Randolph County, North Carolina

Randolph County, North Carolina

Seal

Location in the state of North Carolina

North Carolina's location in the U.S.
Founded 1779
Seat Asheboro
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

790 sq mi (2,046 km²)
787 sq mi (2,038 km²)
3 sq mi (8 km²), 0.33%
Population
 - (2000)
 - Density

130,454
166/sq mi (64/km²)
Website www.co.randolph.nc.us

Randolph County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 130,454. Its county seat is Asheboro.[1] The center of population of North Carolina is located in Seagrove.[2]

Contents

History

Some of the first settlers of what would become the county were English Quakers, who settled along the Haw and Deep River. Eno Rivers.[3] The county was formed in 1779 from Guilford County. It was named for Peyton Randolph, first president of the Continental Congress.

Randolph County was the original location of what became Duke University.

The county is home to one of the last remaining covered bridges in the state. The Pisgah Covered Bridge, in Union Township, is in the southwestern part of the county and was destroyed by a flood in 2003, but has been completely restored and is still standing.[4][5]

In 1911, a new county called Piedmont County was proposed, with High Point as its county seat, to be created from Guilford, Davidson and Randolph Counties. Many people appeared at the Guilford County courthouse to oppose the plan, vowing to go to the state legislature to protest. The state legislature voted down the plan in February 1911.[6][7]

Law and government

Randolph County is a member of the regional Piedmont Triad Council of Governments. Randolph County is predominantly Republican. It is often considered one of the most Republican dominated counties in the state with most local elections having only a Republican on the ballot.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 790 square miles (2,000 km2), of which, 787 square miles (2,040 km2) of it is land and 3 square miles (7.8 km2) of it (0.33%) is water. Randolph County is located in the center of North Carolina & the city of Asheboro (located in Randolph County) is the center point of North Carolina. Randolph County is located in the Piedmont section of central North Carolina, a region of gently rolling hills and woodlands. However, the central and western parts of the county contain the Uwharrie Mountains and the Caraway Mountains. These two ranges are the remnants of a much-higher range of ancient peaks. Today they rarely top 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level, yet due to the relative low terrain around them, they still rise 200 - 500 feet (150 m) above their base. The highest point in Randolph County is Shepherd Mountain, a peak in the Caraways. The North Carolina Zoo is located atop Purgatory Mountain, one of the peaks of the Uwharries.

Townships

The county is divided into twenty two townships: Asheboro, Archdale, Back Creek, Brower, Cedar Grove, Coleridge, Columbia, Concord, Farmer, Franklinville, Grant, Level Cross, Liberty, New Hope, New Market, Pleasant Grove, Providence, Randleman, Richland, Tabernacle, Trinity, and Union.

Adjacent counties

Notable people

Demographics

As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 130,454 people, 50,659 households, and 37,335 families residing in the county. The population density was 166 people per square mile (64/km²). There were 54,422 housing units at an average density of 69 per square mile (27/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.20% White, 5.63% Black or African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.01% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 6.63% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As with much of North Carolina the Latino population of Randolph County continued to grow into the 21st century. 2005 figures placed the Latino population as 9.3% of the county's total.

In 2000 there were 50,659 households out of which 33.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.10% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.30% were non-families. 22.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.00% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 31.30% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,348, and the median income for a family was $44,369. Males had a median income of $30,575 versus $22,503 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,236. About 6.80% of families and 9.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.60% of those under age 18 and 11.50% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Unincorporated communities

See also

References

  1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ Bishir, Catherine (2005). North Carolina Architecture. UNC Press. pp. 38. http://books.google.com/books?id=NccTgQkmPIEC. 
  4. ^ Mark Brumley and Cynthia Jeffries, "Rain Washes Away Historical Bridge," Greensboro News & Record, August 11, 2003.
  5. ^ "You don't have to go far for local history," Greensboro News & Record, June 19, 2010.
  6. ^ Jack Scism, "Rembember When?", Greensboro News & Record, January 23, 2011.
  7. ^ Jack Scism, "Rembember When?", Greensboro News & Record, February 6, 2011.
  8. ^ http://www.asheboro.com/users/teallen/rufus1.htm
  9. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links