the Tour Des Gaps. Running events include the 5K On the Greenway which is held during the Autumn Leaves Festival, the Mayberry Half Marathon, and the Pound the Downtown 5K. Local volunteers offer six AAU girls and boys basketball tournaments in Mount Airy which have a significant impact on our local tourism efforts. Ongoing events include Start With Your Heart downtown walking routes and Losing4Life “Biggest Loser” programs at the community center. Each year Mount Airy hosts the Mount Airy Tennis Association’s Junior Novice Tournament and Junior Open Tournaments. Both the Middle School and High School courts serve as public courts. Cross Creek County Club has a strong tennis program and both Cross Creek and Mount Airy Country Club offer golf, swimming and dining opportunities.

The City of Mount Airy has strong partnerships with the Surry County Health and Nutrition Center, the Surry Senior Center which is located in Mount Airy, the Surry Arts Council which is located in Mount Airy and the local school system to maximize all venues and resources. In 2006, Mount Airy was named one of eight FIT COMMUNITIES in North Carolina by the Health and Wellness Trust Fund. Mount Airy has recently re-applied for the class of 2009-2012 and our application is pending. Also in 2006, Mount Airy received the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Association’s Innovative Program Award for the development of the Losing4Life Program. Since its creation, thousands of participants have created healthy habits they can utilize for the rest of their lives.

Mount Airy also has a number of private athletic facilities and businesses that serve local demand.   

 

The Surry Arts Council sponsors events year round ranging from Mayberry Days to the Tommy Jarrell Festival, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and a summer arts series with multiple weekly events at the Andy Griffith Playhouse, the Downtown Cinema Theatre, and the Blackmon Amphitheatre. This year we will celebrate the 20th annual Mayberry Days that is held on the anniversary date of The Andy Griffith Show. Mount Airy is Andy Griffith's birthplace and he based Mayberry in part on many people, places, and landmarks in Mount Airy. The Tommy Jarrell Festival celebrates Surry County's old-time music icon, Tommy Jarrell and our old-time music heritage. North Carolina beach music is highlighted weekly during the summer arts series. Community theatre is ongoing and over twelve productions are hosted each year ranging from comedies to full scale musicals. There is free weekly community live family theatre, the Living Storybook, during the summer arts series that is funded in part by the Cindi and Andy Griffith Endowment. The arts council staff and board along with over 300 community volunteers work tirelessly to offer ongoing quality arts programming for all ages, year round.

The Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce sponsors the annual Autumn Leaves Festival. The Autumn Leaves Festival has its own distinctive character; the festival showcases our rich musical heritage, such as Old-Time, Blue Grass and Gospel performed by local musicians on the downtown stage. The unique arts & crafts of more than 175 craftsmen line the streets with many demonstrating their talents and skills passed down through the generations; then there is "Food for the Soul", ham biscuits, collards & cornbread, barbeque, hamburgers, ground steak and more served with hospitality by our local civic and other community groups who volunteer their time and talents to this event. The local schools, civic and service organizations are encouraged to participate in this event. Some 200,000 people attend this three (3) day festival.

On Groundhog Day, 1948 people living around Mount Airy, North Carolina tuned their radios to 740 on the AM dial. After months of anticipation and excitement, they heard the first radio station their area could call its own and WPAQ has continued a six decade mission of reflecting the cultural and musical values of the people in the station’s listening area. Live music by local musicians is still presented each Saturday on WPAQ’s Merry-Go-Round program and is broadcast before a live audience from the Surry Arts Council’s Downtown Cinema Theatre.  The Merry-Go-Round is the third-longest live-music show on radio in America. The Downtown Cinema Theatre is a cozy, vintage 1930s movie theater and seats approximately 450 people.

 

From Mayberry Days to the Sonker Festival, our events are frequent and offer something for everyone. Thousands of Andy Griffith fans flock to Mount Airy to celebrate the anniversary of The Andy Griffith Show each September during Mayberry Days. Participants enjoy meeting actors from the show. During past Mayberry Days George Lindsey, known as “Goober,” wooed fans as did Howard Morris or “Ernest T". A range of activities scheduled Thursday through Saturday keep the crowds busy with a talent show, pie eating contest, pork chop sandwich eating contest, bowling and golf tournaments, parade, concerts, and the barbecue contest. In 2004 Andy Griffith unveiled a statue dedicated by TV Land to kick off the 2004 Mayberry Days. Other guest appearances have included Thelma Lou, The Dillards and many more!! Mayberry Days will take place September 24-27, 2009. 

 

Held in the rural community of Lowgap at the Edwards-Franklin House, the Sonker Festival provides visitors with a day full of sonker eating and flat footing. A sonker is a deep-dish pie that is served in many flavors including strawberry, peach and cherry. This event will be held October 3, 2009.

