If you live in the Fayetteville metro area, odds are you're younger and doing better financially than folks who live elsewhere in the state.

Your family or household is likely larger and you're more likely to have been born in another state — and to have moved here from another state or even another country within the past year.

You're less likely to be white and slightly more likely to be female.

And you're much more likely to be familiar with the sight of military camouflage, which is emblematic of a key reason for many of Fayetteville's unique attributes — and possibly your presence here. Naturally, it's Fort Bragg.

About 60,000 military personnel are stationed at the post and nearly 22,000 civilians work there. They make a substantial impact on the metro area's overall population — figured in 2011 at 374,157, up 7,754 from 2010.

Military-related paychecks helped the area's per capita income swell in 2009, the most recent figures available, to nearly $41,000 — more than in most other metro areas in the state, including Charlotte and Raleigh.

And active-duty military members and veterans who've settled here influence other demographic factors, including median age (31 in Fayetteville vs. 37.4 for North Carolinians as a whole), race, ethnicity, family size, employment status and more.

Utilities

Four companies provide electricity to different parts of Cumberland County.

Fayetteville Public Works Commission: 483-1382 or www.faypwc.com

Progress Energy: 800-452-2777 or progress-energy.com

Lumbee River Electric Membership Corp.: 910-843-4131 or lumbeeriver.com

South River Electric Membership Corp.: 910-892-8071 or www.sremc.com

Natural gas service is provided by Piedmont Natural Gas, 800-752-7504 or piedmontng.com.

Driver's license and registration

In North Carolina, driver's licenses and vehicle registrations are issued at separate locations. To receive a North Carolina driver's license, you need: proof of residency such as military orders or a utility bill, Social Security card, proof of identity like a driver's license from another state or a military ID and proof of insurance. You'll also have to pass a road signs and written driving knowledge test. For more information, visit ncdot.org/dmv.

There are two driver's license offices in Cumberland County, both of them in Fayetteville.

2439 Gillespie St., 486-1353

841 Elm St. in the Eutaw Village Shopping Center, 484-6249

There are three vehicle registration offices.

815 Elm St. in Fayetteville, 485-1590

316-C Spring Lake Plaza, N.C. 210 North, Spring Lake, 497-3707

5537 McPhail St., Hope Mills Shopping Plaza, Hope Mills, 424-2500.

Voter registration

You can register to vote at the county's Board of Elections Office at 301 E. Russell St., through the mail, at a driver's license office if you're conducting DMV business and at state agencies where you may be applying for benefits. Registration can also be done during early voting periods. Also known as one-stop voting, these periods are always held over a 16-day period before Election Day. During that time, if you qualify, you can register to vote and then cast a ballot in a single stop at an approved site.

You can change your voter registration information up to 25 days before an election. You can find out which election districts you're in from the Board of Elections. Political districts are redrawn every 10 years following the census.

For more information, call 678-7733 or check co.cumberland.nc.us/elections.aspx

Day care

You can get information on local day-care providers from two sources.

Child Care Solutions is a nonprofit child care resource and referral agency in Cumberland County. Call 867-9700 or visit ccpfc.org

The N.C. Division of Child Development's website allows parents to search for providers by name, facility type, permit type and location - city, county or ZIP code. You can also search facilities that accept children of certain ages and facilities that do and don't accept subsidies for child care. The site will tell you a provider's most recent sanitation score and its license rating. North Carolina's five-star rating system for child care providers grades facilities on adherence to state program standards, staff educational levels and compliance with basic safety regulations. Call 800-859-0829 or visit ncchildcare.dhhs.state.nc.us

Recycling

Fayetteville residents can recycle glass bottles and containers, aluminum cans, steel cans, plastic jugs and bottles, newspapers, magazines, cardboard and mixed paper in their blue city-issued recycling containers, which are emptied each week when placed at the curb. Other Cumberland County residents can recycle similar items at the recycling center at the Ann Street landfill or at one of the 16 container sites around the county. For city information, call 433-1329 or visit cityoffayetteville.org/curbside. For county information, call 321-6830 or visit co.cumberland.nc.us/solid_waste.aspx

Recyclables accepted at the Ann Street landfill and container sites:

Aluminum/aluminum cans

Batteries (automotive)

Cardboard (corrugated and food boxes)

Metals (must be able to put in container box)

Newspaper (no plastic wrap or string)

Magazines

Textiles (belts, blankets, curtains, dry clothing, hats, household items, paired shoes, handbags and towels)

Tires (no rims, limit of five tires per household and 10 tires per farm per year)

Used oil (containing no foreign liquids or debris, 5-gallon limit — container must be left at site)

Yard waste (grass, leaves, pine straw, brush and limb clippings; not more than 4 cubic yards per week; limbs larger than 3 inches in diameter and 3 feet long must be taken to Wilkes Road)

Computers

Plastic (bottles, jugs and jars)

Glass (brown, clear and green separated)

Office paper (landfill only)

Post offices

In Fayetteville:

301 Green St. (main post office) at 486-2360

907 Brighton Road

804 Cedar Creek Road

6380 Cliffdale Road

816 Elm St.

1200 Murchison Road

106 Oakridge Ave.

2800 Raeford Road

2812 Ramsey St.

2503 Southern Ave.

164 Westwood Shopping Center

2304 Wingate Road

5701 Yadkin Road

Falcon: 7175 West St.

