Wilkes County, North Carolina
Wilkes County | |
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Wilkes County Courthouse | |
UTC−4 (EDT) | |
Congressional district | 5th |
Website | www |
Wilkes County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is a part of the state's western mountain region. As of the 2020 census the population was 65,969.[1] Its county seat is Wilkesboro,[2] and its largest community is North Wilkesboro. Wilkes County comprises the North Wilkesboro, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area.[3]
History
The county was formed from parts of
In 1799, the northern and western parts of Wilkes County became Ashe County. In 1841, parts of Wilkes County and Burke County were combined to form Caldwell County. In 1847, another part of Wilkes County was combined with parts of Caldwell County and Iredell County to become Alexander County. In 1849, additional parts of Wilkes County and Caldwell County were combined with parts of Ashe County and Yancey County to form Watauga County. Numerous boundary adjustments were made thereafter, but none resulted in new counties.
Moonshine production and the birth of NASCAR
Wilkes County was once known as the "
The North Wilkesboro Speedway was the first NASCAR (National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing) track; it held its first race on May 18, 1947,[5] and the first NASCAR-sanctioned race on October 16, 1949.[6] Wilkes County native and resident Junior Johnson was one of the early superstars of NASCAR, as well as a legendary moonshiner. Johnson was featured by the writer Tom Wolfe in a 1965 Esquire magazine article titled "The Last American Hero Is Junior Johnson. Yes!", which gave him national exposure. Wolfe's vivid article was later adapted as the movie The Last American Hero (1973), starring Jeff Bridges and Valerie Perrine. Benny Parsons and Jimmy Pardue were two other notable NASCAR drivers from Wilkes.
The North Wilkesboro Speedway was closed following the 1996 NASCAR season. Two new owners, Bob Bahre and
Geography
According to the
Wilkes County is located on the eastern slope of the
Climate
Due to its wide range of elevation, Wilkes County's climate varies considerably. In winter, it is not unusual for it to be sunny with the temperature in the forties in the county's eastern section, while at the same time it is snowing or sleeting with the temperature below freezing in the county's mountainous north, west, and south. Generally speaking, Wilkes receives ample amounts of precipitation, with frequent
National protected areas
- Blue Ridge Parkway (part)
- Doughton Recreation Area (part)
- E.B. Jeffress Park[26]
State and local protected areas
- Buffalo Cove Game Land (part)[27]
- Kerr Scott Game Land[27]
- Rendezvous Mountain State Forest Game Land[27]
- Rendezvous Mountain State Park
- Stone Mountain State Park (part)
- Thurmond Chatham Game Land (part)[27]
Major water bodies
- Big Sandy Creek
- Big Warrior Creek
- Brier Creek
- Coal Creek
- Cub Creek
- Dugger Creek
- East Prong Roaring River
- Elk Creek
- Elkin Creek
- Fall Creek
- Fishing Creek
- Grassy Fork
- Hunting Creek[28]
- Little Dugger Creek
- Little Elkin Creek
- Little Hunting Creek
- Lousy Creek
- Mulberry Creek
- Osborn Creek
- North Fork Reddies River
- North Little Hunting Creek[28]
- Reddies River
- Roaring River
- Sandy Creek
- South Fork Reddies River
- W. Kerr Scott Dam and Reservoir
- Yadkin River
- Yates Creek
Adjacent counties
- Alexander County – south
- Alleghany County – north
- Ashe County – northwest
- Caldwell County – southwest
- Iredell County – southeast
- Surry County – northeast
- Watauga County – west
- Yadkin County – east
Major highways
Wilkes County is home to several NC and US Highways, as well as an airport and public transportation. Wilkes is also one of the twenty-seven NC counties which the Blue Ridge Parkway runs through.
