Davidson County is a
county located in the
U.S. state of
North Carolina. As of the
2020 census, the population was 168,930. Its
county seat is
Lexington,
and its largest city is
Thomasville.
Davidson County is included in the
Winston-Salem, NC
Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the
Greensboro-Winston-Salem-
High Point, NC
Combined Statistical Area.
Parts of Davidson County are in the
Yadkin Valley wine region
The Yadkin Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area that includes land in seven counties of northwestern North Carolina. The AVA encompasses an area of approximately in the Yadkin River valley. The Yadkin Valley AVA includes all of Wilkes, ...
.
History
The original North Carolina county of this name was created in 1786 what was then the far western portion of North Carolina, with its county seat at
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
and a territory covering most of what is now
Middle Tennessee. When Tennessee was established as a separate state in 1796, this county became
Davidson County, Tennessee
Davidson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in the heart of Middle Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 715,884, making it the second most populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Nashville ...
.
The current North Carolina county was formed in 1822 from
Rowan County. It was named after Brigadier General
William Lee Davidson, an
American Revolutionary War general killed at the
Battle of Cowan's Ford on the
Catawba River in 1781.
In 1911, a new county called Piedmont County was proposed, with
High Point as its county seat, to be created from
Guilford
Guildford is a town in Surrey, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Guildford, the Diocese of Guildford and the Parliamentary constituency of Guildford.
Guildford, Guilford, or Gildford may also refer to:
Places
Australia
* Guildfor ...
, 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.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.5%) is water.
Davidson County is located entirely within the
Piedmont region of central North Carolina. The Piedmont consists of gently rolling terrain frequently broken by hills or shallow valleys formed by rivers and streams. An exception to this terrain are the
Uwharrie Mountains
The Uwharrie Mountains ()
from the North Carolina Collection's website at the North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, and at one time they rose to nearly above sea level. However, time has worn them down to little more than high hills; yet due to the relative flatness of the surrounding countryside they still rise from 250 to above their base. The highest point in the Uwharries - and the highest point in Davidson County - is High Rock Mountain in the county's southwestern corner. It has an elevation of above sea level.
National protected area
*
Uwharrie National Forest (part)
State and local protected areas
*
Boone's Cave Park
Boone's Cave Park is a 110-acre county park located near Lexington, North Carolina It was established in 1909 by the Daniel Boone Memorial Association. It is named after American pioneer Daniel Boone.
History
There are a number of "Boone's Cave" ...
*
Lake Thom-A-Lex Park
Major water bodies
*
Abbotts Creek
Abbotts Creek starts in Kernersville, NC in Forsyth County and becomes High Rock Lake near Lexington, NC in Davidson County just north of Hwy 47. The section of High Rock Lake that is officially Abbotts Creeks ends near the Hwy 8 causeway, ...
*
Badin Lake
*
High Rock Lake
*
Lake Thom-A-Lex
*
Tuckertown Reservoir
*
Yadkin River
Adjacent counties
*
Forsyth County - north
*
Guilford County - northeast
*
Randolph County - east
*
Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to:
Australia
* The former name of Montgomery Land District, Tasmania
United Kingdom
* The historic county of Montgomeryshire, Wales, also called County of Montgomery
United States
* Montgomery County, Alabama
* Mon ...
- south
*
Stanly County
Stanly County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 62,504. Its county seat is Albemarle.
Stanly County comprises the Albemarle, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included ...
- southwest
*
Rowan County - southwest
*
Davie County - west
Major highways
*
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*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
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Major infrastructure
*
Davidson County Airport
Davidson County Airport is a public use airport in Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. It is owned by the Davidson County Airport Authority and located three nautical miles (6 km) southwest of the central business district ...
*
Lexington Station
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 168,930 people, 69,938 households, and 49,037 families residing in the county.
2010 census
As of the
census of 2010, there were 149,331 people, 58,156 households, and 42,512 families residing in the county. The
population density was 267 people per square mile (103/km
2). There were 62,432 housing units at an average density of 113 per square mile (44/km
2). The racial makeup of the county was 84.05%
White, 11.14%
Black or
African American, 0.37%
Native American, 0.82%
Asian, 0.01%
Pacific Islander, 1.66% from
other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 3.24% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 58,156 households, out of which 32.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.90% were non-families. 22.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.30% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 31.20% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,640, and the median income for a family was $46,241. Males had a median income of $31,287 versus $23,622 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $18,703. About 7.00% of families and 10.10% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 13.30% of people under age 18 and 12.10% of those age 65 or over.
Government and politics
Davidson County was one of the first areas of North Carolina to turn Republican, doing so long before other areas of conservative white voters shifted away from the Democrats. No Democratic presidential nominee has carried the county since
Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated
Thomas E. Dewey
Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was an American lawyer, prosecutor, and politician who served as the 47th governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He was the Republican candidate for president in 1944 and 1948: although ...
by a mere ten votes out of almost 19,000 in 1944. It was one of only 13 counties out of 100 in the state to vote for
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for presiden ...
over
Lyndon Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
in 1964, and the last Democrat to garner even one-third of the county's vote was
Jimmy Carter in 1980.