Fort Bragg: 1605 Reilly Road

Godwin: 8817 Main St.

Hope Mills: 3512 N. Main St.

Linden: 4764 Main St.

Pope Field: 508 Virgin St., Building 371

Spring Lake: 225 N. Main St.

Stedman: 7519 Clinton Road

Wade: 6927 Wade-Stedman Road

Law enforcement phone numbers

In an emergency dial 911.

Fayetteville Police Department: 433-1529

Fayetteville Fire Department: 433-1728

Cumberland County Sheriff's Office: 323-1500

Hope Mills Police Department: 425-4103

Hope Mills Fire Department: 424-0948

Spring Lake Police Department: 436-0350

Spring Lake Fire Department: 436-0337

Stedman Police Department: 323-1892

N.C. Highway Patrol office in Fayetteville: 486-1334

Community newspapers and magazines

Acento Latino publishes biweekly, Fayetteville, 323-4848, ext. 223; 583-7266

BOSS Magazine publishes quarterly, Fort Bragg, 396-7751

Carolina TraderAutos publishes biweekly, Wednesdays, Fayetteville, 609-0696

Celebrations Bridal Magazine publishes yearly, Fayetteville, 486-2736

CityView magazine publishes eight times a year, Fayetteville, 423-6500

Elite magazine publishes monthly, Fayetteville, 486-3527

Essentials publishes weekly, Fayetteville, 486-2736

The Faith News publishes bimonthly, Fayetteville, 476-3392

The Fayetteville Observer publishes seven days, 458 Whitfield St., Fayetteville, 323-4848 or 800-682-3476.

The Fayetteville Press publishes monthly, Fayetteville, 323-3120

Fort Bragg Life publishes Wednesdays, Fayetteville, 486-3500

Kidsville News! publishes monthly, Fayetteville, 222-6200

Paraglide publishes Thursdays, Fort Bragg, 907-4903, 432-5007

Real Estate Marketplace publishes weekly, Fayetteville, 486-2736

The Sandspur publishes Wednesdays, Hope Mills, 486-3591

Up & Coming Weekly publishes Wednesdays, Fayetteville, 484-6200

Women's View pubishes monthly, Fayetteville, 489-3469

Communications providers

Time Warner Cable offers digital cable television, high-speed Internet and digital phone services. Call 866-489-2669 or visit timewarnercable.com.

AT&T offers digital television, high-speed Internet and digital home and wireless phone services. Visit att.com.

CenturyLink offers digital television, high-speed Internet and digital phone services. Call 877-787-3987, 800-366-8201 or visit centurylink.com.

Comcast offers digital cable television, high-speed Internet and digital home phone services. Call 800-934-6489 or visit comcast.com.

DIRECTV offers digital cable television, high-speed Internet and digital phone services. To order, call 888-777-2454; for customer service, call 800-531-5000 or visit directv.com.

The DISH Network offers digital cable television, high-speed Internet and digital telephone services. Call 888-754-1350 or visit dish.com.

Star Communications. StarVision offers digital cable television and high-speed Internet; Star Telephone offers Internet protocol television through phone line and digital phone services. For StarVision, call 910-564-4194 or visit starvision.tv. For Star Telephone, call 910-564-4194 or visit stmc.net.

T-Mobile offers digital phone services. Call 800-866-2453, 888-537-4242 or visit t-mobile.com.

Verizon offers high-speed wireless network and phone services. Visit verizonwireless.com.

Radio stations

Fayetteville AM stations

WFNC 640 AM: News, talk

WFAY 1230 AM: ESPN Sports

WAZZ 1490 AM: Adult standards, sports

WIDU 1600 AM: Black gospel, news, talk

Fayetteville FM stations

WFSS 91.9 FM: Jazz, NPR, news, information, Fayetteville State University

WKML 95.7 FM: Country

WFLB 96.5 FM: “Bob FM” adult hits

WQSM 98.1 FM: Adult contemporary

WZFX 99.1 FM: Contemporary urban

WFVL 102.3 FM: Oldies

WRCQ 103.5 FM: Rock

WCCG 104.5 FM: Urban hip-hop, R&B

WMGU 106.9 FM: Urban adult contemporary

WCLN 107.3 FM: Contemporary Christian

WUKS 107.7 FM: Urban variety

Other AM stations

WFMO 860 AM: Hispanic, Fairmont

WAGR 1340 AM: Black gospel, news, talk, Lumberton

WFBX 1450 AM: ESPN Sports, Spring Lake

Other FM stations

WZRI 89.3: Air 1 Radio, Christian contemporary, Spring Lake

WYBH 91.1 FM: Bible Broadcasting Network, Christian, Fayetteville

WCPE 95.3 FM: Classical, Wake Forest (Fayetteville repeater transmitter)

WSTS 100.9 FM: Southern gospel, Fairmont

Military

Camp Bragg was established on Sept. 4, 1918. The Army post was named for Confederate general and North Carolina native Braxton Bragg.

