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Kannapolis Home Inspection and News

Kannapolis Home Inspection and News

This town of 40,000 residents in both Cabarrus and Rowan Counties east of Mecklenburg was mostly farmland with a half-dozen churches, schools, and busi­nesses until the early 1900s. In 1906 James W. Cannon bought a large farm, built Cannon Mills, and developed the town around the mill, His son, Charles, brought the mill to prominence as the world's largest producer of household textiles—towels, sheets, and bedding. A village of mill workers rented homes at low rates from the Cannon family.  


The Cannons also gave scholarships to children of mill employees and offered jobs to local high school graduates. Can­non Mills was sold in 1982, merged with Fieldcrest Mills to become Fieldcrest Can­non in 1985, and was bought by Pillowtex in 1997. In 2003 the company went bank­rupt and folded, laying off around 4,800 workers.
Today, Kannapoiis is embracing a new industry—biotechnology. The former Cannon Mills is being redeveloped into the NC Research Campus, a joint venture between Dole Foods, Duke University, and the UNC system. Plans include insti­tutes for nutrition and fruit and veg­etable science, a science boarding school for girls, a fermentation facility, an incu­bator for start-up firms, and extensive laboratories.
Still, remnants of the textile era remain. Cannon Village is a colonial-style shopping center built in the original mill village around the factory. The area received a $20-million redevelopment facelift in the mid-1980s and features tree-lined streets, brick walkways, park benches, and lovely landscaping. Spe­cialty shops, outlets, boutiques, and restaurants now line the streets of Can­non Village, which puts on a special dis­play during the holidays. After the 2001 death of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, a native of the area, a 2,000-square-foot Tribute Center in his honor was started at Cannon Village. The center includes a bronze sculpture of the racing great, as well as changing exhibits such as paint­ings of Earnhardt's career highlights by motor-sports artist Sam Bass.
Other recent improvements in Kan­napolis include a $4-million YMCA, a new senior center, a public library, a new indus­trial business park on Highway 73, and a pro baseball stadium for the Class A Kan­napolis Intimidators.

Kannapolis Home Inspector and News