Lincoln County, North Carolina

Lincoln County
County
Lincoln County Courthouse
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°29′N81°14′W / 35.49°N 81.23°W / 35.49; -81.23
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Founded	1779
Named for	Benjamin Lincoln
Seat	Lincolnton
Largest community	Lincolnton
Area
• Total	304.87 sq mi (789.6 km2)
• Land	295.85 sq mi (766.2 km2)
• Water	9.02 sq mi (23.4 km2)  2.96%
Population  (2020)
• Total	86,810
• Estimate  (2023)	95,675
• Density	280/sq mi (110/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	10th
Website	www.lincolncounty.org

Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 86,810, ^[1] making it the most populous "Lincoln County" in the United States. Its county seat is Lincolnton. ^[2] Lincoln County is included in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The county was formed in 1779 from the eastern part of Tryon County, which had been settled by Europeans in the mid-18th Century. It was named for Benjamin Lincoln, a general in the American Revolutionary War." ^[3] During the American Revolution, the Battle of Ramsour's Mill occurred near a grist mill in Lincolnton.

In 1782 the southeastern part of Burke County was annexed to Lincoln County. In 1841, parts of Lincoln County and Rutherford County were combined to form Cleveland County. In 1842, the northern third of Lincoln County became Catawba County. In 1846, the southern half of what was left of Lincoln County became Gaston County. ^{[3] [4]}

Geography

Interactive map of Lincoln County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 304.87 square miles (789.6 km²), of which 295.85 square miles (766.2 km²) is land and 9.02 square miles (23.4 km²) (2.96%) is water. ^[5]

State and local protected areas

• Mountain Island Educational State Forest (part)
• Pee Wee's Mountain Bike Trail ^[6]
• Rock Springs Nature Preserve
• South Fork Rail Trail

Major water bodies

• Anderson Creek ^[7]
• Ballard Creek
• Buffalo Creek
• Catawba River
• Crooked Creek
• Howard Creek
• Hoyle Creek
• Indian Creek
• Killian Creek
• Lake Norman
• Little Indian Creek
• South Fork Catawba River
• Tanyard Creek

Adjacent counties

• Catawba County – north
• Iredell County – northeast
• Mecklenburg County – southeast
• Gaston County – south
• Cleveland County – west
• Burke County – northwest

Major highways

• US 321
• 
  US 321 Bus.
• NC 10
• NC 16
• 
  NC 16 Bus. (business route)
• NC 18
• NC 27
• 
  NC 27 Truck (truck route)
• NC 73
• NC 150
• NC 155
• NC 182
• NC 274

Major infrastructure

• Lincoln County Airport ^[8]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1790	9,246		—
1800	12,660		36.9%
1810	16,359		29.2%
1820	18,147		10.9%
1830	22,455		23.7%
1840	25,160		12.0%
1850	7,746		−69.2%
1860	8,195		5.8%
1870	9,573		16.8%
1880	11,061		15.5%
1890	12,586		13.8%
1900	15,498		23.1%
1910	17,132		10.5%
1920	17,862		4.3%
1930	22,872		28.0%
1940	24,187		5.7%
1950	27,459		13.5%
1960	28,814		4.9%
1970	32,682		13.4%
1980	42,372		29.6%
1990	50,319		18.8%
2000	63,780		26.8%
2010	78,265		22.7%
2020	86,810		10.9%
2023 (est.)	95,675	[1]	10.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [9] 1790–1960 [10] 1900–1990 [11] 1990–2000 [12] 2010 [13] 2020 [1]

2020 census

Lincoln County racial composition ^[14]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	71,661	82.55%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	4,405	5.07%
Native American	237	0.27%
Asian	692	0.8%
Pacific Islander	15	0.02%
Other/Mixed	3,388	3.9%
Hispanic or Latino	6,412	7.39%

As of the 2020 census, there were 86,810 people, 34,418 households, and 24,445 families residing in the county. ^[1]

2010 census

At the 2010 census, ^[15] there were 78,265 people, 30,343 households, and 22,221 families residing in the county. The population density was 261.76 people per square mile (101.07 people/km²). There were 33,641 housing units at an average density of 112.51 units per square mile (43.44 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.4% White, 5.5% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.7% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. 6.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 30,343 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% 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 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.4 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,456, and the median income for a family was $48,298. Males had a median income of $41,441 versus $30,480 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,861. About 10.4% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, as well as 25.3% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

United States presidential election results for Lincoln County, North Carolina ^[16]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	36,341	72.37%	13,274	26.43%	602	1.20%
2016	28,806	71.97%	9,897	24.73%	1,320	3.30%
2012	25,267	68.71%	11,024	29.98%	484	1.32%
2008	23,631	66.01%	11,713	32.72%	454	1.27%
2004	20,052	67.79%	9,434	31.89%	93	0.31%
2000	15,951	65.03%	8,412	34.29%	166	0.68%
1996	11,439	54.86%	7,721	37.03%	1,690	8.11%
1992	11,018	49.29%	8,150	36.46%	3,187	14.26%
1988	11,651	64.26%	6,444	35.54%	35	0.19%
1984	12,621	67.64%	5,996	32.13%	42	0.23%
1980	9,009	52.39%	7,796	45.34%	391	2.27%
1976	6,682	41.22%	9,462	58.37%	66	0.41%
1972	8,597	61.88%	5,100	36.71%	195	1.40%
1968	6,188	46.20%	4,044	30.19%	3,161	23.60%
1964	5,869	44.55%	7,304	55.45%	0	0.00%
1960	6,816	50.32%	6,728	49.68%	0	0.00%
1956	6,637	53.20%	5,838	46.80%	0	0.00%
1952	6,228	53.61%	5,389	46.39%	0	0.00%
1948	3,635	43.49%	3,570	42.71%	1,153	13.80%
1944	3,678	46.88%	4,168	53.12%	0	0.00%
1940	3,099	38.74%	4,901	61.26%	0	0.00%
1936	3,501	38.83%	5,515	61.17%	0	0.00%
1932	3,563	44.56%	4,399	55.02%	34	0.43%
1928	3,930	57.43%	2,913	42.57%	0	0.00%
1924	2,658	47.39%	2,909	51.86%	42	0.75%
1920	3,137	48.50%	3,331	51.50%	0	0.00%
1916	1,369	47.22%	1,521	52.47%	9	0.31%
1912	49	2.03%	1,280	53.11%	1,081	44.85%

