Established in 1905, the Town of Cornelius originated as a mill and farm community. With the closing of the mills, the damming of the Catawba River, the development of I-77 and the growth of the Town as a result of its close proximity to Charlotte, the Cornelius has experienced significant growth in recent years.
Lake Norman:
- Created in 1963 by damming the Catawba River
- 520 miles of total shoreline
- Supplies both electricity & water to the Town
- 2007 population 22,950
- The size of Cornelius is approximately 15 square miles
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,969 people, 5,113 households, and 3,374 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,415.5 people per square mile (546.2/km²). There were 5,716 housing units at an average density of 676.0/sq mi (260.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.65% White, 5.62% African American, 0.21% Native American, 1.24% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.79% of the population.
There were 5,113 households out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 36.7% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 102.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $71,259, and the median income for a family was $89,945. Males had a median income of $60,514 versus $39,489 for females. The per capita income for the town was $45,023. About 3.6% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.