Hotel Directory > United States Hotels > North Carolina Hotels > Mount Airy, NC Hotels

This is the current conditions weather report for Mount Airy. The report was made 49 minutes ago, at 03:15 UTC. The wind was blowing at a speed of 6 miles per hour / 9.3 kilometers per hour from the westnorthwest (290°). The temperature was 32°F / 0°C, with a dew-point at 32°F / 0°C. The temperature felt like 27°F / -3°C. The atmospheric pressure was 30.15 inHg / 1022 hPa. The relative humidity was 40%. The skies were clear.

Mount Airy is a city in Surry County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,484.

Mount Airy is located at 36.500756, -80.609311, along the Ararat River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.7 km² (8.4 mi²), all land.

Mount Airy's nickname, "The Granite City", derives from its most prominent natural feature, the nearby granite quarry located on the outskirts of the city in the neighborhood of Flat Rock. The quarry, mined continuously since 1889, is the largest open-face granite quarry in the world and is operated by the North Carolina Granite Corporation.

Mount Airy was the birthplace and childhood home of American actor Andy Griffith, and the inspiration for the fictional community Mayberry, the setting of The Andy Griffith Show and its sequel, Mayberry RFD. Although Griffith himself often denied the connection, several locations and names mentioned in both shows reflect real places and people in or near Mount Airy, including Mount Pilot (nearby Pilot Mountain and the town named for it) and Snappy Lunch, a restaurant which still operates in the city's downtown area and is famous for its pork chop sandwich. The community holds an annual "Mayberry Days" celebration during the last weekend of September; the celebration regularly attracts thousands of visitors from around the world.

The great majority of Mount Airy's residents normally take pride in the Mayberry theme, but some others are embarrassed by the association. Some citizens would prefer to see Mount Airy disassociate itself from the Mayberry link and market its own rich heritage. In any case, Mount Airy itself looks nothing like the fictional Mayberry, as The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry RFD were filmed entirely in Hollywood, California, on the RKO Pictures backlot called "Forty Acres".

Contribute Mount Airy Tourist Info.
Expand Window | Collapse Window