Dellview is an inactive incorporated town in

Gaston County Gaston County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 227,943. The county seat is Gastonia. Dallas served as the original county seat from 1846 until 1911. Gaston County is included in the C ...

, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 13 at the 2010 census but dropped to 6 as of the 2020 census. Dellview is located in the Muddy Fork watershed, a tributary of Buffalo Creek flowing to the Broad River in South Carolina. The town collects no taxes from its residents, almost all of whom are relatives. Dellview also doesn't request any state money. The town has no police department, nor a water or sewer system. Since it is inactive, the town has no elected officials or municipal elections,Gaston County Municipal elections: Dellview
/ref> and is now governed by

. Dellview Road, the community's only paved road, forms the town's northern border. North of it lies the town of Cherryville.

Demographics

History

Dellview was incorporated as a town in 1925 as a political gesture. Gaston County law prohibited the shooting of stray dogs that crossed onto a citizen's land. The law was disliked by two families of the Dellinger name, who were both poultry farmers. They complained that stray dogs were raiding their

chicken coop Poultry farming is the form of animal husbandry which raises domesticated birds such as chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese to produce meat or eggs for food. Poultry – mostly chickens – are farmed in great numbers. More than 60 billion chicke ...

s on their farms, which neighbored each other. To remedy the situation, the Dellingers petitioned fellow kinsman David R. Dellinger, who was a North Carolina state representative, to propose a bill to the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

for incorporating the Dellinger's farms into a town known as "Dellview" (the clipped form of Dellinger merged with the word "view"). The bill passed, formally incorporating the town in 1925. Immediately thereafter, the town leaders passed an

ordinance Ordinance may refer to: Law * Ordinance (Belgium), a law adopted by the Brussels Parliament or the Common Community Commission * Ordinance (India), a temporary law promulgated by the President of India on recommendation of the Union Cabinet * ...

allowing for the citizens to shoot any stray dog that crosses onto their property. No one for Dellview responded to a Census Mapping Survey in 1978, and as a result, the town was declared inactive, and thereby the governing rights were transferred fully back to Gaston County. In 1980, the decision was reversed after a citizen petitioned, but the town was declared inactive once again on the Census 2000.Census.gov : Geographic Boundary Changes (37 North Carolina)
/ref> For many years, the town of Dellview enjoyed the distinction of being the smallest incorporated community in the state.

References

{{authority control Populated places established in 1925 Towns in Gaston County, North Carolina Towns in North Carolina