Caldwell County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the U.S. state of

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. It is located in the foothills of the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 80,652. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Lenoir. Caldwell County is part of the

Hickory Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes 19 species accepted by ''Plants of the World Online''. Seven species are native to southeast Asia in China, Indochina, and northeastern India (Assam), and twelve ...

- Lenoir- Morganton, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The county was formed in 1841 from parts of Burke County and Wilkes County. It was named for Joseph Caldwell, presiding professor and the first president of the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

. A series of reductions to the county's territory have taken place since its initial formation. In 1847, parts of Caldwell County, Iredell County, and Wilkes County were combined to form Alexander County. In 1849, parts of Caldwell County, Ashe County, Wilkes County, and Yancey County were combined to form Watauga County. In 1861, parts of Caldwell County, Burke County, McDowell County, Watauga County, and Yancey County were combined to form Mitchell County. Finally, in 1911 parts of Caldwell County, Mitchell County, and Watauga County were combined to form Avery County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.57%) is water. Caldwell County is divided into three distinct geographic sections: the

, which dominate the northern and western parts of the county; the gently rolling

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest 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 the ...

country in the middle and southern parts of the county; and the Brushy Mountains, an isolated remnant of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The "Brushies", as they are often called, run across much of Caldwell County's eastern section. Hibriten Mountain, located within the city limits of Lenoir, the county's largest city, marks the western end of the Brushy Mountain range. In the western part of the county is the Wilson Creek area.

National protected areas

Blue Ridge Parkway The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and National Scenic Byway, All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is the longest linear park in the U.S., runs for through 29 counties in Virginia and ...

(part) *

Pisgah National Forest Pisgah National Forest is a United States National Forest, National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. It is administered by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. The P ...

(part)

State and local protected areas

* Backbone Ridge State Forest * Buffalo Cove Game Land (part) * Grandfather Mountain State Park (part) * Pisgah National Forest Game Land (part) * Pisgah (WRC) Game Land (part) * Tuttle Educational State Forest

Major water bodies

* Beaver Creek * Blue Creek * Catawba River * Gunpowder Creek * Husband Creek * Johns River * Lake Hickory * Little Gunpowder Creek * Little King Creek * Lower Creek * Mill Creek * Mulberry Creek * Rhodhiss Lake * Rock Creek * Silver Creek * Upper Little River * Wilson Creek *

Yadkin River The Yadkin River is one of the longest rivers in the US state of North Carolina, flowing . It rises in the northwestern portion of the state near the Blue Ridge Parkway, Blue Ridge Parkway's Thunder Hill Overlook. Several parts of the river a ...

Adjacent counties

* Watauga County – north * Wilkes County – northeast * Alexander County – east * Catawba County – southeast * Burke County – south * Avery County – west

Major highways

* * * , busiest highway in the county with an annual average daily traffic count of 39,000 in 2014. * * * *

Major infrastructure

* Caldwell County has one railroad, the Caldwell County Railroad which interchanges with the Norfolk Southern Railway in

* Foothills Regional Airport (partially in Burke County)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 80,652 people, 32,513 households, and 20,975 families residing in the county.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 83,029 people, 33,388 households, and 23,456 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 37,659 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 90.24%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 4.92%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.52% Asian, 0.31% Native American, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 2.47% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. The

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino (of any race) population was 4.57%. There were 33,388 households, of which 32.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.16% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.52% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.75% were non-families. 25.39% of all households were made up of individuals living alone, and 41.16% of those households had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.91. Of the county's entire population, 22.63% was under the age of 18, 18.33% were 18 to 34, 22.44% were 35 to 49, 21.17% were 50 to 64, and 15.44% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.3 years. For every 100 females there were 96.84 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.06 males. The median income for a household in the county was $34,853, and the median income for a family was $47,028. Males had a median income of $36,429 versus $31,221 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $19,397. About 15.3% of families and 20.50% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 51.8% of single mothers and 13.2% of people age 65 or over.

Government and politics

The county is governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners. The members of the Board of Commissioners are Jeff Branch, Randy Church, Mike LaBrose, Donnie Potter, and Robbie Wilkie. The Clerk to the Board is Abby Rich. The County Manager is Donald E. Duncan Jr. and Deputy County Manager is Jimmy Harrison. The Caldwell County Sheriff is Alan C. Jones. The Clerk of Superior Court is Angela Ashley Kidd. The county's Register of Deeds is Wayne Rash. Caldwell County is a member of the regional Western Piedmont Council of Governments. In the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, state government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

, the county is represented by Republican Warren Daniel in the North Carolina Senate, as part of North Carolina Senate district 46, and by Republican Destin Hall in the North Carolina House of Representatives, as North Carolina House district 87. Caldwell County is part of North Carolina's 5th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives and is represented by Republican Virginia Foxx. The county was moved from North Carolina's 11th congressional district in 2021 due to court ordered redistricting in North Carolina. North Carolina's congressional districts for 2023 and beyond have not yet been approved. Caldwell County's partisan lean is very Republican. Of the county's elected legislative representatives at the county, state, and national level, all are Republicans. Since 2010, the average federal election vote in Caldwell County goes over 70% Republican.

Education

Elementary schools

* Baton * Davenport * Dudley Shoals * Gamewell * Granite Falls * Hudson * Lower Creek * Sawmills * Valmead * West Lenoir * Whitnel

K-8 schools

* Collettsville * Happy Valley * Kings Creek * Oak Hill Charter School

Middle schools

* Gamewell * Granite Falls * Hudson * William Lenoir

High schools

* Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy * Caldwell Early College * Hibriten * South Caldwell * West Caldwell

Alternative schools

* Gateway School * Horizons Elementary

Private schools

* Harris Chapel Christian Academy * Heritage Christian School * New Beginning Christian Academy

Online school

* Caldwell Online Academy

Independent school

* Moravian Prep

College

* Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute * Appalachian State University Center at Caldwell (a distance education site for Appalachian State University)

Communities

Map of Caldwell County North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

City

* Lenoir (county seat and largest community)

Towns

* Blowing Rock * Cajah's Mountain * Gamewell * Granite Falls * Hudson * Rhodhiss * Sawmills

Village

* Cedar Rock

Census-designated place

* Northlakes

Other unincorporated communities

* Abingdon * Baton * Collettsville * Dudley Shoals * Patterson * Globe * Grace Chapel * Grandin * Happy Valley * Kings Creek * Legerwood * Mortimer * Mulberry * Warrior * Yadkin Valley

Townships

Townships in Caldwell County include: * Globe * Hudson * Johns River * Kings Creek * Lenoir * Little River * Lovelady * Lower Creek * Mullberry * North Catawba * Patterson * Wilson Creek * Yadkin Valley

References

External links

* *
Caldwell County Economic Development Commission
{{Authority control Western North Carolina 1841 establishments in North Carolina