1874Government
Since its incorporation in 1874, Sanford has been an active railroad and industrial center, known as one of the nation's largest producers of brick and pottery products.
1907Culture
Sanford is located in Lee County, North Carolina, which was formed from parts of the surrounding three counties in 1907.
1930History
== Media ==
=== Newspapers ===
The city's newspaper of record is The Sanford Herald, which has published continuously since 1930.
1941Sports
For seven seasons, 1941–42 and 1946–50, Sanford fielded a professional minor league baseball team.
1946Military
After the war, a new Spinners team was a member of the Class D level Tobacco State League from 1946 to 1950.
1947History
In 1947 Sanford had grown to such an extent that it eventually merged with Jonesboro.
1959Government
In 1959, Sanford produced 10 percent of the bricks in the United States and was named "Brick Capital of the USA".
2000Architecture
The airport opened in 2000, replacing the Sanford Lee County Brick Field, and provides both recreational and corporate services.
2004Economy
== External links ==
Official website
Sanford Area Chamber of Commerce Archived April 4, 2004, at the Wayback Machine
Geographic data related to Sanford, North Carolina at Ope...
2005Education
Southern Lee High School and Lee Early College both opened during the 2005-2006 school year.
2006History
Sanford produces textiles, and a Wyeth vaccine facility became the area's largest employer in 2006.
2008Education
SanLee Middle School opened in the 2008-2009 school year.
2009History
=== 2009 ===
As of the census of 2009, there were 29,922 people, which was a 28.9% increase from 2000.
2011Disaster
On April 16, 2011, a large tornado ripped through Sanford, demolishing a Lowe's hardware store and a warehouse, and destroying multiple mobile homes and buildings before moving ...
2014Government
On October 21, 2014, Sanford established a formal sister city relationship with Yixing, China.
2019Government
On October 5, 2019, Sanford established a formal sister city relationship with Atizapan de Zaragoza, Mexico.
2020History
== Demographics ==
=== 2020 census ===
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 30,261 people, 10,418 households, and 6,723 families residing in the city.