Major infrastructure
- North Wilkesboro Speedway, famous speedway in Wilkes County
- Wilkes County Airport
- Wilkes Transportation Authority, serves Wilkes County with buses and vans along a scheduled route and rural service
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1790 | 8,157 | — | |
1800 | 7,247 | −11.2% | |
1810 | 9,054 | 24.9% | |
1820 | 9,967 | 10.1% | |
1830 | 11,968 | 20.1% | |
1840 | 12,577 | 5.1% | |
1850 | 12,099 | −3.8% | |
1860 | 14,749 | 21.9% | |
1870 | 15,539 | 5.4% | |
1880 | 19,181 | 23.4% | |
1890 | 22,675 | 18.2% | |
1900 | 26,872 | 18.5% | |
1910 | 30,282 | 12.7% | |
1920 | 32,644 | 7.8% | |
1930 | 36,162 | 10.8% | |
1940 | 43,003 | 18.9% | |
1950 | 45,243 | 5.2% | |
1960 | 45,269 | 0.1% | |
1970 | 49,524 | 9.4% | |
1980 | 58,657 | 18.4% | |
1990 | 59,393 | 1.3% | |
2000 | 65,352 | 10.0% | |
2010 | 69,340 | 6.1% | |
2020 | 65,969 | −4.9% | |
2023 (est.) | 66,013 | [1] | 0.1% |
U.S. Decennial Census[29] 1790–1960[30] 1900–1990[31] 1990–2000[32] 2010[33] 2020[1] |
2020 census
Race | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic)
|
56,316 | 85.37% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
|
2,580 | 3.91% |
Native American
|
86 | 0.13% |
Asian
|
324 | 0.49% |
Pacific Islander
|
5 | 0.01% |
Other/Mixed
|
2,004 | 3.04% |
Latino
|
4,654 | 7.05% |
As of the 2020 census, there were 65,969 people, 28,376 households, and 17,409 families residing in the county.
2010 census
At the 2010 census,[35] there were 69,340 people, 28,360 households, and 19,683 families residing in the county. The population density was 91.91 people per square mile (35.49 people/km2). There were 33,065 housing units at an average density of 43.84 units per square mile (16.93 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.60% White or European American, 4.08% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.33% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. Of all races, 5.44% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.
There were 28,360 households, out of which 26.76% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.03% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.60% were non-families. Of all households, 26.69% were made up of individuals, and 11.59% 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 2.89.
In the county, the population breakdown by age is: 22.41% under the age of 18, 7.16% from 18 to 24, 23.96% from 25 to 44, 29.49% from 45 to 64, and 16.99% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.4 years. For every 100 females there were 97.69 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.42 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,668, and the median income for a family was $39,670. Males had a median income of $30,917 versus $26,182 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,319. About 17.60% of families and 21.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.60% of those under age 18 and 13.40% of those age 65 or over.
Religion
Since colonial times Wilkes County has been overwhelmingly
Government and politics
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 27,592 | 77.80% | 7,511 | 21.18% | 363 | 1.02% |
2016 | 23,752 | 75.89% | 6,638 | 21.21% | 906 | 2.89% |
2012 | 20,515 | 70.39% | 8,148 | 27.96% | 482 | 1.65% |
2008 | 20,288 | 68.25% | 8,934 | 30.06% | 502 | 1.69% |
2004 | 19,197 | 70.70% | 7,862 | 28.95% | 95 | 0.35% |
2000 | 16,826 | 69.18% | 7,226 | 29.71% | 271 | 1.11% |
