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Iredell County, North Carolina

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Iredell County, North Carolina
Seal of Iredell County, North Carolina
Map
File:Map of North Carolina highlighting Iredell County.png
Location in the state of North Carolina
Map of the USA highlighting North Carolina
North Carolina's location in the USA
Statistics
Founded 1788
Seat Statesville
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

 sq mikm²)
 sq mi ( km²)
 sq mi ( km²), 3.59%
wikipedia:Population
 - (2000)
 - Density

122660
Website: www.co.iredell.nc.us

Iredell County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 122,660. Its county seat is Statesville6. It is a major hub of NASCAR racing, with many race shops located in the county (mostly around Mooresville). NASCAR also operates the NASCAR Technical Institute in the county. Many NASCAR drivers live around Mooresville and Lake Norman. Although northern Iredell County has retained much of its rural character, the southern half of the county is experiencing rapid urbanization and population growth, largely due to the immense popularity of the Lake Norman area for residents of nearby Charlotte, North Carolina's largest city.

Iredell County is an important transportation center for the state, as both Interstate 77 and Interstate 40 cross just north of Statesville. This has given birth to the county's nickname "Crossroads of the Future." Residents have easy access south down I-77 to Charlotte, north to Elkin and Roanoke, east to Winston-Salem and Greensboro, and west along I-40 to Hickory, and Asheville.

Farming is still a major source of income for many Iredell county residents, in both the southern and northern portions of the county. Dairy farming has been particularly popular in Iredell County for centuries. However, the rapid population growth in southern Iredell County is putting increasing pressure on farmlands, and soaring land prices has led increasing numbers of farmers to sell their land to developers.

Contents

[edit] History

The county was formed in 1788 from Rowan County. It was named for James Iredell, an advocate of ratification of the United States Constitution, who was appointed an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States by George Washington in 1790.

In 1847 parts of Iredell County, Caldwell County, and Wilkes County were combined to form Alexander County.

[edit] Law and government

Iredell County is a member of the regional Centralina Council of Governments.

Iredell County is governed by the Board of Commissioners, consisting of five commissioners elected at large.

IREDELL COUNTY COMMISIONERS (2006-2008):

  • Marvin Norman (Chairman)
  • Shara Hare-Tice (Vice-Chairwoman)
  • Ken Robertson
  • Steve Johnson
  • Godfrey Wiliams

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,546 km² (597 sq mi). 1,491 km² (576 sq mi) of it is land and 56 km² (21 sq mi) of it (3.59%) is water.

Iredell County is located within the Piedmont Region of central North Carolina. The northwestern section of the county contains the Brushy Mountains, a deeply eroded spur of the Blue Ridge Mountains far to the west. Although the "Brushies", as they are called locally, rarely rise above 2,000 feet, they stand out prominently above the surrounding lower terrain. The remainder of Iredell County consists of gently rolling countryside occasionally broken by low hills and small river valleys. The county's largest river, the Catawba, forms much of its western border. Lake Norman, one of North Carolina's largest manmade lakes, is the most prominent geographic feature of southern Iredell County.

Iredell County is one of the longest counties in the state and stretches for nearly fifty miles north to south from Yadkin County in the north to Mecklenburg in the south.

The northern third of Iredell county is highly rural and contains no large towns. Due to the thinly-populated nature of this portion of the state, it is one of only a few places in North Carolina where the speed limit on Interstate Highways exceeds 65 mph, as Interstate 77 north of Statesville has a speed limit of 70 mph.

[edit] Townships

The county is divided into sixteen townships: Barringer, Bethany, Chambersburg, Concord, Coddle Creek, Cool Springs, Davidson, Eagle Mills, Fallstown, New Hope, Olin, Sharpesburg, Shiloh, Statesville, Turnersburg, and Union Grove.

[edit] Adjacent Counties

[edit] Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 122,660 people, 47,360 households, and 34,667 families residing in the county. The population density was 82/km² (213/sq mi). There were 51,918 housing units at an average density of 35/km² (90/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 82.17% White, 13.67% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 1.27% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.68% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 3.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 47,360 households out of which 33.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% were married couples living together, 11.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.80% were non-families. 22.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.50% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 31.30% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,920, and the median income for a family was $49,078. Males had a median income of $34,590 versus $24,031 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,148. About 6.20% of families and 8.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.10% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Cities and towns

Map of Iredell County, North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

Davidson is partly in Iredell County.

[edit] Townships

[edit] See also

[edit] External links



Coordinates: 35°49′N 80°52′W / 35.81, -80.87

This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Iredell County, North Carolina. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Genealogy wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
Facts about Iredell County, North CarolinaRDF feed
County namesIredell County, North Carolina  +
County of countryUnited States  +
County of subdivision1North Carolina  +
Nuke wplinkIredell County, North Carolina  +, North Carolina  +, and County seat  +
Short nameIredell County  +
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