Hoke 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 In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 52,082. 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 Raeford. The county is home to part of the

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg (formerly Fort Liberty from 2023–2025) is a United States Army, U.S. Army Military base, military installation located in North Carolina. It ranks among the largest military bases in the world by population, with more than 52,000 m ...

military reservation.

History

Early history

The original inhabitants of the region eventually constituting Hoke County were Tuscarora Native Americans. Ancestors of the

Lumbee The Lumbee, also known as People of the Dark Water, are a mixed-race community primarily located in Robeson County, North Carolina, which claims to be descended from myriad Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands who once inhabited th ...

Native Americans lived in the area in the early 1700s. European settlers began establishing church congregations in the area in the mid-to-late 1700s. The area was later placed under the jurisdiction of

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

and Robeson counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The community of Raeford was formed in the 1890s and incorporated in 1901. In 1899, the

Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad The Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad is a short-line railroad operating in North Carolina, United States. At one time, the AR was a Class 2 railroad. The railroad has of track between Aberdeen and Fayetteville, North Carolina. History The AR ...

became the first rail line laid through the area.

Creation

In the early 1900s, some residents in the far reaches of Cumberland and Robeson began lobbying for the creation of a new county, complaining of long and dangerous travel to their county courthouses. In 1907 and 1909 there were unsuccessful efforts to lobby the state government led by State Senator J. W. McLauchlin to create a new "Glenn County" out of portions of Cumberland and Robeson. In 1911 a third attempt was made and conjoined with an effort to name a county in honor of Robert F. Hoke, a

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

general in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and railroad executive. On February 14, 1911, 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 ...

voted to create the new Hoke County effective April 1 of that year, with its first government to be appointed by the

governor of North Carolina The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the United States, U.S. state of North Carolina. Seventy-five people have held the office since the first state governor, Richard Caswell, took office in 1777. The governor serves a ...

pending the holding of an election. Raeford was designated the

, and local officials served out of rented office space until a county courthouse was erected the following year. At the time of its creation, Hoke County comprised about 268,000 acres of land. It had no paved roads and its economy was rooted in agriculture. Its approximately 10,000 residents were mostly white descendants of Scottish Highlanders and African Americans.

Development

About 400 Hoke County residents served in the U.S. Army during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Between 1918 and 1923, the American federal government acquired 92,000 acres of land in the county as part of its efforts to expand Camp Bragg into

. leaving about 150,000 acres leftover. Over 160 Hoke residents served in the armed forces during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After the war, the county's Lumbee population increased. An effort by the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

to acquire a further 49,000 acres in the county in 1952 for Fort Bragg was abandoned after intense lobbying by local residents. In 1958, Little River Township, a section of north Hoke which was cut off from the rest of the county due to the presence of the Fort Bragg Military Reservation, was moved into the jurisdiction of Moore County. Public schools, which had been originally racially segregated for whites, blacks, and Native Americans, were integrated in the 1960s.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which (0.39%) are covered by water. It is bordered by

Moore Moore may refer to: Language * Mooré language, spoken in West Africa People * Moore (surname) ** List of people with surname Moore * Moore Crosthwaite (1907–1989), a British diplomat and ambassador * Moore Disney (1765–1846), a senior ...

, Robeson,

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, and

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

counties. Hoke lies within North Carolina's Sandhills region and Coastal Plain region. It contains several Carolina bays. It drains into the Lumber River basin and Cape Fear River basin. Longleaf pine is native to the region.

State and local protected areas

* Calloway Forest Preserve * Hoke Community Forest * Lumber River State Park (part) * Nicholson Creek Game Land * Rockfish Creek Game Land * Sandhills Game Land (part)

Major water bodies

* Big Marsh Swamp * Buffalo Creek * Drowning Creek * Gum Swamp * Little Raft Swamp *

Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...

* Little Rockfish Creek * Little Rockfish Lake *

Lumber River The Lumber River, sometimes referred to as the Lumbee River, is a river in south-central North Carolina in the flat Coastal Plain. European settlers first called the river Drowning Creek, which is still used as the name of its headwater. The w ...

