| Official Name: | Vass, North Carolina |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Named For: | William Worrell Vass[1] |
| Pushpin Map: | North Carolina#USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Vass |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Coordinates: | 35.2528°N -79.2847°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | North Carolina |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Moore |
| Established Title: | Settled |
| Established Date: | Late 1800s |
| Established Title1: | Incorporated |
| Established Date1: | 1907 |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Eddie Callahan |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Total Km2: | 8.71 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 3.36 |
| Area Land Km2: | 8.66 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 3.34 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.06 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.02 |
| Elevation Ft: | 295 |
| Population Total: | 952 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Density Km2: | 109.99 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 284.86 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 28394 |
| Area Codes: | 910, 472 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 37-69840[2] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2406796 |
| Area Footnotes: | [3] |
Vass is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 720 at the 2010 census. Vass grew up along the railroad in the late 19th century. It was originally named Bynum and later Winder before being established as Vass in 1892. The town was incorporated in 1907.[4]
Vass originated as a stop on the Seaboard Railway as a station called Bynum. It was primarily a place with a siding to load lumber, turpentine and resin from the local area. In 1877, the town's name was changed from Bynum to Winder, in honor of Major John C. Winder general manager of the Seaboard Railroad. In 1892 its name was again changed to Vass, honoring Major William Worrell Vass, who was at that time paymaster for the Seaboard Railroad. Vass remained as only a stopping place for the local train until 1907, when it was incorporated with Mr. Alex Gunter as mayor.[5] During the 1910s the town took on new life and through the efforts of some great men, like Mr. Angus Cameron, and the town began to grow into a thriving community.[6]
Angus Cameron, who arrived in the settlement in the 1870s from his home in Harnett County and remained until his death in 1928 is acknowledged as the community's leading benefactor. He was on the first road commission, and was able to accomplish much in the way of better roads; he served on the Board of County Commissioners and years later, as mayor of Vass. He was on the local school board for around half a century and built the first school building.[7] Cameron erected the first brick buildings in Vass; he organized the Vass Cotton Mill Company and put up the mill building.[8]
The Leslie-Taylor House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. Several other structures are eligible for the National Historic Register including: the Borst House, the Angus Cameron House, the John Cameron House, the Walter Graham House, the Vass Commercial Historic District, the Vass Cotton Mill, the Village Historic and the Walter Leslie House.[9]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3sqmi, of which 3sqmi is land and 0.04sqmi (0.66%) is water.
As of the census of 2000, there were 750 people, 304 households, and 207 families residing in the town. The population density was 247.8sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 351 housing units at an average density of 116sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the town was 77.07% White, 17.33% African American, 1.07% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 2.13% from other races, and 2.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.53% of the population.
There were 304 households, out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $27,188, and the median income for a family was $33,250. Males had a median income of $27,292 versus $23,125 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,165. About 14.4% of families and 23.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.9% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.