1996 | 12,395 | 58.39% | 6,793 | 32.00% | 2,040 | 9.61% |
1992 | 12,547 | 52.57% | 7,991 | 33.48% | 3,330 | 13.95% |
1988 | 15,231 | 67.65% | 7,230 | 32.11% | 53 | 0.24% |
1984 | 18,670 | 73.03% | 6,852 | 26.80% | 42 | 0.16% |
1980 | 14,462 | 62.74% | 8,184 | 35.51% | 403 | 1.75% |
1976 | 11,768 | 53.43% | 10,176 | 46.20% | 80 | 0.36% |
1972 | 13,015 | 72.69% | 4,634 | 25.88% | 255 | 1.42% |
1968 | 11,195 | 60.29% | 4,497 | 24.22% | 2,876 | 15.49% |
1964 | 11,014 | 54.55% | 9,176 | 45.45% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 13,016 | 61.98% | 7,986 | 38.02% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 11,544 | 66.29% | 5,870 | 33.71% | 0 | 0.00% |
1952 | 11,446 | 61.57% | 7,143 | 38.43% | 0 | 0.00% |
1948 | 8,234 | 57.18% | 5,784 | 40.17% | 382 | 2.65% |
1944 | 9,121 | 62.01% | 5,587 | 37.99% | 0 | 0.00% |
1940 | 8,446 | 53.64% | 7,299 | 46.36% | 0 | 0.00% |
1936 | 8,358 | 56.23% | 6,506 | 43.77% | 0 | 0.00% |
1932 | 6,522 | 53.64% | 5,598 | 46.04% | 39 | 0.32% |
1928 | 7,808 | 73.59% | 2,802 | 26.41% | 0 | 0.00% |
1924 | 6,131 | 63.02% | 3,586 | 36.86% | 11 | 0.11% |
1920 | 6,451 | 69.41% | 2,843 | 30.59% | 0 | 0.00% |
1916 | 3,470 | 68.01% | 1,632 | 31.99% | 0 | 0.00% |
1912 | 331 | 7.29% | 1,636 | 36.05% | 2,571 | 56.65% |
1908 | 3,382 | 68.34% | 1,559 | 31.50% | 8 | 0.16% |
1904 | 2,470 | 65.21% | 1,318 | 34.79% | 0 | 0.00% |
1900 | 2,840 | 62.47% | 1,704 | 37.48% | 2 | 0.04% |
1896 | 2,835 | 61.07% | 1,801 | 38.80% | 6 | 0.13% |
1892 | 1,895 | 49.74% | 1,770 | 46.46% | 145 | 3.81% |
1888 | 2,292 | 57.31% | 1,691 | 42.29% | 16 | 0.40% |
1884 | 2,028 | 60.20% | 1,341 | 39.80% | 0 | 0.00% |
1880 | 1,583 | 51.18% | 1,510 | 48.82% | 0 | 0.00% |
Since the
The primary governing body of Wilkes County follows a
Wilkes County is a member of the regional High Country Council of Governments.[43]
In the North Carolina General Assembly, Wilkes is represented by Eddie Settle in North Carolina Senate's 36th district, and by Sarah Stevens in the 90th district and Jeffery Elmore in the 94th district of the North Carolina House of Representatives.[44][45]
In the US Senate, the county is represented by Ted Budd and Thom Tillis. Wilkes is entirely in North Carolina's 5th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives,[46] represented by Virginia Foxx.[47]
Wilkes County's economic struggles since 2000, and the county's strong support for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election and after, has led to Wilkes being prominently featured in numerous stories and articles by national news media outlets such as The New York Times, NBC News, PBS NewsHour, U.S. News & World Report, and MSNBC.[48][49][50][51][52]
Economy
Despite its rural character and relatively small population, Wilkes County has been the birthplace of numerous large industries. Lowe's, the second-largest chain of home-improvement stores in the nation (after The Home Depot) was started in Wilkes County in 1946. Until 2003, Lowe's had its corporate headquarters in Wilkes County, but the company has since relocated most of its corporate functions to Mooresville, North Carolina, a fast-growing suburb of Charlotte. However, Lowe's large office in Wilkesboro still houses many corporate departments, and Lowe's remains the county's second-largest employer.[53] A telecommunications firm, Carolina West Wireless, was started in Wilkesboro in 1991 and is also headquartered in the county.