Lincoln County is a member of the regional Centralina Council of Governments. ^[17]

Controversy

In February 2020, the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department received media attention when surveillance video was released showing first a pair of Atrium Health security guards assaulting a sixteen-year-old boy brought to the hospital's emergency room. When another pair of sheriff's deputies arrived, video shows one of the deputies hitting the boy, now handcuffed, in the face twice as the boy spit blood pooling in his mouth after being tackled from behind by security guards. The deputy then aggressively approached the mother, yelling at her before being pulled to the ground by a second deputy, In an interview with WBTV, Lincoln County Sheriff Bill Beam defended his deputies saying they did nothing wrong, denying that the officer struck the boy or that the officer was physically restrained by two additional sheriff's deputies. ^[18] The boy was arrested and charged with felony assault on a police officer. ^[19]

Education

Post-secondary education

• Gaston College - Community College located in Dallas, North Carolina with a satellite campus in Lincolnton offering associate degree, Certificate, and Diploma programs. ^[20]

Lincoln County Schools

High schools

• East Lincoln High School
• Lincoln County School of Technology
• Lincolnton High School
• Newbold High School (1952-1968), a segregated school that served African Americans and became G. E. Massey Elementary School in 1968 after desegregation
• Oaklawn High School (segregated school serving African Americans), replaced by Newbold High School in 1952
• North Lincoln High School
• West Lincoln High School

Middle school

• Asbury Academy
• East Lincoln
• Lincolnton
• North Lincoln
• West Lincoln

Intermediate schools

• Pumpkin Center Intermediate School

Elementary schools

• Asbury
• Battleground
• Catawba Springs
• G. E. Massey
• Iron Station
• Love Memorial
• Norris S. Childers
• North Brook
• Pumpkin Center Primary
• Rock Springs
• S. Ray Lowder
• St. James
• Union

Charter schools

• Lincoln Charter School

Communities

Map of Lincoln County with municipal and township labels

City

• Lincolnton (county seat and largest community)

Town

• Boger City (former town)
• Maiden (part)

Census-designated places

• Crouse
• Denver
• Iron Station
• Lowesville
• Westport

Unincorporated communities

• Flay
• Laboratory
• Laurel Hill
• Polkadot
• Reepsville
• Toluca (part)
• Vale

Townships

• Catawba Springs
• Howards Creek
• Ironton
• Lincolnton
• North Brook

See also

• List of counties in North Carolina
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lincoln County, North Carolina
• Lincoln Theatre Guild

References

1. "QuickFacts: Lincoln County, North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "County of Lincoln, NC - Official Website - History Corner". www.co.lincoln.nc.us. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
4. "Lincoln County | NCpedia". www.ncpedia.org. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
5. "2020 County Gazetteer Files – North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. August 23, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
6. "Parks and Recreation | County of Lincoln, NC - Official Website". www.lincolncounty.org. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
7. "Lincoln County North Carolina Streams". northcarolina.hometownlocator.com. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
8. "Airport (IPJ) | County of Lincoln, NC - Official Website". www.lincolncounty.org. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
9. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
10. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
11. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
12. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
13. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
14. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
15. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
16. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
17. "Centralina Council of Governments" . Retrieved August 10, 2019.
18. "FULL INTERVIEW: Lincoln County Sheriff Bill Beam on teen assaulted outside ER". WBTV. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
19. Ochsner, Nick. "Video shows teen assaulted by Atrium security, Lincoln Co. sheriff's deputy outside ER". WBTV. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
20. College, Gaston. "Associate Degree Programs | Community College". Gaston College. Retrieved May 27, 2022.

Further reading

• Agosta, Carolyn Steele, "Two Weeks Every Summer, Stories from Camp Meeting", short stories inspired by Rock Spring Camp Meeting, Denver, NC, and Lincoln County, NC. https://www.carolynsteeleagosta.com
• Nixon, Joseph R. (1912). Hamilton, J. G. de Roulhac; Wagstaff, Henry McGilbert (eds.). "The German Settlers in Lincoln County and Western North Carolina". The James Sprunt Historical Publications. 11 (2). Chapel Hill, N. C.: University of North Carolina: 28–62. LCCN   13033017. OCLC   6286659. OL   7185018M – via Internet Archive.
• W. J. Hoke Camp, Confederate Veterans (1905). Roster of Confederate Soldiers in the War Between the States Furnished by Lincoln County, North Carolina, 1861–1865. Lincolnton, N. C.: Journal Print. OCLC   11769265. OL   22892493M – via Internet Archive.

External links

• Geographic data related to Lincoln County, North Carolina at OpenStreetMap
• Official website
• NCGenWeb Lincoln County, genealogy resources for the county