Rutherford County, North Carolina

Rutherford County
County
Rutherford County Courthouse
Seal Logo
Motto:  "Vibrant Communities – New Possibilities"
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°24′N81°55′W / 35.40°N 81.92°W / 35.40; -81.92
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Founded	April 14, 1779
Named for	Griffith Rutherford
Seat	Rutherfordton
Largest community	Forest City
Government
• County Manager	Steve Garrison
Area
• Total	567.25 sq mi (1,469.2 km2)
• Land	565.44 sq mi (1,464.5 km2)
• Water	1.81 sq mi (4.7 km2)  0.32%
Population  (2020)
• Total	64,444
• Estimate  (2023)	65,507
• Density	113.97/sq mi (44.00/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	10th, 11th
Website	rutherfordcountync.gov

Rutherford County is a county in the southwestern area of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,444. ^[1] Its county seat is Rutherfordton. ^[2] Rutherford County comprises the Forest City, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

In the region's earliest history, it was inhabited by the Cherokee. It was a part of Mecklenburg County before being incorporated into Tryon County in 1768. Tryon County was divided into Rutherford County and Lincoln County in 1779. ^[3] The first county seat was Gilbert Town. Rutherford Town (now Rutherfordton) was founded in 1787 to be the new county seat. ^[4] The county and town are named for Griffith Rutherford, leader of an expedition against the Cherokee in 1776 and a general in the American Revolutionary War. ^[5]

In 1791 parts of Rutherford County and Burke County were combined to form Buncombe County. ^[6] In 1841 parts of Rutherford and Lincoln counties were combined to form Cleveland County. ^[7] In 1842, additional parts of Rutherford and Burke counties were combined to form McDowell County. ^[8] Finally, in 1855, parts of Rutherford and Henderson counties were combined to form Polk County. ^[9]

In 1790, the county had 7,775 residents, including 164 families and 611 enslaved people. Many areas of the county were agriculturally productive or lay on important crossroads. The number of unincorporated communities in the county steadily increased, and the population reached had nearly doubled by 1810. ^[3] The most important crops in the county during the 1800s were corn, wheat, oats, rye, cotton, wool and tobacco. ^[5]

The county existed at the crossroads of stagecoach routes that connected places like Asheville, Salisbury and Charlotte. The Hickory Nut Turnpike was completed in 1847 to help make the route even safer and more appealing to travelers. ^[10]

Rutherford County was the most important gold-producing region in America from 1790 until the California gold rush of the 1840s. The town of Rutherfordton was at the center of this. German goldsmith Christopher Bechtler and his sons set up a mint just north of Rutherfordton, where they produced millions of dollars worth of US coins. The Bechtlers produced the first gold dollars in the United States. ^[11]

The county has a strong militia tradition, stretching back to the 18th century when it had the most well organized militia in North Carolina. Its militiamen served in the Battle of Kings Mountain and Battle of Cowpens. During the Civil War, Rutherfordton and Burnt Chimney (now Forest City) competed to raise militias to serve in the Confederate States Army. ^[3]

After the Civil War ended, many farmers in the region were forced to tenant farming, as they owned no land of their own. This meant that many Rutherford County residents were trapped in debt by predatory crop liens and other economic imbalances. The Rutherford Farmer's Alliance was established by D.N. Caviness in June 1888 to fight for farmer's rights, and had 300 members by 1891. The Alliance's first president was Colonel John L. McDowell. ^[12] The underlying economic and racial tensions led to events like the Forest City lynching. ^[12]

During this period of upheaval, when family and political feuds had been recently inflamed by the Civil War, Rutherford County experienced a rash of violence wreaked by the KKK, but local investigations in Rutherford County led to the prosecution of over 300 hundred Klan members and by 1872, the KKK had begun to "disappear". ^[13]

The construction of railroads and cotton mills in Rutherford County during the 1880s and 1890s invigorated the county's communities, none more so than Forest City. The Rutherford Railway Construction Company built a line from Rutherfordton to South Carolina, and Southern Railway and Seaboard Air Line Railroad also ran through the county. ^[12]

A disproportionate number of Rutherford County natives served during WWII, with about 12% participating in the war effort in some capacity. 149 Rutherford County natives died in the war, proportionately 3.5 times as many losses as other counties. The first soldier from Rutherford County to die in the war was SFC Mark Alexander Rhodes, who died aboard the USS Arizona during the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. ^[14]

