Guilford County, North Carolina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Guilford County, North Carolina | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of North Carolina |
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 North Carolina's location in the USA |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1771 |
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| Seat | Greensboro |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
1,703 km² (658 mi²) 1,682 km² (649 mi²) 21 km² (8 mi²), 1.26% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
421,048 250/km² |
| Website: www.co.guilford.nc.us | |
Guilford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 421,048. Its county seat is Greensboro6. Since 1938, an additional county court has been located in High Point, North Carolina, making Guilford one of only a handfull of counties nationwide with a dual court system. High Point's courthouse is the 101st courthouse in North Carolina.
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[edit] History
The county was formed in 1771 from parts of Rowan County and Orange County. It was named for Francis North, 1st Earl of Guildford, father of Frederick North, Lord North, British Prime Minister from 1770 to 1782.
On March 15, 1781, the Battle of Guilford Court House was fought in present-day Greensboro between Generals Charles Cornwallis and Nathanael Greene during the American Revolution as its penultimate battle.
In 1779 the southern third of Guilford County became Randolph County. In 1785 the northern half of its remaining territory became Rockingham County.
In 1960 Guilford County saw the Greensboro Four spark a phase of the American civil rights movement. In just two months the sit-in movement spread to 54 cities in 9 states. In 1979, the Greensboro massacre where the predominantly African American Maoist Communist Workers Party (CWP) attempting to organize industrial workers were attacked by the Ku Klux Klan and members of the American Nazi Party.
[edit] Law and government
Guilford County is a member of the regional Piedmont Triad Council of Governments.
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,703 km² (658 mi²). 1,682 km² (649 mi²) of it is land and 21 km² (8 mi²) of it (1.26%) is water.
The county is drained, in part, by the Deep and Haw Rivers.
[edit] Townships
The county is divided into eighteen townships: Bruce, Center Grove, Clay, Deep River, Fentress, Friendship, Gilmer, Greene, High Point, Jamestown, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Morehead, Oak Ridge, Rock Creek, Sumner, and Washington.
[edit] Adjacent Counties
- Rockingham County (north)
- Alamance County (east)
- Randolph County (south)
- Davidson County (southwest)
- Forsyth County (west)
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 421,048 people, 168,667 households, and 109,802 families residing in the county. The population density was 250/km² (648/mi²). There were 180,391 housing units at an average density of 107/km² (278/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 64.53% White, 29.27% Black or African American, 0.46% Native American, 2.44% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.81% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races. 3.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 168,667 households out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.00% were married couples living together, 13.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.90% were non-families. 27.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county the population was spread out with 23.70% under the age of 18, 11.00% from 18 to 24, 31.40% from 25 to 44, 22.10% from 45 to 64, and 11.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,618, and the median income for a family was $52,638. Males had a median income of $35,940 versus $27,092 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,340. About 7.60% of families and 10.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.80% of those under age 18 and 9.90% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Cities and towns
- Greensboro
- High Point
- Jamestown
- Oak Ridge
- Pleasant Garden
- Sedalia
- Stokesdale
- Summerfield
- Whitsett
- Colfax
- Browns Summit
- Gibsonville
Part of Archdale is in Guilford County