Other communitywide events:

 Tommy Jarrell Old-Time Music Festival. This event takes place in February at numerous venues downtown. Please contact The Surry Arts Council at (800) 286-6193 or www.surryarts.org

April 18, 2009 British Car Show & Gathering at Shelton Vineyards. Free Admission. There will be numerous British cars on the grounds of Shelton Vineyards. There were over 200 cars on display in 2008. Come on out and enjoy viewing the Austin Healeys, Jags, MG's, Triumphs, Bentleys and others. http://www.triumphclub.org/events/index.html 

Mayfest in Downtown, Pilot Mountain. Food and craft festival. This festival is always on Mother's Day Weekend. Contact (336) 368-2248

39th Annual Mount Airy Bluegrass & Old Time Fiddler’s Convention. Veterans Memorial Park, Mount Airy. Contact: (336) 786-2236. Held the first weekend in June each year, June 5-6, 2009.

The Mount Airy Police Department is staffed with 38 full time sworn officers, 2 sworn reserve officers, 18 civilian employees and a chaplain. Each member of our department is well qualified and superbly trained. The department is structured into five divisions which include the Patrol Division, Criminal Investigations Division, Communications Division, Administrative Division, and Community Services Division. During 2008 MAPD responded to the needs of the residents on 60,293 occasions. In addition to their routine enforcement duties, our police department provides numerous services to the community including: services to promote awareness of public safety; personal safety and security; residential and  business  traffic safety; crime prevention and drug abuse awareness; media releases to promote safety and crime prevention through our newspaper, radio, television outlets; Drug Abuse Resistance Education “DARE”; Crime Stoppers; Scholastic Crime Stoppers; Community Watch; One To One Project; Business & Residential Security Assessments; Citizens Police Academy Christmas Helper; Community Kids Day; Bicycle Rodeo; Bicycle Safety –Helmet distribution program – distribution of safety information through literature and presentations; ID A Kid fingerprinting program; Eddie Eagle Gun Safety Program; Department Tours; Child Safety Seat – seat distribution, inspections, promotion of safe practices through literature and presentations; Explorer Program; RU Buckled; Click It or Ticket; Booze It and Loose It; Slow Down In Our Town; National Night Out participation; Information Booths – Autumn Leaves, Career Fairs, and other special events and Halloween Safety which includes distribution of reflective bags.

The Mount Airy Fire Department is staffed with 35 highly skilled firefighters. The Fire Department provides the highest possible I.S.O. safety certification for the City and the department’s most recent I.S.O. examination resulted in a grade of Class 3 (rated 1 to 10 with 1 being highest). This is something the City of Mount Airy is very proud of. The Fire Department currently consists of two stations with 3 engines, an aerial device, 1 brush unit, 1 utility truck and 2 command units. The Mount Airy Fire Department responds to all fire related emergencies, automobile accidents with injuries and cardiac related emergencies inside the City limits of Mount Airy. Since 1994 the Mount Airy Fire Department has responded to an average of 665 calls annually. Educating the public is a high priority within the department and they strive to provide effective, targeted and well planned programs aimed at changing attitudes and behaviors of people so that citizens are more aware of the dangers and consequences of fire and other related emergencies. The Mount Airy Fire Department conducts fire and life safety educational sessions for retirement centers, nursing homes, hospital staff, city employees, civic groups, businesses and homeowners. Our Fire Department utilizes diversified educational tools and methods including; puppets, robots, characterization and a child safety trailer equipped with weather warning equipment. Our department also serves as a check station that monitors and assists with the correct installation of child passenger safety seats. The Mount Airy Fire Department performs fire prevention inspections based on the State of North Carolina inspection schedule for all businesses located in the city limits of Mount Airy. Our department reviews plans for new and existing buildings and includes ingress and egress of buildings, and assuring that all fire suppression and related equipment is properly installed and operable.  Routine training is very important to our organization and the Fire Department schedules 9 hours of training each month for the department as a whole. Each individual shift trains extensively throughout the year. This training includes topics such as: code enforcement, fire related topics, emergency medical training, hazardous materials training, safety training, street and location training, pre-fire plan training and hydrant maintenance training. Each engine company performs a fire hose change on all apparatus quarterly and conducts a test on all our fire hose annually. The City is divided into zones and certain zones are assigned to each shift. Each engine company is also responsible for maintaining and conducting available water flow tests for the hydrants in their respective zones.

In addition to departments that are specifically tasked to provide public safety, all departments and every employee is responsible for furthering the City’s safety program. In September of 1996 the City of Mount Airy received its first Carolina Star Certification from the Department of Labor. Star Certification is a rigorous safety certification that is awarded to the premier safety programs in the United States. Mount Airy was the first municipal government to receive Star Certification in the nation and is currently one of only two in North Carolina to achieve this distinction. Participation in the Star Program requires routine collaboration with the Department of Labor, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration and each candidate must undergo a technically demanding, painstaking reevaluation every three years. Since the City uses outside contractors for numerous tasks our vendor safety policy strives to assure that any business that provides services to the City complies with the same safety standards used internally.