In May 1989, Rutherford County was hit by an EF4 tornado from a storm that came out of South Carolina. This tornado was part of the May 1989 tornado outbreak, that hit the states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. ^[15]

Geography

Interactive map of Rutherford County

Rutherford County Elevation

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 567.25 square miles (1,469.2 km²), of which 565.44 square miles (1,464.5 km²) is land and 1.81 square miles (4.7 km²) (0.32%) is water. ^[16]

In addition to gold and platinum, minerals like rock crystal, garnet, tourmaline, slate, wolframite, and the rare-earth element samarskite have been mined in Rutherford County. ^[17] Diamonds have also been found there, including one mined at the JD Twitty Gold Placer Mine in 1845. ^[18]

State and local protected areas

• Bechtler Mint Site Historic Park
• Bradley Nature Preserve at Alexander's Ford (part)
• Chimney Rock State Park (part)
• Purple Martin Greenway Trail
• South Mountains Game Lands (part) ^[19]
• South Mountains State Park (part)

Major water bodies

• Broad River
• Catheys Creek
• Cedar Creek
• Duncans Creek
• Floyds Creek
• Green River
• Hills Creek
• Hollands Creek
• Lake Lure
• McKinney Creek
• Mountain Creek
• North Fork First Broad Creek
• Roberson Creek
• Second Broad River

Adjacent counties

• McDowell County – north
• Burke County – northeast
• Cleveland County – east
• Cherokee County, South Carolina – south
• Spartanburg County, South Carolina – south
• Polk County – southwest
• Henderson County – west
• Buncombe County – northwest

Major highways

• US 64
• US 74
• US 74A
• 
  US 74 Bus.
• US 221
• US 221A
• NC 9
• NC 108
• NC 120
• NC 226

Major infrastructure

• Rutherford County Airport
• Summey Airpark, near Forest City

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1790	7,808		—
1800	10,753		37.7%
1810	13,202		22.8%
1820	15,351		16.3%
1830	17,557		14.4%
1840	19,202		9.4%
1850	13,550		−29.4%
1860	11,573		−14.6%
1870	13,121		13.4%
1880	15,198		15.8%
1890	18,770		23.5%
1900	25,101		33.7%
1910	28,385		13.1%
1920	31,426		10.7%
1930	40,452		28.7%
1940	45,577		12.7%
1950	46,356		1.7%
1960	45,091		−2.7%
1970	47,337		5.0%
1980	53,787		13.6%
1990	56,918		5.8%
2000	62,899		10.5%
2010	67,810		7.8%
2020	64,444		−5.0%
2023 (est.)	65,507	[1]	1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [20] 1790–1960 [21] 1900–1990 [22] 1990–2000 [23] 2010 [24] 2020 [1]

2020 census

Rutherford County racial composition ^[25]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	52,026	80.73%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	5,836	9.06%
Native American	152	0.24%
Asian	343	0.53%
Pacific Islander	23	0.04%
Other/Mixed	2,778	4.31%
Hispanic or Latino	3,286	5.1%

As of the 2020 census, there were 64,444 people, 27,970 households, and 18,874 families residing in the county.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, ^[26] the county had 62,899 people, 25,191 households, and 17,935 families. The population density was 112 people per square mile (43 people/km²). There were 29,535 housing units at an average density of 52 units per square mile (20 units/km²). The county's racial makeup was 86.79% White, 11.23% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 1.81% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 25,191 households, out of which 30.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.40% were married couples living together, 11.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.80% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 16.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.60 males.

The county's median household income was $31,122, and the median family income was $37,787. Males had a median income of $28,890 versus $21,489 for females. The county's per capita income was $16,270. About 10.40% of families and 13.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.30% of those under age 18 and 13.80% of those age 65 or over.

Ancestry/ethnicity

As of 1983, the largest ancestry/ethnicity groups in Rutherford County were: ^[27]

Ancestry/ethnicity	Percent (1983)
English	44%
African American	11%
Irish	9%
German	5%
Scotch-Irish	4%
Scottish	3%
Dutch	2%
Italian	1%
French or French Canadian (except Basque)	1%
Mexican	1%
Polish	1%

Government and politics

Rutherford is currently a powerfully Republican county. No Democratic presidential candidate has carried Rutherford County since Jimmy Carter did so in 1976. Before 1928 when Herbert Hoover won it, however, the county was a clear-cut part of the Democratic "Solid South".

