Wendell ( ) is a town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. It is a satellite town of Raleigh, the state capital. The population was 9,793 at the 2020 census and estimated at 16,845 as of July 2024.
Incorporated in 1903, Wendell was settled in the 1850s, when farmers in Granville County were victims of a blight that came to be known as the Granville County Wilt. Their tobacco crops failed, and they chose to move to a new location with more fertile land for their crops.
As settlement increased, a small village took form. The villagers asked the local schoolteacher, M.A. Griffin, to choose a name. Griffin suggested they call it Wendell, in honor of his favorite poet, Oliver Wendell Holmes. However, the townspeople pronounce each syllable with equal emphasis, not as the poet's middle name is said. The Town seal was adopted on April 4, 1963.
The first post office was built in 1891, and has been restored by the Wendell Historical Society. The oldest institution in Wendell is Hephzibah Baptist Church, founded in 1809. The first newspaper was the Wendell Clarion, founded in 1911, which was succeeded by the Gold Leaf Farmer and currently the Eastern Wake News.
Wendell has four buildings and two districts that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These are the Dr. Thomas H. Avera House, Harmony Plantation, Riley Hill School, Sunnyside, Wendell Boulevard Historic District, and the Wendell Commercial Historic District.
In the 2020s, the town began experiencing a population surge due to proximity to Raleigh and increased demand for housing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This growth has led to numerous infrastructure and municipal projects, private developments and expansion of services across Wendell to keep up with the influx of people. The town was the fastest growing municipality in North Carolina in 2023 and one of the fastest in the United States.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.
Wendell is located in the northeast-central region of North Carolina, where the Piedmont and Atlantic Coastal Plain regions meet. This area is known as the "Fall Line" because it marks the elevation inland at which rapids and small waterfalls begin to appear in creeks and rivers. Its central Piedmont location situates Wendell approximately two hours (via car) north of Wilmington, two hours south of Richmond, two and a half hours west of Atlantic Beach and Nags Head and four hours east of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Adjacent to Wendell is the Lizard Lick community, which has a Wendell zip code and addresses and became notable for the Lizard Lick Towing reality series.
Wendell enjoys a moderate subtropical climate, with moderate temperatures in the spring, fall, and winter. Summers are typically hot with high humidity. Winter highs generally range in the low 50sðF (10 to 13.2ðC) with lows in the low-to-mid 30sðF (-2 to 2 ðC), although an occasional 60 ðF (15 ðC) or warmer winter day is not uncommon. Spring and fall days usually reach the low-to-mid 70sðF (low 20sðC), with lows at night in the lower 50sðF (10 to 14 ðC). Summer daytime highs often reach the upper 80s to low 90sðF (29 to 35 ðC). The rainiest months are July and August.
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,793 people, 2,686 households, and 1,941 families residing in the town. The July 2024 estimate placed Wendell at approximately 16,845 people, a 72% increase from 2020.
As of the census of 2010, there were 5,845 people and 2,430 housing units. The population density was 1123.2 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 58.1% White, 30.2% African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.9% Japanese, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 3.20% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.5% of the population.
As of the 2010 census, there were 2430 housing units, with 40% of units built before 1980. Of the 2010 population, 55% were married. 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 11.6% were persons 65 years or older, 29% were between the ages of 25âÂÂ44, and 30% were between the ages of 0âÂÂ19. The median age in 2010 was 35. The average household size was 2.12.
The median family income for a household in the town was $47,908, The per capita income for the town was $26,556. About 17.3% of the population was below the poverty line.
The town is served by five public schools, which are administered by the Wake County Public School System. They include Lake Myra Elementary, Carver Elementary School, Wendell Elementary School, Wendell Middle School and East Wake High School.
The town is home to two institutions of higher learning: Southeastern Free Will Baptist College, and the Eastern Wake Campus of Wake Technical Community College (Wake Tech), which opened in April 2024.
Notable Wendell businesses include the Bearded Bee Brewing Company and the North American headquarters of Daedong-USA, the maker of Kioti tractors. Siemens houses a 272,000 square foot manufacturing facility bordering city limits that serves as the company's US headquarters for its Electrification and Automation (EA) business and employs local residents. The town's growth in the 2020s has spurred rapid commercial development in the Wendell Falls area and along the Wendell Falls Parkway and Wendell Boulevard corridors.
In 2025, work broke ground on the Wendell Commerce Center, a complex of multi-tenant warehouse buildings totaling nearly 1.8 million square feet of industrial space near the interchange of Interstate 87, Wendell Boulevard and Rolesville Road similar to existing properties in western Wake County and in Research Triangle Park.
The town is served by several recreational parks and facilities. They include Wendell Park, Hollybrook Park (opened in 2025), Wendell Community Center and J. Ashley Wall Town Square. Future additions include the Buffalo Creek Greenway, Main Street Greenway, Main Street Park, Carver Community Center at Pleasant Grove and smaller parks as part of neighborhood or commercial developments.