Montgomery County is a rural

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 ...

located in the southern

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 ...

of 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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,751. 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 ...

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

History

The first inhabitants of the area eventually comprising Montgomery County were Keyauwee and Cheraw Native Americans. The first European settlers were German and Scottish. Montgomery County was created in 1779 out of Anson County. It was named in honor of

Richard Montgomery Richard Montgomery (2 December 1738 – 31 December 1775) was an Irish-born American military officer who first served in the British Army. He later became a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and ...

, an

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. The law establishing the county also directed a group of commissioners to secure land near the center of the county for the construction of a country courthouse and prison. Many residents were dissatisfied with the location chosen, and after several years of demurring on a decision, a courthouse was erected in the community of Henderson, created at the confluence of the Yadkin and Uwharrie rivers in 1794. In 1816, the old courthouse was sold another was erected at the new community of Laurenceville. In 1841, the portion of Montgomery County west of the Yadkin/ Pee Dee River became Stanly County. Two years later, commissioners were selected to move the courthouse to Montgomery's geographic center, and in 1844

was established as the county seat. The county's first paved roads were established in the 1920s. The

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, which began in 1929, had a large adverse impact on the local agricultural and manufacturing industries. By 1933, 30 percent of local residents were unemployed.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.99%) is water. Montgomery is bordered by Davidson, Moore, Richmond, Randolph, and Stanly counties. Most of the county lies within the Yadkin-Pee Dee River Basin, with some smaller areas lying within the Cape Fear and Lumber River basins. The Uwharrie National Forest encompasses a large swathe of the county.

State and local protected areas/sites

* Pee Dee River Game Land (part) * Roy J. Maness Nature Preserve * Town Creek Indian Mound State Historic Site * Uwharrie Game Land (part) * Yadkin River Game Land (part)

Major water bodies

* Badin Lake * Big Creek * Big Mountain Creek * Densons Creek * Drowning Creek * Great Pee Dee River * Jackson Creek * Lake Tillery * Little River * Rocky Creek * Spencer Creek * Tuckertown Reservoir * Uwharrie River *

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 ...

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 25,751 people, 10,195 households, and 6,788 families residing in the county.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 26,822 people, 9,848 households, and 7,189 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 14,145 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 69.07%

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 ...

, 21.84%

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 ...

, 0.40% Native American, 1.61% Asian, 0.04%

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 ...

, 5.75% from other races, and 1.29% from two or more races. 10.43% of the population were

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. There were 9,848 households, out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.60% 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, 12.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.00% were non-families. 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.080. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.90% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 28.50% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 102.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,903, and the median income for a family was $39,616. Males had a median income of $27,832 versus $21,063 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 $16,505. About 10.90% of families and 15.40% 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 19.50% of those under age 18 and 17.80% of those age 65 or over.

Law and government

Government

The county's government is led by a board of commissioners, is responsible for levying taxes and appropriating county funds, issuing ordinances to regulate resident behavior, and overseeing county government administration. A county manager oversees most regular administrative activities and is responsible for executing the board's wishes. Montgomery County is a member of the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments, a regional voluntary association of 12 counties, It is located entirely 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 29th district, the North Carolina House of Representatives' 67th district, and

North Carolina's 8th congressional district North Carolina's 8th congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, congressional district that comprises a large portion of the southern Piedmont (United States), Piedmont area of North Carolina The district includes ...

. It is represented in the

118th United States Congress The 118th United States Congress was a meeting of the United States Congress, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House ...

by Dan Bishop ( R).

Politics

As of March 2022, 35.9 percent of registered voters in Montgomery County were Republicans, 34.1 percent were registered Democrats, and 29.4 percent were registered unaffiliated.

Economy

One of the United States' largest lumber mills, a Jordan Lumber & Supply facility, is located near Mt. Gilead.

Transportation

Interstate 73 Interstate 73 (I-73) is a north–south Interstate Highway, currently located entirely within the US state of North Carolina. It travels , from northwest of Rockingham, North Carolina to northeast of Stokesdale, North Carolina, Stokesdale, ...

/ Interstate 74 runs through the eastern portion of Montgomery County. The main east-to-west road route which crosses the county is North Carolina Highway 27. Freight rail service is run by the Aberdeen, Carolina and Western Railway, which operates an east-to-west line through the county which connects to Charlotte and Raleigh, and another which runs south to the Southern Pines/Pinehurst region. Corporate and private airplane facilities are provided by the Montgomery County Airport, located in the eastern portion of the county.

Major highways

* * * * (

business route A business route (or business loop, business spur, or city route) in the United States is a short special route that branches off a parent numbered highway at its beginning, continues through the central business district of a nearby city or to ...

) * * * * (Mount Gilead) * (Troy) * * *

Education

The public school system provides five elementary schools (Star, Mt. Gilead, Candor, Page Street, and Green Ridge), two middle schools (West Montgomery and East Montgomery and one high school (Montgomery Central, formed in 2020 by the merger of East Montgomery High and West Montgomery High). Higher education is provided by Montgomery Community College.

Communities

Towns

* Biscoe * Candor * Mount Gilead *

Star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...

(county seat and largest community)

Townships

* Biscoe * Cheek Creek * Eldorado * Little River * Mount Gilead * Ophir * Pee Dee * Rocky Springs * Star * Troy * Uwharrie

Unincorporated Communities

* Abner * Black Ankle * Blaine * Chip * Dry Creek * Eldorado * Emery *

Ether In organic chemistry, ethers are a class of compounds that contain an ether group, a single oxygen atom bonded to two separate carbon atoms, each part of an organyl group (e.g., alkyl or aryl). They have the general formula , where R and R� ...

* Harrisville * Love Joy * Okeewemee * Ophir * Pee Dee * Pekin * Steeds * Thickety Creek * Uwharrie * Wadeville * Windblow

Notable people

* Beulah Parson Davis (1896–1948), fortune-telling witch * Henry F. Warner (1923–1944),

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, 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 th ...

World War II Medal of Honor recipient • Dusty Blake- MLB Pitching Coach

References

Works cited

* *

External links

* *
NCGenWeb Montgomery County
genealogy resources for the county {{Authority control 1779 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1779