Wilson, North Carolina

[4] Located approximately 40 mi (64 km) east of the capital city of Raleigh, it is served by the interchange of Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 264.Wilson is a diverse community; in 2012, the US Census estimated that 48% of the population identified as African American, and 43% as Whites; the remaining 9% includes Latinos and Asians, such as Vietnamese, Chinese and Indians.In the 21st century, Wilson enjoys a diverse economy based on agriculture, manufacturing, commercial, and service businesses.The history of the city of Wilson began with a community that formed around Toisnot Primitive Baptist Church, built in the early 1800s.Wilson is served by the intersection of Interstate 95 and US 264; and it is located approximately 45 minutes by car east of Raleigh, the state capital.Bridgestone Americas operates a plant in Wilson that employs more than 1,800 people who make radial tires for cars and light trucks.Bridgestone recently completed a 6-year, $250 million renovation of the plant, which was retooled to make run-flat passenger car tires that are sold in both the US and Japan.[15] Other large employers include Wilson County Schools; Wilson Medical Center; Smithfield Packing Co., pork products; UTC Aerospace Systems (formerly Kidde Aerospace and Defense before UTC's acquisition), aircraft fire protection systems; Sandoz, generic prescription drugs; Merck Manufacturing Division, pharmaceutical drugs; and Ardagh Group, glass containers.The 55-foot (17 m) high, 45-foot (14 m) wide whirligig called "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" was installed for the museum's opening in November, 1995.Broadcast network television stations (ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX Affiliates), are based in Raleigh, North Carolina and include Wilson in their market.[19] Greenlight was formed in 2008 to provide an independent, locally owned and operated option for television, telephone and Internet broadband connectivity for Wilson residents.Since then, Greenlight has grown to provide services to more than 6,000 residential customers and businesses and the Wilson County School System.In 2013 Wilson was the first city in North Carolina to offer gigabit Internet connectivity service to its residents via a fiber optic network.[20] However, North Carolina state law has prevented the expansion of Wilson's municipal network to nearby communities that have requested connections, and that restriction was upheld in the 2016 circuit court ruling Tennessee v.