 

 

Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Northwestern North Carolina, Mount Airy is a small city with big city neighbors. The city is 35 miles north of Winston-Salem, 60 miles northwest of Greensboro and 100 miles north of Charlotte. The Virginia border is about 3 miles and the Blue Ridge Parkway is just 12 miles north of the city. Pilot Mountain State Park and Hanging Rock State Park are within a short drive of Mount Airy.

Mount Airy serves as the financial, retail and cultural hub of Surry County and five surrounding counties in North Carolina and Virginia. Major financial institutions, including Bank of America, RBC Centura, Wells Fargo, Branch Banking & Trust, Southern National and First Citizens serve Mount Airy and the surrounding communities.

One of only 10 chosen nationwide, Mount Airy was selected as an "All American City" in 1994. This award is reserved for communities that have demonstrated success in civic accomplishments made possible by the collaboration efforts of business, government, the volunteer sector and individuals.

With a 2009 population of 10,764, Mount Airy is the largest city in Surry County.

Retail shopping opportunities include the Mayberry Mall, an enclosed shopping center (Belk, J.C. Penny and K-Mart); numerous neighborhood shopping centers; and Downtown Mount Airy, a collection of specialty shops, service stores and offices. The Downtown area is included in the National Register of Historic Districts and features several establishments associated with "The Andy Griffith Show", including "The Snappy Lunch" and "Floyd's Barber Shop".

Mount Airy, hometown of Andy Griffith, served as the inspiration for the fictional town of Mayberry featured on the popular and endearing television series, "The Andy Griffith Show." Like its fictitious counterpart, Mount Airy is still characterized by many of the attitudes, values and qualities that endear Mayberry to so many people. Some of Mount Airy's attributes include: the sense of community, the emphasis on traditional values, the stability of social structure and the importance of courtesy.

Mount Airy City Schools are consistently ranked among the top 10 in North Carolina. Surry Community College, with 4,000 students and a nationally ranked nursing school, is located 10 miles west of Mount Airy in Dobson.

Northern Hospital of Surry County is a progressive acute-care facility with a superb medical staff. The hospital has 17 specialties including pediatrics, general surgery, orthopedics, urology, ophthalmology, obstetrics, gynecology, oncology, neurology, internal medicine, emergency medical, and cardiology and an excellent radiology department with nuclear medicine, ultrasound, on-site CT and a mobile MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). The emergency room has over 37,500 visits per year in a service area covering over 50,000 people, and over 650 babies arrive here each year. The hospital has invested $45,000,000 in expansions and renovations in the past five years.

 The Surry Arts Council provides entertainment throughout the year with performances of plays, musicals, talent shows, workshops for children and adults and the popular Mayberry Days Festival. One weekend each fall, the downtown streets are closed to automobiles for the Autumn Leaves Festival. This festival showcases crafts, talents, home-baked goods and is a modern day link to our heritage of agricultural harvest festivals. Three day attendance exceeds 200,000 guests for the festival.

Mount Airy is "Home to the World's Largest Open Face Granite Quarry". Mount Airy Granite can be seen in structures throughout the local area and across the country. The Wright Memorial at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, the beautiful ACC Building in Montgomery, Alabama, the Amoco Building in Chicago, Illinois, the Arlington Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C., the United Arab Emirates Embassy Building and the Washington DC Convention Center all contain Mount Airy granite.

Also near Mount Airy and off the Blue Ridge Parkway is Levering Orchard a pick-your-own-cherry orchard. You can still catch a movie on the big screen at Mount Airy's Bright Leaf Drive-In located on the Andy Griffith Parkway or Highway 52 North. The Bright Leaf is one of fewer than 500 drive-ins remaining in the United States.

Mount Airy is surrounded by the beautiful blue hills and lush mountain valleys in the rolling foothills along the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with balanced weather, ideal growing conditions, and ample natural resources. In addition to its natural beauty, quality of life, excellent location and strong economic base, Mount Airy also possesses a population of warm and friendly citizens. Residents of Mount Airy enjoy life in the relaxed atmosphere that has made the town famous. It combines the simplicity of yesterday with the convenience of today.

Promoting economic stability and growth in Mount Airy begins at the local level by building a strong business environment that is friendly to new start-ups and new investment. The city has invested in basic infrastructure such as high capacity electric, fiber optic, water, sewer and gas service to serve areas identified for future development. Mount Airy offers incentive grants and supports programs to enhance the skills and education of our workforce. The city owns two fully certified industrial parks that have available building lots. The city also assists with the marketing of available buildings in the area.

