Union County, North Carolina

Union County
Union County
U.S. county
	Union County Courthouse in 2017
	Seal
	Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
	North Carolina's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 34°59′N 80°32′W / 34.99°N 80.53°W
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Founded	1842
Seat	Monroe
Largest town	Indian Trail
Area
• Total	640 sq mi (1,700 km2)
• Land	632 sq mi (1,640 km2)
• Water	8.0 sq mi (21 km2) 1.3%%
Population
• Estimate (2020)	244,562
• Density	386.97/sq mi (149.41/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	9th
Website	www.co.union.nc.us

Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 201,292.^[1] Its county seat is Monroe.^[2] Union County is included in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

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 nine-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 seven, was also convicted and sentenced to live in a juvenile reformatory until he was 21 for simply witnessing the act. In 1961, Williams was accused of kidnapping an elderly white couple, when he sheltered them in his house during a very explosive situation of high racial tensions. Williams fled and went into exile in Cuba and in the People's Republic of China before returning to the United States.

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 640 square miles (1,700 km²), of which 632 square miles (1,640 km²) is land and 8.0 square miles (21 km²) (1.3%) is water.^[3]

Adjacent counties[]

Cabarrus County - north
Stanly County - northeast
Anson County - east
Chesterfield County, South Carolina - southeast
Lancaster County, South Carolina - southwest
Mecklenburg County - northwest

Major highways[]

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	10,051	—
1860	11,202	11.5%
1870	12,217	9.1%
1880	18,056	47.8%
1890	21,259	17.7%
1900	27,156	27.7%
1910	33,277	22.5%
1920	36,029	8.3%
1930	40,979	13.7%
1940	39,097	−4.6%
1950	42,034	7.5%
1960	44,670	6.3%
1970	54,714	22.5%
1980	70,380	28.6%
1990	84,211	19.7%
2000	123,677	46.9%
2010	201,292	62.8%
2020	238,267	18.4%

As of the census^[4] of 2010, 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/km²). There were 45,695 housing units at an average density of 31.4 per square mile (12.3/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

Communities[]

Map of Union County, North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

City[]

Monroe (county seat)

Towns[]

Villages[]

Census-designated place[]

JAARS

Unincorporated communities[]

Ghost towns[]

Gibraltar

Townships[]

Politics, law and government[]

In the early twentieth century, Union County was typically firm "Solid South" Democratic apart from the 1928 election when anti-Catholicism reduced Al Smith's margin of victory in the county to only seven percentage points. Union County remained classically "Solid South" until after the Civil Rights Movement. The first Republican to win the county was Richard Nixon^[5] 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 into a strongly Republican county over the past half-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.

show

Presidential election results

Union County is a member of the regional Centralina Council of Governments.^[7]

Education[]

South Piedmont Community College
Central Academy of Technology and Arts
Cuthbertson High School
Marvin Ridge High School
Monroe Charter Academy
Monroe High School
Parkwood High School
Piedmont High School
Porter Ridge High School
Sun Valley High School
Arborbrook Christian Academy
Union Academy
Weddington High School
Wingate University
Shiloh Elementary

Events[]

Entering Union County on North Carolina Highway 200

Brooklandwood in Mineral Springs is the site of the , one of steeplechase horse racing's major annual events. The program consists of several races, and is held the last Saturday of April. The schedule of events also features a Jack Russell Terrier judging contest. Over 10,000 people typically attend the event.
The Union County town of Marshville is the site of the , an annual street fair and carnival that takes place every fall.

References[]

^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on January 12, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
^ Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, pp. 95-96 ISBN 0786422173
^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
^ "Centralina Council of Governments". Retrieved August 10, 2019.

External links[]

Coordinates: 34°59′N 80°32′W / 34.99°N 80.53°W / 34.99; -80.53

[QF-1] "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 30, 2013.

[GR6-2] "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.

[GR1-3] "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on January 12, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.

[GR2-4] "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

[5] Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, pp. 95-96 ISBN 0786422173

[6] Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-03-17.

[7] "Centralina Council of Governments". Retrieved August 10, 2019.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third parties
2020	61.4% 80,382	37.2% 48,725	1.5% 1,904
2016	63.1% 66,707	32.5% 34,337	4.4% 4,666
2012	64.5% 61,107	34.3% 32,473	1.2% 1,148
2008	62.9% 54,123	36.2% 31,189	0.9% 777
2004	70.2% 42,820	29.5% 17,974	0.3% 207
2000	67.6% 31,876	31.6% 14,890	0.8% 395
1996	57.0% 18,802	35.0% 11,525	8.0% 2,643
1992	51.7% 16,542	33.7% 10,789	14.6% 4,661
1988	65.7% 17,015	34.1% 8,820	0.2% 61
1984	70.5% 16,885	29.4% 7,048	0.2% 35
1980	45.8% 9,012	51.2% 10,073	3.1% 603
1976	36.7% 6,184	62.8% 10,578	0.5% 78
1972	71.6% 10,264	27.1% 3,886	1.3% 186
1968	38.7% 5,290	26.5% 3,630	34.8% 4,761
1964	37.0% 4,229	63.0% 7,208
1960	35.3% 4,030	64.7% 7,393
1956	34.5% 3,362	65.5% 6,383
1952	33.8% 3,790	66.2% 7,416
1948	14.4% 738	66.2% 3,407	19.4% 999
1944	16.3% 1,114	83.7% 5,729
1940	8.1% 634	91.9% 7,179
1936	7.4% 601	92.6% 7,480
1932	10.3% 710	88.8% 6,103	0.8% 57
1928	46.3% 2,448	53.7% 2,840
1924	19.6% 672	79.5% 2,721	0.9% 32
1920	25.2% 1,404	74.8% 4,168
1916	20.8% 702	79.0% 2,662	0.1% 4
1912	3.9% 92	75.9% 1,786	20.2% 476
1908	29.1% 834	70.8% 2,029	0.0% 0
1904	23.9% 379	74.7% 1,181	1.2% 20
1900	32.2% 864	66.8% 1,790	0.8% 22
1896	26.7% 1,009	72.6% 2,747	0.6% 23
1892	17.8% 572	56.1% 1,798	25.9% 830
1888	29.6% 879	69.7% 2,067	0.5% 16
1884	25.3% 627	74.6% 1,846	0.0% 0
1880	35.2% 824	64.7% 1,516	0.0% 0

show v t Municipalities and communities of Union County, North Carolina, United States
County seat: Monroe
City	Monroe
Towns	Fairview Hemby Bridge Indian Trail Marshville Mineral Springs Mint Hill‡ Stallings‡ Unionville Waxhaw Weddington‡ Wingate
Villages	Lake Park Marvin Wesley Chapel
CDP	JAARS
Other communities	Brief Houston Jackson New Salem Olive Branch Roughedge
Ghost town	Gibraltar
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
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