Other industries which started in Wilkes County are Lowes Foods (now headquartered in Winston-Salem) and The Northwestern Bank, which was once North Carolina's fourth-largest banking chain until it was merged with First Union Bank in 1986. The Carolina Mirror Company in North Wilkesboro, founded in the 1930s, was for many years the largest mirror factory in America. Today Gardner Glass Products Inc. still produces mirrors in North Wilkesboro. Holly Farms, in Wilkesboro, was the largest poultry producer in the Southeastern United States until it was bought by Tyson Foods in 1989. Wilkes County remains one of the largest producers of poultry in the Eastern United States, and many of the county's farmers are poultry farmers for Tyson Foods. Tyson is the largest employer in Wilkes.[53]
Like many rural areas in North Carolina, Wilkes County has suffered since 2000 from the closing of nearly all of its textile and furniture factories, which formed a major part of its economic base.[54] Most of these factories have moved to low-wage locations in Latin America and Asia, especially China and Vietnam. According to Stateline, the number of Wilkes County residents employed in manufacturing dropped from 8,548 in 2000 to approximately 4,000 as of 2015, a reduction of over 53%.[55] From 2000 to 2014, the median household income in Wilkes declined by over 30%.[55] However, from 2014 to 2017 the median household income increased by nearly 22%, and in 2017 Wilkes was ranked 47th out of 100 counties for "economic distress" by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.[56]
Wine region
Wilkes County is part of the Yadkin Valley AVA, an American Viticultural Area. Wines made from grapes grown in Wilkes County may use the appellation Yadkin Valley on their labels. With the decline of tobacco farming, some Wilkes County farmers have switched to wine-making, and have hired experts from Europe and California for assistance. As a result, wine-making is growing in popularity in both Wilkes and surrounding counties.
In May of each year, Wilkes county celebrates the new wine industry with the Shine to Wine Festival, held in downtown North Wilkesboro.
Education
The
Wilkes County is served by the Appalachian Regional Library.[61]
Media
Wilkes County has two local newspapers:
- Wilkes Journal-Patriot – Founded in 1906, the Journal-Patriot is published one time per week.
- The Record of Wilkes – Published once per week on the internet, it usually focuses on the local arts scene in Wilkes.
The county has three radio stations:
- Hot AC) music and flagship station for football and basketball games of nearby Appalachian State University.
- WKBC (AM) (800 AM) – American country music.
- Southern Gospelmusic and local news and high school sports broadcasts.
Most of the county can pick up the Television Stations broadcasting from Winston-Salem
Wilkes County is also home to GoWilkes.com, an internet media source that allows residents to discuss current events and local happenings in real time. GoWilkes.com was voted the 2004 Small Business of the Year by the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce.[62]
Hospitals
Events and festivals
Wilkes County has strong musical roots, and those roots are displayed at:
It hosts the annual Shine to Wine Festival, in downtown North Wilkesboro. Held on the first Saturday of May, the Shine to Wine festival pays tribute to the county's heritage of growing from the Moonshine Capital of the World to what is now recognized as a strong viticultural industry.
Wilkes County is also home to the annual Brushy Mountain Apple Festival, which is held in downtown North Wilkesboro the first weekend in October. The festival, which attracts over 160,000 visitors each year, is one of the largest single-day arts and crafts fairs in the Southern United States.
Carolina in the Fall is another music festival each September in the Historic Downtown Wilkesboro and is hosted by the Heart of Folk and the Kruger Brothers. The festival and venue won an award at the IBMA and features music, wine and beer garden and food truck competition. It continues to grow in popularity.
The Carolina West Wireless Community Commons and Wilkes Communications Pavilion has "Concerts on the Commons," a live music concert series held from May through October annually.
In 1988 legendary,
Communities
Towns
- Elkin (also in Surry County)
- North Wilkesboro (largest community)
- Ronda
- Wilkesboro (county seat)
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
Townships
- Antioch
- Beaver Creek
- Boomer
- Brushy Mountains
- Edwards
- Elk
- Jobs Cabin
- Lewis Fork
- Lovelace
- Moravian Falls
- Mulberry
- New Castle
- North Wilkesboro
- Rock Creek
- Reddies River
- Somers
- Stanton
- Traphill
- Union
- Walnut Grove
- Wilkesboro
Notable people
- Daniel Boone (1734–1820), explorer and pioneer, lived in Wilkes County for several years and married a Wilkes County native before moving west to Kentucky.
- captain during the Revolutionary War, served as one of the state Treasurers (1782–1784), and served in the North Carolina state legislature(1784–1787).
- Siamese twins, who were a popular attraction in Asia, Europe, and North America in the nineteenth century, settled in Wilkes County in the 1850s, married two local sisters, and between them fathered 21 children.
- U.S. Senatorfrom West Virginia 1959–2010; longest-serving Senator in American history.
- Benjamin Cleveland (1738–1806), colonel in the North Carolina militia during the Revolutionary War. He was one of the American commanders at the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780.