Rutherford County is governed by a board of commissioners. The County Board of Commissioners ^[28] includes: Chairman Bryan King, Com. Greg Lovelace, Com. David Hunt, Com. Michael Benfield, and Com. Alan Toney. The Board of Commissioners appoints a county manager to serve as the chief administrator. The current county manager is Steve Garrison who has been serving since March 16, 2015. ^[29]

Rutherford County is a member of the Isothermal Planning and Development Commission regional council of governments.

The county is policed by the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office. The current sheriff is Aaron Ellenburg. ^[30]

United States presidential election results for Rutherford County, North Carolina ^[31]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	24,891	72.30%	9,135	26.53%	403	1.17%
2016	21,871	72.16%	7,512	24.79%	924	3.05%
2012	18,954	66.04%	9,374	32.66%	374	1.30%
2008	18,769	65.35%	9,641	33.57%	310	1.08%
2004	16,343	66.28%	8,184	33.19%	131	0.53%
2000	13,755	63.34%	7,697	35.44%	264	1.22%
1996	9,792	52.73%	7,162	38.57%	1,617	8.71%
1992	9,748	47.95%	7,855	38.64%	2,726	13.41%
1988	10,337	59.73%	6,926	40.02%	43	0.25%
1984	11,369	62.23%	6,862	37.56%	37	0.20%
1980	8,363	49.29%	8,315	49.01%	288	1.70%
1976	6,718	39.24%	10,361	60.52%	42	0.25%
1972	9,506	68.80%	4,140	29.97%	170	1.23%
1968	7,785	46.11%	4,622	27.38%	4,476	26.51%
1964	7,115	42.72%	9,541	57.28%	0	0.00%
1960	8,993	51.25%	8,554	48.75%	0	0.00%
1956	8,200	53.22%	7,208	46.78%	0	0.00%
1952	8,387	51.96%	7,755	48.04%	0	0.00%
1948	4,342	36.95%	5,992	51.00%	1,416	12.05%
1944	4,698	38.90%	7,379	61.10%	0	0.00%
1940	4,204	32.16%	8,869	67.84%	0	0.00%
1936	4,830	32.77%	9,911	67.23%	0	0.00%
1932	4,448	34.65%	8,336	64.93%	54	0.42%
1928	5,762	58.16%	4,146	41.84%	0	0.00%
1924	3,897	43.17%	5,101	56.51%	29	0.32%
1920	4,015	44.04%	5,101	55.96%	0	0.00%
1916	1,871	43.35%	2,445	56.65%	0	0.00%
1912	82	2.14%	2,180	56.93%	1,567	40.92%

Economy

Rutherford County has a large timber industry, as well as textile and construction materials manufacturing. The agricultural industry in Rutherfordton produces soybeans, wheat, corn, cotton, and livestock. ^[32]

In 2010, Rutherford County was selected as the location for a new $450 million data center for Facebook. ^{[33] [34]}

Horsehead Corporation announced the construction of its new, state-of-the-art zinc and diversified metals production facility in Rutherford County, NC, near the municipality of Forest City. ^[35]

Culture

Rutherford County has a tourism industry which includes areas like Lake Lure and Chimney Rock. ^[36]

Several films have been shot in Rutherford County, including Firestarter (1984), The Last of the Mohicans (1992), and Dirty Dancing (1987). ^[32]

Communities

Map of Rutherford County with municipal and township labels

Towns

• Bostic
• Ellenboro
• Forest City (largest community)
• Lake Lure
• Ruth
• Rutherfordton (county seat)
• Spindale

Village

• Chimney Rock

Census-designated places

• Caroleen
• Cliffside
• Henrietta

Unincorporated communities

• Corinth
• Danieltown
• Harris
• Hopewell
• Mount Vernon
• Union Mills
• Sandy Mush
• Hollis

Former community

• Alexander Mills

Townships

• Camp Creek
• Chimney Rock
• Colfax
• Cool Spring
• Duncans Creek
• Gilkey
• Golden Valley
• Green Hill
• High Shoals
• Logan Store
• Morgan
• Rutherfordton
• Sulphur Springs
• Union

