Union County, North Carolina

Last updated

Union County
Union County Courthouse, Monroe, NC September 2017, side view.jpg
Flag of Union County, North Carolina.png
Union County Seal.png
Union County Logo.png
Motto: 
"Plant your future."
Map of North Carolina highlighting Union County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
North Carolina in United States.svg
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°59′N80°32′W / 34.99°N 80.53°W / 34.99; -80.53
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of North Carolina.svg  North Carolina
Founded1842
Named for Compromise name that both local Democrats and Whigs agreed on [1]
Seat Monroe
Largest community Indian Trail
Area
  Total639.65 sq mi (1,656.7 km2)
  Land632.74 sq mi (1,638.8 km2)
  Water6.91 sq mi (17.9 km2)  1.08%
Population
 (2020)
  Total238,267
  Estimate 
(2023)
256,452
  Density376.56/sq mi (145.39/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
  Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts 8th
Website www.unioncountync.gov

Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 238,267. [2] Its county seat is Monroe. [3] Union County is included in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Contents

History

The county was formed in 1842 from parts of Anson County and Mecklenburg County. Its name was a compromise between Whigs, who wanted to name the new county for Henry Clay, and Democrats, who wanted to name it for Andrew Jackson. The Helms, Starnes, McRorie, and Belk families were prominent in the town as well as Monroe and Charlotte. Most of these families came from Goose Creek Township.

Monroe, the county seat of Union County, also became a focal point during the Civil Rights Movement. In 1958, local NAACP Chapter President Robert F. Williams defended a 9-year-old African American boy who had been kissed by a white girl in an incident known as the Kissing Case. A second African-American boy, aged 7, was also convicted and sentenced to live in a juvenile reformatory until he was 21 for simply witnessing the act. After three months in a detention center, Governor Luther H. Hodges pardoned the boys.

Geography

Union County, North Carolina
Interactive map of Union County
Entering Union County on North Carolina Highway 200 Entering Union County on North Carolina Highway 200.jpg
Entering Union County on North Carolina Highway 200

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 639.65 square miles (1,656.7 km2), of which 632.74 square miles (1,638.8 km2) is land and 6.91 square miles (17.9 km2) (1.08%) is water. [4]

State and local protected areas

Major water bodies

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Major Infrastructure

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1850 10,051
1860 11,20211.5%
1870 12,2179.1%
1880 18,05647.8%
1890 21,25917.7%
1900 27,15627.7%
1910 33,27722.5%
1920 36,0298.3%
1930 40,97913.7%
1940 39,097−4.6%
1950 42,0347.5%
1960 44,6706.3%
1970 54,71422.5%
1980 70,38028.6%
1990 84,21119.7%
2000 123,67746.9%
2010 201,29262.8%
2020 238,26718.4%
2023 (est.)256,452 [2] 7.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [10]
1790–1960 [11] 1900–1990 [12]
1990–2000 [13] 2010–2020 [2]

2020 census

Union County racial composition [14]
RaceNumberPercentage
White (non-Hispanic)161,11367.62%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)26,50011.12%
Native American 6410.27%
Asian 9,5163.99%
Pacific Islander 900.04%
Other/Mixed 10,2974.32%
Hispanic or Latino 30,11012.64%

As of the 2020 census, there were 238,267 people, 77,954 households, and 62,932 families residing in the county.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, [15] there were 201,292 people, 67,864 households, and 54,019 families residing in the county. The population density was 194 people per square mile (75 people/km2). There were 45,695 housing units at an average density of 31.4 units per square mile (12.1 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 79.0% White, 11.7% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 5.3% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. 10.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 67,864 households, out of which 42.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.60% were married couples living together, and 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present. 6.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.3.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 32.90% under the age of 20, 4.7% from 20 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.2 years. The population was 49.4% male. Northern Union County has the southern foothills of the Uwharrie Mountains

Government and politics

Union County Government Center in Monroe Union County Government Center.jpg
Union County Government Center in Monroe

In the early through mid-twentieth century, Union County was a firm "Solid South" Democratic county. Union County remained traditionally "Solid South" until after the Civil Rights Movement. The first Republican to win the county was Richard Nixon [17] with less than forty percent of the vote in a three-way race in 1968. Following Nixon's election, the trend towards liberalism in the Democratic Party has turned Union County into a strongly Republican county since the late twentieth century. The last Democrat to win Union County was Jimmy Carter in 1980, and since then, no Democrat has won more than 38 percent of the county's vote.

Union County is a member of the regional Centralina Council of Governments. [18]

Education

Events

Two major annual events occur in the county:

Communities

Map of Union County with municipal and township labels Map of Union County North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels.PNG
Map of Union County with municipal and township labels

City

Towns

Villages

Townships

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Ghost town

See also

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References

  1. Powell, William S. (January 1, 2006). "Union County". NCpedia. University of North Carolina Press . Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "QuickFacts: Union County, North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. "2020 County Gazetteer Files – North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. August 23, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  5. "Mineral Springs Greenway". Carolina Thread Trail Map. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  6. "Rocky River Blueway". Carolina Thread Trail Map. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 "City of Monroe, NC > Departments > Water & Sewer > Lakes & Vegetative Buffers". www.monroenc.org. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  8. "FAA Information about Goose Creek Airport (28A)". www.airport-data.com. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  9. "AirNav: N52 - JAARS-Townsend Airport". www.airnav.com. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  10. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  11. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  12. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  13. "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 February 7, 2015.
  14. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  15. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  16. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  17. Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, pp. 95-96 ISBN   0786422173
  18. "Centralina Council of Governments" . Retrieved August 10, 2019.