- Tom Dula (Dooley) (1844–1868), Confederate veteran who was tried and hanged for the murder of his fiancée, Laura Foster; subject of the folk ballad "Tom Dooley".[68]
- Zach Galifianakis (born 1969), actor and comedian.
- Confederate Army during the American Civil War; killed while commanding the regiment which advanced the farthest into enemy lines during Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg.
- Confederate Army during the American Civil War.
- Deneen Graham (born 1964), the first black woman to be crowned Miss North Carolina (1983).
- Roger Hamby (born 1943), Former NASCAR driver and former team owner
- Junior Johnson (1931–2019), in the 1950s, Johnson became a legend in the rural South by consistently outrunning law-enforcement officials in auto chases while delivering homemade liquor (moonshine) to his customers. Johnson then became a champion NASCAR racer, winning 50 NASCAR races before his retirement.[69]
- Sallie Chapman Gordon Law (1805–1894), first recorded Confederate nurse in the Civil War.
- William Ballard Lenoir (1751–1839), the first President of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- Lucius Smith Lowe (1879–1940), Founder of North Wilkesboro Hardware, which later became Lowe's Home Improvement
- James Lucius Lowe (1918–1965), Founder of Lowe's Home Improvement.
- Ruth Lowe Buchan (1912–1994), Daughter of Lucius Smith Lowe and sister of James Lowe, After her father died in 1940 she inherited the North Wilkesboro Hardware store, who sold the company to her brother James Lowe that same year. James took on his brother-in-law Carl Buchan as a partner in 1943.
- Benny Parsons (1941–2007), NASCAR racer who won the 1973 NASCAR championship. After his retirement, he became a TV racing analyst.
- James Larkin Pearson (1879–1981), poet and newspaper publisher who served as North Carolina Poet Laureate from 1953 to 1981.
- Waylon Reavis (born 1978), musician, lead vocalist of Cleveland, Ohio metal band Mushroomhead.
- Shirrel Rhoades (born 1942), writer, publisher, professor, filmmaker, and the former executive vice president of Marvel Entertainment.
- Morgan Shepherd (born 1941), NASCAR driver for over fifty years; oldest driver to lead at least one lap in a NASCAR race. He currently owns his own team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series as the Shepherd Racing Ventures team
- United States Senator, Governor of North Carolina (1816–1832), appointed by President Andrew Jackson to lead the Federal Indian Commission in what is now Oklahoma; he is believed to be the only veteran of the Revolutionary Warburied in that state.
- John Swofford (born 1948), Commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) from 1997 to 2021; coordinator of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) in college football.
- William Oliver Swofford (1945–2000), pop singer in the 1960s and 1970s (under the name Oliver), known for his hits Good Morning Starshine (featured in the Broadway musical Hair) and Jean, the theme song of the Oscar-winning film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
Tom Dooley
Wilkes County native Tom Dula (Dooley), a Confederate veteran of the American Civil War who was tried and hanged shortly after the war for the murder of his fiancée, Laura Foster. To this day many people believe that one of Dula's jealous ex-girlfriends murdered Laura Foster, that Dula was innocent of the crime, and that he accepted blame only to protect his former lover.[68]
The case was given nationwide publicity by newspapers such as
In 2001, Tom Dula was ceremonially acquitted of all charges by the county.[68]
See also
- List of counties in North Carolina
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Wilkes County, North Carolina
- Swan Creek AVA, wine region partially located in the county
- Yadkin Valley AVA, wine region partially located in the county
References
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- ^ Journal, Lynn Felder/Winston-Salem. "MerleFest sees bump in attendance". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- ^ "EDC hears statistics on MerleFest". journalpatriot. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- ^ a b c Lundin, Leigh (February 21, 2010). "Who Killed Laura Foster?". Tom Dula. Criminal Brief.
- ^ Goldstein, Richard (December 20, 2019). "Junior Johnson, Good-Old-Boy Auto Racing Star, Is Dead at 88". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
External links
- Geographic data related to Wilkes County, North Carolina at OpenStreetMap
- Official website
- Wilkes County Chamber of Commerce