Notable people

• William Chivous Bostic Sr., physician and researcher
• Smoky Burgess, record-setting major league baseball player
• Christopher Bechtler, German-born goldsmith
• Cordelia Camp, educator and author
• Bryan Coker, 12th President of Maryville College
• Walter Dalton, former lieutenant governor of North Carolina (in office 2009–2013)
• Tim Earley, American poet
• Pleasant Daniel Gold, American publisher and clergyman
• James Holland, former U.S. congressman
• Kay Hooper, best-selling author
• Lewis Jolley, running back for the Houston Oilers
• Robert McNair, former owner of the Houston Texans
• Phil Prince, 12th president of Clemson University
• Merle Davis Umstead, former first lady of North Carolina
• Felix Walker, former U.S. congressman

See also

• List of counties in North Carolina
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Rutherford County, North Carolina

References

1. "QuickFacts: Rutherford County, North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Davis, Anita Price; Walker, James M. (2006). Forest City. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 7–8. ISBN   978-0-7385-4218-8.
4. "Town History". Rutherfordton, NC. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
5. Wheeler, John Hill (1851). Historical Sketches of North Carolina from 1584 to 1851: Compiled from Original Records, Official Documents, and Traditional Statements : with Biographical Sketches of Her Distinguished Statesmen, Jurists, Lawyers, Soldiers, Divines, Etc. Lippincott, Grambo and Company. p. 399.
6. "History of the County | Burke County, NC". www.burkenc.org. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
7. "Cleveland County". NCpedia. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
8. "McDowell County". NCpedia. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
9. "Polk County, North Carolina". www.carolana.com. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
10. Proctor, Jim (2013). Lake Lure. Arcadia Publishing. p. 7. ISBN   978-0-7385-9843-7.
11. Davis, Anita Price (2013). Legendary Locals of Rutherford County. Arcadia Publishing. p. 14. ISBN   978-1-4671-0064-9.
12. Cole, J. Timothy (April 5, 2016). The Forest City Lynching of 1900: Populism, Racism, and White Supremacy in Rutherford County, North Carolina. McFarland. pp. 29–34. ISBN   978-0-7864-8040-1.
13. Proctor, Bradley David (May 2009). The reconstruction of white supremacy: the Ku Klux Klan in piedmont North Carolina, 1868 to 1872 (Thesis). doi: 10.17615/esp3-kp96 . OCLC   1105807085.^{[ page needed ]}
14. Davis, Anita Price; Walker, James M. (2004). Rutherford County in World War II. Arcadia Publishing. p. 7. ISBN   978-0-7385-1646-2.
15. US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "A Look Back at the Western Carolina Violent Tornado Outbreak of 5 May 1989". www.weather.gov. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
16. "2020 County Gazetteer Files – North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. August 23, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
17. Genth, Frederick Augustus (1891). The Minerals of North Carolina. U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 11, 12, 40, 48, 58, 73, 80.
18. Pratt, Joseph Hyde. "Gems And Gem Minerals Of North Carolina" (PDF).
19. "NCWRC Game Lands". www.ncpaws.org. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
20. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
21. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
22. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
23. "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 19, 2015.
24. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
25. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
26. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
27. Census, United States Bureau of the (1983). 1980 Census of Population and Housing: Census tracts. U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.
28. "County Commissioners". Rutherford County, NC. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
29. Keller, Deborah (February 26, 2015). "Rutherford County Appoints Garrison To County Manager". Rutherford Weekly. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
30. Starnes, Ritchie (November 9, 2022). "Voters choose Ellenburg in 3 candidate race". The Daily Courier. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
31. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
32. "Rutherford County". NCpedia. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
33. "Rutherford Data Center". Facebook. Archived from the original on November 15, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
34. "Rutherford County 12/07/10 - Facebook's Data Center Project Hires Locally". Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
35. "Horsehead Corporation". Archived from the original on May 7, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
36. Proctor, Jim (2013). Lake Lure. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 9–10. ISBN   978-0-7385-9843-7.

External links

• Geographic data related to Rutherford County, North Carolina at OpenStreetMap
• Official website
• Rutherford County Tourism Information
• NCGenWeb Rutherford County, free genealogy resources for the county
• Genealogical Society of Old Tryon County