HOA Management in Davidson, NC

Davidson is a town located in Mecklenburg County

As the home of Davidson College, the village of Davidson routinely ranks as one of the nation’s top small college towns.

William Douglas is proud to offer HOA Management and Association Management services in Davidson, NC.

With the campus’ classical architecture influencing Davidson’s picture-perfect downtown, which is only steps away from Lake Norman, Davidson’s appeal is readily available. As local property management experts, we know Davidson as well as its residents. William Douglas offers wide-ranging experience in the lakeside communities of northern Mecklenburg counties, and we can help your HOA match reality with expectation.

Davidson Information

Within Mecklenburg County, Davidson is the most northern municipality within the county. Davidson abuts Lake Norman on the west and the Town of Cornelius on the south. 

About the Town of Davidson and the Surrounding Area

Around the world, since the beginning of time, most cities and towns have existed because they are next to ports, ancient trading roads, mines, waterways, and in the 1800s, the railroads. However, there are not a great many communities established solely based on an institution of higher learning. The Concord Presbytery purchased 469 acres of land from William Lee Davidson II to establish Davidson College. William Lee Davidson II (1781 – 1862) was the son of American Revolutionary War General William Lee Davidson (1746 – 1781), and Davidson College is named in honor of his father, General Davidson.  

Brigadier General William Lee Davidson

General Davidson was killed at the Battle of Cowan’s Ford in present-day Huntersville, NC, just a short drive south from Davidson. General Davidson was tasked with covering the retreat of Major General Nathanael Greene’s forces that were advancing north towards Salisbury. Greene’s forces were evading contact with Lord Cornwallis’ forces. 

Davidson was in command of around 800 militiamen and began to spread his force out to the various two fords that comprised Cowan’s Ford and the fords up and downriver. As Cornwallis’ men crossed the ford, a detachment of General Davidson’s men engaged Cornwallis’ force. Davidson’s men were initially firing their weapons effectively, reportedly wounding thirty-six. Four British soldiers were killed; however, it was reported that these four drowned. Davidson’s militia began to panic and retreat at the sign of the British forces forming up, returning fire, and the cannons shelling their positions. General Davidson, hearing of his forces disintegrating, arrived and attempted to rally his men. General Davidson made an easy target being mounted in the early morning light for the British muskets and was shot dead from his horse. General Davidson’s body was found on the east shore of Cowan’s Ford. His body had been stripped naked of uniform and possessions by the British soldiers.

Davidson College

Davidson College came before the Davidson community, and the community itself was known as Davidson College for many years. Davidson College was founded in 1837.  Davidson College’s first graduating class was in 1840. Davidson admission rates are highly selective at under 20% of those that apply. In 2007, all students who can demonstrate need receive grants, student employment, and parental contribution. 

The Town of Davidson

Davidson College obviously heavily influenced the development of the community. However, the arrival of the Atlantic, Tennessee & Ohio Railroad in 1861 changed everything for the community. At that time, the rail line only reached from Charlotte to Davidson College, but by March of 1863, it had reached Statesville. Shortly after reaching Statesville, the rail lines were taken up because of the American Civil War to use elsewhere. The rail line eventually did get re-laid and reopened in 1871.

As with all cities and towns that developed around railroad stops in the 1800s, they were major economic drivers. These railroad stops opened up new markets for farmers and businessmen. Farmers could produce more profitable crops because shipping was more efficient and cost-effective. Businessmen could start enterprises such as textile mills, receive the raw cotton by train and ship their products to other markets by train.   

The first textile mill in Davidson was the Linden Cotton Factory. It was constructed on Depot Street in 1890. The Delburg Cotton Mills was completed in October of 1908 near the Linden Cotton Factory. The Delburg Cotton Mills had 4,000 spindles in operation. 

Davidson, in the mid-1850s, was a center of cotton sales for area cotton farmers and cotton brokers. Farmers from Iredell and Lincoln counties would bring their products to market in Davidson. The nearby town of Cornelius was founded on a dispute between cotton brokers and the weighing of cotton with the Town of Davidson. In the early 1900s, two thousand bales of cotton were brokered and sold in Davidson annually.

As can be seen, by the United States Census data above, the population of Davidson grew rapidly with the advent of the train and textiles in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Businesses developed along Main Street that ran parallel to the rail line in the back and the college in front. These businesses serviced the textile workers, the cotton farmers, and the college students.  

Textiles and farming began to decline in the Davidson area in the 1940s and 1950s. The growth of the college and Lake Norman being completed in the 1960s transformed Davidson into more of a traditional college town. When Interstate 77 was completed in the 1970s, it turned Davidson into a bedroom community for Charlotte around 23 miles south.

The Town of Davidson is calculated as being within the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia Metropolitan Statistical Area or MSA. Metropolitan Statistical Areas are established by the United States Office of Management and Budget or OMB. A Metropolitan Statistical Area or MSA is an urban area with at least a population of 50,000. A Metropolitan Statistical Area must comprise at least one urbanized area. The general objective of determining Metropolitan Statistical Areas is to combine related areas, typically counties and cities, into specified geographic areas to calculate population and to compile statistical data related to that population. 

The counties that comprise the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia Metropolitan Statistical Area, In North Carolina; Anson: Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, and Union counties. In South Carolina: Chester, Lancaster, and York counties. The Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia Metropolitan Statistical Area population was 2,660,329 as of the 2020 U.S. Census. This was a population increase of 416,369 from the 2010 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia Metropolitan Statistical Area U.S. Census, totaling 2,243,960. Considering the population, Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia Metropolitan Statistical Area is the 23rd largest in the United States and the largest within North Carolina and South Carolina.

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