Union County, North Carolina

	Union County
	Founded 1842
	Website www.co.union.nc.us

Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 123,677; its 2008 population was estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau to be 193,255.^[1] Its county seat is Monroe Template:GR. It is often referred to by the nickname "Sweet Union".

History

Union County Courthouse

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.

Law and government

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

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 640 square miles (1,657 km²), of which, 637 square miles (1,651 km²) of it is land and 2 square miles (6 km²) of it (0.35%) is water.

Townships

The county is divided into nine townships: Goose Creek, Jackson, Marshville, Monroe, New Salem, Vance , Buford , Lanes Creek, and Sandy Ridge, Indian trail.

Adjacent counties

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

Demographics

As of the census Template:GR of 2000, there were 123,677 people, 43,390 households, and 34,278 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 72 per square mile (28/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.83% White, 12.52% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.64% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. 6.17% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 43,390 households out of which 39.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.30% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.00% were non-families. 17.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the county the population was spread out with 28.10% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 33.20% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 9.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 99.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $50,638, and the median income for a family was $56,197. Males had a median income of $37,125 versus $26,577 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,978. About 5.80% of families and 8.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.60% of those under age 18 and 10.40% of those age 65 or over.

In 2010 Union County was ranked number 16 on The Daily Caller's list of America's 100 most conservative-friendly counties.^[2]

Cities and towns

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

Annual events in Union County

Brooklandwood in the Union County town of Mineral Springs is the site of the Queens Cup Steeplechase, 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 descend on Mineral Springs from all parts of the country to take part in this day long event of races and other activities.

The Union County town of Marshville is the site of the Boll Weevil Festival, an annual street fair and carnival that takes place every fall.

Local Universities And High Schools

South Piedmont Community College [1]

Central Academy of Technology and Arts [2]

Cuthbertson High School [3]

Forest Hills High School [4]

Marvin Ridge High School [5]

Monroe High School [6]

Parkwood High School [7]

Piedmont High School [8]

Porter Ridge High School [9]

Sun Valley High School [10]

Union County Early College [11]

Weddington High School [12]

Wingate University [13]

References

↑ http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/files/CO-EST2008-POPCHG2000_2008-37.csv
↑ Palko, Chris (March 19, 2010). "America's top 20 conservative-friendly counties". The Daily Caller. http://dailycaller.com/2010/03/19/americas-top-20-conservative-friendly-counties/2/. Retrieved 19 March 2010.

External links

This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia adapted for use as a quick research reference on this wiki. The original content was here: Union County, North Carolina. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with the ENC Phillips Group Wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.

[1] ttp://www.census.gov/popest/counties/files/CO-EST2008-POPCHG2000_2008-37.csv