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Union County, North Carolina

Coordinates: 34°59′N 80°32′W / 34.99°N 80.53°W / 34.99; -80.53
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Union County
County
Union County Courthouse in Monroe
Union County Courthouse in Monroe
Flag of Union County
Flag
Official seal of Union County
Seal
Official logo of Union County
Logo
Motto: 
"Plant your future."
Map of North Carolina highlighting Union County
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
Map of the United States highlighting North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°59′N 80°32′W / 34.99°N 80.53°W / 34.99; -80.53
Country United States
State North Carolina
Founded1842
Named forCompromise name that both local Democrats and Whigs agreed on[1]
SeatMonroe
Largest communityIndian Trail
Area
 • Total
639.65 sq mi (1,656.7 km2)
 • Land632.74 sq mi (1,638.8 km2)
 • Water6.91 sq mi (17.9 km2)  1.08%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
238,267
 • Estimate 
(2023)
256,452
 • Density376.56/sq mi (145.39/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts8th
Websitewww.unioncountync.gov

Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 238,267.[2] Its county seat is Monroe.[3] Union County is included in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

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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 9-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 7, was also convicted and sentenced to live in a juvenile reformatory until he was 21 for simply witnessing the act. After three months in a detention center, Governor Luther H. Hodges pardoned the boys.

Geography

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Map
Interactive map of Union County
Entering Union County on North Carolina Highway 200

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 639.65 square miles (1,656.7 km2), of which 632.74 square miles (1,638.8 km2) is land and 6.91 square miles (17.9 km2) (1.08%) is water.[4]

State and local protected areas

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Major water bodies

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Adjacent counties

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Major highways

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Major infrastructure

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
185010,051—
186011,20211.5%
187012,2179.1%
188018,05647.8%
189021,25917.7%
190027,15627.7%
191033,27722.5%
192036,0298.3%
193040,97913.7%
194039,097−4.6%
195042,0347.5%
196044,6706.3%
197054,71422.5%
198070,38028.6%
199084,21119.7%
2000123,67746.9%
2010201,29262.8%
2020238,26718.4%
2023 (est.)256,452[2]7.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790–1960[11] 1900–1990[12]
1990–2000[13] 2010–2020[2]

2020 census

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Union County racial composition[14]
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 161,113 67.62%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 26,500 11.12%
Native American 641 0.27%
Asian 9,516 3.99%
Pacific Islander 90 0.04%
Other/Mixed 10,297 4.32%
Hispanic or Latino 30,110 12.64%

As of the 2020 census, there were 238,267 people, 77,954 households, and 62,932 families residing in the county.

2010 census

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At the 2010 census,[15] 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 people/km2). There were 45,695 housing units at an average density of 31.4 units per square mile (12.1 units/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

Government and politics

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Union County Government Center in Monroe

In the early through mid-twentieth century, Union County was a firm "Solid South" Democratic county. Union County remained traditionally "Solid South" until after the Civil Rights Movement. The first Republican to win the county was Richard Nixon[17] with less than forty percent of the vote in a three-way race in 1968. Union County has followed much of the South in turning towards the Republican Party following Nixon's election. Native Southerner Jimmy Carter carried Union County twice, but he remains the last Democrat to carry the county, and no Democrat since 1980 has reached 40% of the county's vote.

Union County is a member of the regional Centralina Council of Governments.[18]

Education

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Events

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Two major annual events occur in the county:

Communities

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Map of Union County with municipal and township labels

City

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Towns

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Villages

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Townships

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Census-designated place

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Unincorporated communities

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Ghost town

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Powell, William S.; NC Government & Heritage Library (2006). "Union County". NCpedia. University of North Carolina Press. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "QuickFacts: Union County, North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ "2020 County Gazetteer Files – North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. August 23, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  5. ^ "Mineral Springs Greenway". Carolina Thread Trail Map. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  6. ^ "Rocky River Blueway". Carolina Thread Trail Map. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c "City of Monroe, NC > Departments > Water & Sewer > Lakes & Vegetative Buffers". www.monroenc.org. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  8. ^ "FAA Information about Goose Creek Airport (28A)". www.airport-data.com. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  9. ^ "AirNav: N52 - JAARS-Townsend Airport". www.airnav.com. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  10. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  11. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  12. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  13. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  14. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  15. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  16. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  17. ^ Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, pp. 95-96 ISBN 0786422173
  18. ^ "Centralina Council of Governments". Retrieved August 10, 2019.
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