City government is a member of the Greater Mount Airy Chamber which champions the growth of local business and our local economy. Our Chamber has received a 3-STAR Accreditation and this prestigious honor puts them among the top 4% of Chambers nationwide. The local Chamber advocates for pro-growth and job creation policies at the local, state and federal levels. 2008 was an exciting and busy year for the Chamber and its members. During 2008 the Chamber hosted 84 special events with over 6000 Chamber members and guests in attendance! The Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce is a powerful force in our community, representing 442 business members that employ 13,000 in our region. Our Chamber is an active, community driven organization with 90 volunteers who contributed 3,200 volunteer hours in 2008 to serve on our committees as officers and directors of the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce. Chamber accomplishments are a direct result of volunteer talent, skills and dedication that make our community a better place to live, work and to do business.

Mount Airy is also a member and financial contributor of the Surry Economic Development Partnership. SCEDP is a public/private partnership and is our primary industrial recruiting and marketing organization for the area. Building a strong existing industry program and supporting entrepreneurship is one strategy that SCEDP uses to enhance growth and development. Assisting local companies with expansion efforts and supporting home-grown businesses is vital to sustaining the local economy. Mount Airy supports small business because they typically create 70-80% of new jobs in our city. SCEDP serves as vital link to the North Carolina Department of Commerce which has business relocation leads for companies that are searching statewide, nationally and internationally for expansion sites. 

SCEDP launched an enhanced website in October, 2008. The website contains data, demographics, available buildings, available industrial park property and the links that are sought by companies and consultants who are searching for new locations. There is a resource category that contains information on starting a new business. The Small Business Center at Surry Community College is a vital link for entrepreneurs and an active partner in our strategy for growth. The college provides staff experts that assist entrepreneurs in navigating the steps for setting up a business. There are also classes available at the college addressing areas such as writing a business plan, securing financing, setting up operations, marketing and other issues that face a small business.

Mount Airy is a member of the Piedmont Triad Partnership through our membership in SCEDP. PTP  works to leverage the identity, resources and future of the Piedmont Triad Region as a world-class business location. The Piedmont Triad Partnership is an award-winning, private, non-profit economic development organization and markets our 12-county region domestically and internationally.

Mount Airy employs a community developer who promotes the marketing, growth and expansion goals of the City. The CD coordinates marketing efforts with the Surry County Economic Development Partnership and interested business leads. The CD cultivates relationships with local citizens that have extended relationships with businesses outside our region who frequently help to identify future development leads. CD works with local service utilities who also identify potential business opportunities.    

 At the high school level our area received a grant to initiate a program to promote economic growth through educational opportunities for students. Volunteer business leaders speak in local classrooms and act as mentors for students interested in entrepreneurism. Project YES encourages young people to consider business ownership as a career choice. The Surry Early College High School Program is a collaborative effort between the high schools and Surry Community College. Students complete a high school diploma as well as an Associate Degree in five years. 

A decade ago, Mount Airy began to transition from an economy that was partially dependent on legacy manufacturing industries like textiles, apparel, furniture and farm products to high job growth sectors such as education and health services; trade, transportation and utilities; construction; leisure and hospitality. Manufacturing, formerly our number one employer, is still important to the local economy and is now the number three employer. Education and health services has replaced it as the number one employer. Transportation and utilities has moved from the number three employer to number two. Construction has moved from the number five employer to number four. Tourism/Leisure and Hospitality has grown substantially and now employs 9% of our workforce. In fact, the wine industry and agri-tourism have led Surry Community College to establish a regionally recognized Viticulture and Enology Department. Construction will begin in April on the North Carolina Viticulture and Enology Center at Surry Community College.

One of Mount Airy’s most significant economic development assets is our Central Business District commonly called downtown in most cities. While downtowns in many cities are suffering, our downtown currently contains 161 businesses and employs 912 individuals. Our CBD is a small business powerhouse that draws new residents, attracts tourists, encourages small business growth and provides job creation.

Mount Airy is committed to tourism growth and has a dedicated tourism development authority that markets the city. Our authority operates a visitor center located on Main Street that assists visitors seven days per week. They maintain a website http://visitmayberry.com/ that provides essential information about the area, attractions, visitor information, relocation, restaurants, lodging, activities, festivals, businesses, organizations and a calendar of events. The Mount Airy Tourism Development Authority is also a member of the Surry County Tourism Partnership and provides financial support to market Surry County. In addition, the Mount Airy Tourism Development Authority is also a member of The Cascade Highlands Tourism Partnership that markets an eight county tourism region located in North Carolina and Virginia. Finally, MATDA is also a member of http://www.visitnc.com/ which is the statewide tourism marketing organization.

 

Mount Airy is located in western North Carolina and is near both the Smokies and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Due to its elevation it is considerably cooler here than in the rest of North Carolina.