Davidson County is a member of the regional
Piedmont Triad Council of Governments
Piedmont ( ; it, Piemonte, ) is a region of Northwest Italy, one of the regions of Italy, 20 regions of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east and the Aosta Valley region to th ...
.
Davidson County gained national attention when
Gerald Hege
Gerald Keith Hege, Sr. (born 1948) is an American retired law enforcement officer who served as the Sheriff of Davidson County, North Carolina from 1994 until 2004. A veteran of the Vietnam War, he became famous for his highly eccentric behavio ...
, Sheriff from 1994–2003, became a minor celebrity for his unconventional prisoner treatment methods.
Education
Davidson County is served by
Davidson County Schools; however, the cities of Thomasville and Lexington have their own
school districts. Davidson County Schools is one of the county's largest employers.
Davidson County is also served by
Davidson-Davie Community College
Davidson-Davie Community College (DDCC) is a Public college, public community college with campuses in Davidson County, North Carolina, Davidson County and Davie County, North Carolina. It awards certificates, diplomas, and associate degrees in ...
, a comprehensive community college that is a member school of the North Carolina Community College System. Davidson-Davie Community College was chartered in 1958 as an Industrial Education Center designed to provide adults with the education and skills needed to move from an agricultural to a manufacturing-based economy.
In 1965, the institution was chartered as Davidson County Community College. The Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees were added to the existing Associate in Applied Science degree, Diploma, and Certificate programs. University transfer courses were added in 1966. In 1997, the College participated in the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA) that allows college transfer students to move easily to the 16 UNC schools, as well as many independent college and universities. Presently the Davidson Campus has grown to 11 buildings and two emergency services training facilities on approximately .
Attractions
Festivals
One of the county's most famous attractions is the yearly
Lexington Barbecue Festival, held in the city of
Lexington during the month of October, bringing in over 100,000 visitors from all over the southeastern U.S. There is also a yearly Davidson County Agriculture Fair held in September.
Thomasville hosts an annual "Everybody's Day Festival", the longest running festival in the state. The "Southeastern Old Threshers Reunion" is held every year at the Denton Farmpark.
Landmarks
There are many year-long attractions in Davidson County. Some of which include Historic Uptown Lexington, which consists of the Davidson County Historical Museum located in the old
courthouse
A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-spe ...
. Along side the Yadkin River sits
Boone's Cave Park
Boone's Cave Park is a 110-acre county park located near Lexington, North Carolina It was established in 1909 by the Daniel Boone Memorial Association. It is named after American pioneer Daniel Boone.
History
There are a number of "Boone's Cave" ...
where according to legend, a young
Daniel Boone and his family once lived. Other attractions include
Denton Farm Park, Walter Johnson Camp and Conference Center, and the North Carolina Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The historic
Wil-Cox Bridge
The Wil-Cox Bridge is a historic concrete arch bridge, arch pedestrian bridge spanning the Yadkin River between Rowan County, North Carolina, Rowan and Davidson County, North Carolina, Davidson counties in North Carolina. The bridge formerly carr ...
spanning the Yadkin River has been preserved for pedestrian traffic and is now part of the Yadkin River Park. The Big Chair in Thomasville is also a major landmark.
Art
Pigs in the City
Pigs in the City is a public art initiative coordinated by Uptown Lexington, Inc., a non-profit organization created to revitalize the downtown (or locally called "uptown") area of Lexington. It includes a near annual event held in the fall in ...
is an art initiative held each summer in Lexington, and attracts tens of thousands of visitors.
In 2005, Davidson County Community College and the City of Thomasville formed a partnership for the creation of the Thomasville Artisan Center. This art studio allowed the College to reinvigorate its Associate in Fine Arts Degree and offer both university transfer classes as well as adult community interest classes in painting, drawing, and sculpting. The Artisan Center is part of the College's Thomasville Education Center complex which is part of the College's outreach to the community. The College has a second campus in Davie County in the city of Mocksville, as well as the Uptown Lexington Education Center, located within a few blocks of the Arts Center of Davidson County and the historic Court House.
Barbecue
One of the two major styles of North Carolina barbecue originated in
Lexington, the county seat and home to the annual
Lexington Barbecue Festival. Therefore, many Lexington-style barbecue restaurants are found throughout the county. Some include Lexington BBQ ("Honeymonk's"), The BBQ Center, Jimmy's (closed and torn down in 2016), Whitley's BBQ Restaurant, Smokey Joe's, Backcountry, Speedy's, Smiley's, Tarheel Q, Stamey's, Kerley's, Rick's BBQ, and Cook's.
Richard Childress
Davidson County is home to many supporting race fans and the famous
Richard Childress
Richard Childress (born September 21, 1945 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) is an American former race car driver in NASCAR. As the owner of Richard Childress Racing (RCR), he became one of the wealthiest men in North Carolina. In 2004, he opene ...
. It includes his personal
Childress Vineyards
Childress Vineyards is a winery in Lexington, North Carolina owned by NASCAR Cup Series championship team owner Richard Childress. The connection between NASCAR and fine wine is reflected in the labeling of some of the wines produced by Childres ...
and Richard Childress Racing Museum.
