(To set up an interview, call Jessica M. Icenhour, Director of Tourism at (336) 786-6116, Ext. 3 or 800-948-0949, Ext. 3.)

LEGENDS & LANDMARKS: The fiddle belonging to Old-Time legend Tommy Jarrell is on display in the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. Native daughter Donna Fargo (born Yvonne Vaughn) sang the 1972 country hit, I’m the Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A. The original Siamese Twins, Eng and Chang Bunker, who married sisters and made their homes here, are buried in the cemetery of White Plains Baptist Church, in a community adjacent to Mount Airy. Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart was born at Laurel Hill in Ararat, Va., six miles north of Mount Airy, which is now the site of the annual Civil War Encampment and Reenactment each October. Actor Andy Samuel Griffith was born in a rented house on South Street in Mount Airy on June 1, 1926, the only child of Carl and Geneva Nunn Griffith. Mount Airy is also home to the world’s largest open-face granite quarry.

HISTORY: Mount Airy was incorporated in 1885. It is the largest of the four municipalities that make up Surry County. Mount Airy was selected as an All-America City in 1994 and ranked 36th on the list of The 100 Best Small Towns in America in 1995.

NICKNAMES: Mayberry, The Granite City, Hosiery Capitol, Small Town U.S.A.

CLIMATE: Mount Airy residents enjoy four distinct seasons, marked by warm summers and mild winters. The average annual temperature is 61 degrees F. The annual winter temperature is 46 degrees F, while the average summer temperature is 76 degrees F. The average annual rainfall is 45.5 inches, and the average annual snowfall is 10.5 inches.

DEMOGRAPHICS: Nearly 8,484 people live in Mount Airy. About 72,745 people live in Surry County.

GEOGRAPHY: Mount Airy has an average elevation of 1,100 feet. It covers 6.81 square miles. Surry County has 539 square miles. Bordering the Virginia state line, Mount Airy is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is 35 miles north west of Winston-Salem and 100 miles north of Charlotte.

INTERSTATES: Interstates 77 and 74 dissect our county providing quick passage to Charlotte and Columbia to the south, or north into Virginia and on to Ohio. Businesses can also quickly access Interstate 40, a major East Coast to West Coast route extending from Wilmington, NC to Bakersfield, CA. Interstate 85 and 81 are within 30 miles of Surry County, which allows quick access to Greenville, South Carolina and Southern Virginia.

REFERENCES: For more information about visiting the Mount Airy area, visit www.visitmayberry.com or call 1-800-948-0949.