* MacArthur Lake * Mountain Creek * Quewhiffle Creek * Raft Swamp * Rockfish Creek

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, 52,082 people were residing in Hoke County, with Raeford recorded as the largest community. It is a majority-minority county; in the 2020 census, 40.4% of the community racially identified as White, 32.2% percent as Black, 7.0% as Native American, 1.4% as Asian, and 0.4% as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. About 14.8% identified as Hispanic or Latino of any race. Hoke County is part of the Fayetteville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hoke County's population has risen in recent decades, largely driven by expansions of Fort Bragg. Between 1990 and 2000, the county's population expanded by 47%. From 2000 to 2010, the population grew from about 34,000 to over 45,000 residents. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, the county grew by 17.8%, adding 5,130 residents. Proportionately, the White population shrank by 4.9%, while the Hispanic/Latino population expanded by 2.4%. From 2020 to 2021, the population rose faster than the average state rate of demographic growth.

Law and government

Government

Hoke County's government is seated in Raeford and led by a five-person

county commission A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States. A county usually has three to fiv ...

. Hoke County is a member of the Lumber River Council of Governments, a regional planning board representing five counties. The county also has its own soil and water conservation district, led by two elected supervisors. The northern third of the county is a part of the Fort Bragg Military Reservation. It is located in the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The Senate ...

's 24th district, and the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, who holds powers si ...

' 48th district. Hoke is one of the four counties within the jurisdiction of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, and tribal members within the county elect some members of the tribal council.

Judicial system

Hoke County lies within the bounds of North Carolina's 29th Prosecutorial District, the 19D

Superior Court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

District, and the 19D District Court District. County voters elect a county sheriff and a clerk of superior court.

Politics

Hoke County is politically dominated by the Democratic Party. In the 2024 elections, Hoke County voters narrowly favored Democratic candidates.

Economy

Hoke County's economy was originally rooted in the lumber and turpentine industries, and over the course of the 20th century expanded to cover the cultivation of cotton and grain crops and eventually the rearing of livestock. Poultry production and processing in particular grew after World War II. The county has experienced economic growth in recent decades due to its proximity to Fort Bragg. Poultry production remains a key part of the local economy.

Transportation

County government supports a

public transport bus service Public transport bus services are generally based on regular operation of transit buses along a route calling at agreed bus stops according to a published public transport timetable. History of buses Origins While there are indications o ...

, the Hoke Area Transit Service. Local rail transport is provided by the Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad.

Major highways

* * * * * *

Education

Most of the county is under the public educational jurisdiction of Hoke County Schools, which is governed by an elected school board. A partnership with Sandhills Community College and the county created the SandHoke Early College program, which uses the community college as well as multiple middle and high schools in the county. Sections in

are served by schools in the

Department of Defense Education Activity The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a federal school system headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on beh ...

(DoDEA),
Text list
- "Fort Bragg Schools" refers to the DoDEA schools. for grades K-8. High school-level students living on Fort Bragg attend the local public high schools operated by the respective county they live in. According to the 2021

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

, an estimated 19.8 percent of county residents have attained a bachelor's degree or higher level of education.

Healthcare

Hoke County is served by two hospitals, Hoke Hospital and the Hoke Campus of Moore Regional Hospital, both located in the eastern half of the county. County government supports a public health department, which experienced an expanding caseload between the 2010s and early 2020s due to Hoke's demographic growth.

Culture

In 1984, the county began hosting an annual festival, the Hoke Heritage Hobnob. Over time, this transformed into the North Carolina Turkey Festival and then the North Carolina Fall Festival, which celebrates turkey production in the state. Several area buildings and sites have been listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Communities

Map of Hoke County North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

City

* Raeford (county seat and largest community)

Census-designated places

* Ashley Heights *

Bowmore Bowmore (, 'Big Bend') is a small town on the Scottish island of Islay, situated on the banks of the sea loch, Loch Indaal. It serves as administrative capital of the island, and gives its name to the noted Bowmore distillery producing Bowmor ...

* Dundarrach * Five Points *

Rockfish Rockfish is a common term for several species of fish, referring to their tendency to hide among rocks. The name rockfish is used for many kinds of fish used for food. This common name belongs to several groups that are not closely related, and ca ...

* Silver City

Townships

Hoke County

townships A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

include: * Allendale * Antioch * Blue Springs * McLauchlin * Raeford * Quewhiffle * Stonewall

References

Works cited

* * * *

External links

* * {{Authority control Sandhills (Carolina) Fayetteville, North Carolina metropolitan area 1911 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1911 Majority-minority counties in North Carolina