The Big Chair
Davidson County is also known for its oversized chair, "The Big Chair." This chair is located in central
Thomasville and is a symbol of Davidson County's
furniture
Furniture refers to movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (tables), storing items, eating and/or working with an item, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Fu ...
industry.
High Rock Lake
High Rock Lake is the northernmost of the
Uwharrie Lakes {{Unreferenced, date=December 2009
The Uwharrie Lakes Region of North Carolina in the United States refers to the lakes created by the damming of the Yadkin and Pee Dee rivers along the western slopes of the ancient Uwharrie Mountains.
The region ...
and the second largest lake in
North Carolina behind
Lake Norman
Lake Norman is the largest man-made body of fresh water in North Carolina. It was created between 1959 and 1964 as part of the construction of the Cowans Ford Dam by Duke Energy.
Geography
Lake Norman is fed by the Catawba River, and drains i ...
. Its water surface covers and there are of shoreline. It begins at the confluence of the
Yadkin River and the
South Yadkin River
The South Yadkin River is a long river that flows through Alexander, Davie, Iredell, Rowan, and Wilkes counties of North Carolina. The mouth is located north of High Rock Lake, where the South Yadkin River meets the Yadkin River. Major ...
. It has been the host of the
Bassmaster Classic in 1994, 1995 and 1998. and is the site of frequent other local angling competitions. Lexington is just north of the
Abbotts Creek
Abbotts Creek starts in Kernersville, NC in Forsyth County and becomes High Rock Lake near Lexington, NC in Davidson County just north of Hwy 47. The section of High Rock Lake that is officially Abbotts Creeks ends near the Hwy 8 causeway, ...
section of the lake.
Communities
Cities
*
High Point (part)
*
Lexington (county seat)
*
Thomasville (largest city)
Towns
*
Denton
*
Midway
*
Wallburg Wallburg is German for hillfort, ringwork or fortified village and may refer to:
Places
* Wallburg, North Carolina
* Wallburg Realschule, a school in Eltmann, Germany
* , a village in the borough of Ettenheim, Germany
Castles and forts Germany
* ...
Townships
* Abbotts Creek
* Alleghany
*
Arcadia
Arcadia may refer to:
Places Australia
* Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
* Arcadia, Queensland
* Arcadia, Victoria
Greece
* Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese
* Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...
* Boone
*
Conrad Hill
* Cotton Grove
* Emmons
* Hampton
* Healing Spring
* Jackson Hill
*
Lexington
*
Midway
* Reedy Creek
*
Silver Hill
*
Thomasville
*
Tyro
*
Yadkin College
Yadkin College was a college founded in 1857 by the Methodist Protestant Church. It was located in rural Davidson County, North Carolina and named for the nearby Yadkin River. High Point University serves as the successor to Yadkin College.
Th ...
* Wallburg
Census-designated places
*
Southmont
*
Tyro
*
Welcome
Unincorporated communities
*
Arcadia
Arcadia may refer to:
Places Australia
* Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
* Arcadia, Queensland
* Arcadia, Victoria
Greece
* Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese
* Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...
*
Churchland
*
Gordontown
*
Holly Grove
*
Reeds
*
Silver Hill
*
Silver Valley
*
Welcome
*
Yadkin College
Yadkin College was a college founded in 1857 by the Methodist Protestant Church. It was located in rural Davidson County, North Carolina and named for the nearby Yadkin River. High Point University serves as the successor to Yadkin College.
Th ...
Notable people
*
Nia Franklin
Nia Imani Franklin (born July 27, 1993) is an American composer and beauty pageant titleholder. In June 2018, she was crowned Miss New York 2018. On September 9, 2018, she was crowned Miss America 2019 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, by the outgoin ...
–
Miss America 2019
*
Wilmer "Vinegar Bend" Mizell- Professional Baseball player for the Pirates and Cardinals, and a Congressman who served three terms. (1930–1999)
*
Max Lanier and son
Hal Lanier, both Major League Baseball players are from Denton.
*
Eddie Mathews, Hall of Fame baseball player, played for Thomasville in 1949 before going
*
Perry Tuttle
Perry Tuttle (born August 2, 1959) is a former American football wide receiver. He was a Clemson football standout in the early 1980s. His career continued into the National Football League (NFL) (Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Atlanta ...
– Former
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
&
CFL wide receiver.
*
Shy Tuttle
Shyheim Devonte Tuttle (born October 20, 1995) is an American football nose tackle for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Tennessee.
Early life and high school
Tuttle grew up in Midway, No ...
– Defensive tackle for the
New Orleans Saints
See also
*
List of counties in North Carolina
__NOTOC__
The U.S. state of North Carolina is divided into 100 counties. North Carolina ranks 28th in size by area, but has the seventh-highest number of counties in the country.
Following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, King Charles ...
*
*
List of national forests of the United States
References
External links
Davidson County government official website
{{Coord, 35.79, -80.21, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NC_source:UScensus1990
1822 establishments in North Carolina
Populated places established in 1822