On Jan. 7, 1919, Lt. Harley Pope died when his Flying Jenny airplane crashed into the Cape Fear River. Pope Field was named for him.

Street names

In 1778, seven commissioners were appointed to lay out the streets from the foot of Haymount to the Cape Fear River, with a square for public buildings. Traditionally, the commissioners' names were used, but the city had only four main streets leading to the State House. A selection was made to honor only four of the distinguished men.

Hay Street: Named for John Hay, a prominent lawyer for whom Haymount was named.

Person Street: Named for Thomas Person, one of Fayetteville's first commissioners and a member of the Provincial Congress from Granville County.

Gillespie Street: Named for James Gillespie, a U.S. congressman and a member of the Provincial Congress in 1776. He served several terms in the N.C. General Assembly.

Ramsey Street: Named for Ambrose Ramsey, one of the first commissioners. He was from Chatham County and was a member of the Provincial Congress in Halifax.

Sports

In 1992, Brad Edwards, an alumnus of Douglas Byrd High School, became the first football player from the Fayetteville area to start in a Super Bowl game. He started at free safety for the Washington Redskins.

In 1997, the Fayetteville Force hockey team played its first game in the first event at the new $55 million Crown Coliseum.

Business

In 1962, the new Tallywood Shopping Center on Raeford Road unveiled its uniquely shaped sign. The sign is 66 feet high with a circular top diameter of 40 feet and bottom diameter of 20 feet.

About 40,000 shoppers came to Cross Creek Mall's opening day in 1975.

The Cross Creek Mall land was originally part of a 600-acre farm.

Schools

In 1854, the Fayetteville Female Seminary, or "high school," was built on Hay Street. It was the latest school to be developed exclusively for girls in Cumberland County, starting with the first one in 1813.

In 1963, Fayetteville Area Industrial Education Center's named was changed to Fayetteville Technical Institute. It is now Fayetteville Technical Community College.

Churches

The original building of St. John's Episcopal Church was destroyed by the Fire of 1831. A new church building was consecrated in 1833. During the Civil War, the church donated its original bell to the Confederacy.

Evans Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church was founded in 1769 and is the oldest church in Fayetteville. In 1983, the church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its historical and architectural significance.

Beneath the present-day Hay Street United Methodist Church is a section of the original foundation, built in June 1835.

St. Joseph's Episcopal Church on Ramsey Street, chartered in 1873, is the second-oldest Episcopal congregation in Fayetteville.

2012 anniversary events

Aug. 13: African-American Heritage Tour: Meet at 9 a.m. at the Fayetteville Area Transportation and Local History Museum. Professor Charles Anderson of Central Texas College will lead a tour of Brookside Cemetery, the E.E. Smith home, Orange Street School and the home of the Chesnutt sisters. Call 433-1457 or visit fcpr.us.

Sept. 8: Sixth annual Lafayette Birthday Celebration: Lafayette Trail tour, lunch at the Market House and birthday party in Cross Creek Park. Call 864-2427 or visit lafayette250.com.

Sept. 9 and 17: Historic Architecture Tour: Fayetteville Area Transportation and Local History Museum staff will lead walking tours of Fayetteville's National Register district. Call 433-1457 or visit fcpr.us

Sept. 10: Downtown Military Tour: Meet at 9 a.m. at the Fayetteville Area Transportation and Local History Museum for a tour of the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry Museum and Armory, Liberty Point, Cross Creek Cemetery and North Carolina Veterans Park. Call 433-1457 or visit fcpr.us

Sept. 22: Historic Twilight River Tour: See the city from the river as you learn about Fayetteville's early importance as a Colonial port city and trade center. Cost $20. Meet at 7 p.m. at Campbellton Landing. Call 433-1457 or visit fcpr.us

Sept. 29: Aaron Neville concert: The performance is free during the International Folk Festival. The concert is sponsored by the city and the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County. Call 323-1776, visit theartscouncil.com or fcpr.us

Oct. 13: Early Fort Bragg Area History Tour: This daylong tour takes in Fort Bragg's Old Post Historic District, Long Street Presbyterian Church and Old Argyle archaeological sites. Cost $3. Bus departs at 8 a.m. Call 433-1457 or visit fcpr.us

Oct. 30: Cross Creek Cemetery Tour: Candlelight tour of the city's oldest municipal cemetery. Call 323-1934 or visit faydogwoodfestival.com.

Updated: August 2012