Person 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 ...

located 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 ...

. The population was 39,097 as of the 2020 census. The

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 Roxboro. Person County is included in the Durham- Chapel Hill, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC Combined Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 2,368,947 in 2023.

History

The colonial government established Person County as part of Edgecombe County in 1746. County designations kept changing, and it was part of Granville County from 1746 to 1752; included in Orange County until 1778; and part of Caswell County until 1791/1792. By dividing Caswell County into two squares–each side measuring approximately twenty (20) miles in length, the state formed two counties of each. The county was named after Brigadier General Thomas Person, a Revolutionary War patriot, who made significant contributions to Person County and surrounding areas. The area was first inhabited by Native Americans more than 10,000 years ago. An ancient lithic quarry, the Two Dogs Site, is located in present-day Person County, North Carolina. The Indigneous tribes encountered here by early Spanish explorers were generally Siouan-speaking, including the Saponi, Occaneechi, and other groups. Settlement by immigrants of Scots, Scots-Irish, English,

French Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

, and German ancestry began in the mid-17th and continued into the 19th centuries. The settlers tended to be yeoman farmers, and few owned any slaves. Religious affiliation in the county reflects the early settlers and is predominantly

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

. Due to Person County's nearness to Virginia, the Carolina coast, and the Appalachian foothills, a wide variety of

Southern American English Southern American English or Southern U.S. English is a regional dialect or collection of dialects of American English spoken throughout the Southern United States, primarily by White Southerners and increasingly concentrated in more rural areas ...

dialects can be heard here, including

Virginia Piedmont The Piedmont region of Virginia is a part of the greater Piedmont physiographic region which stretches from the falls of the Potomac, Rappahannock, and James Rivers to the Blue Ridge Mountains. The region runs across the middle of the state fr ...

, Coastal Southern, South Midland, and African-American English.

Revolutionary and Civil Wars

The county was named for Brigadier General Thomas Person, a Revolutionary War patriot, who made significant contributions to Person County and surrounding areas. He was a trustee 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 ...

. His generous donations were recognized by the construction and naming of Person Hall. Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Moore, Deputy Quartermaster General of the Hillsborough district, was another Revolutionary War hero, commanding the Person County militia at the disastrous Battle of Camden. He was captured and held on the prison ship ''Torbay''. In 1775-1776 he had purchased property in the south of Person County and named his plantation Mt. Tirzah. His home, constructed in 1778, has been renovated recently. Stephen Moore was buried in the family cemetery. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, Person County supplied between 800 and 1000 soldiers to the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

. A granite monument at the Courthouse honors E. Fletcher Satterfield, who carried the Confederate flag at Gettysburg.

Late 19th century

J.A. Long, W.W. Kitchin, A.R. Foushee, J.S. Bradsher, J.C. Pass, W.F. Reade, and R.E. Long were key leaders who helped make a transition to a more diversified economic base after the Civil War. The arrival of the newly constructed

Norfolk and Western Railroad The Norfolk and Western Railway , commonly called the N&W, was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its existence. Its motto was "Precisio ...

was a major influence around 1890, as it enabled the addition of tobacco processing plants and warehouses to the rural economy. Although the processing plants disappeared many years ago, a few of the warehouses still stand. J.A. Long established Peoples Bank in 1891 and the Roxboro Cotton Mill in 1899, later known as Tultex Yarns. His home at Roxboro, the James A. and Laura Thompson Long House, was added to 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 ...

in 2005. Long died in 1915 but was succeeded by his son, J.A. Long, Jr., who began attracting new business to Roxboro. Baker Company opened here in 1923, making textile manufacturing a major contributor to the local economy for decades. Baker was merged with Collins and Aikman Corporation (C&A), becoming a major industry in Person County for several decades before closing in August 2006. Textile manufacturers have moved to other locations in the US and overseas.

20th and 21st centuries

Residential and commercial development have grown steadily over the past few years in part due to the county's location near the

Research Triangle The Research Triangle, or simply The Triangle, are both common nicknames for a metropolitan area in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Anchored by the cities of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh an ...

region. The Hyco Lake area and southern portion of the county have had an influx of new home and commercial development in the late 20th and early 21st century. The county's largest employers are Duke Energy,

Eaton Corporation Eaton Corporation plc is an American-Irish-domiciled multinational power management company, with a primary administrative center in Beachwood, Ohio. Eaton has more than 85,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 175 countr ...

, Georgia-Pacific Corporation and GKN Driveline. The Holloway-Walker Dollarhite House, Henry-Vernon House, Burleigh, and Waverly Plantation are listed on the

outside Roxboro.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.98%) is water. Person County contains parts of three major river basins: the Neuse, the Roanoke and the Tar, providing essential clean drinking water to the south and east of the state. The origin of the Tar River is in southeast Person County. In the northwest section of the county is Hyco Lake, with Mayo Reservoir in the northeast section. Both lakes are used for electrical power generation and recreation. Near the western border with Caswell County is Lake Roxboro. Part of the Neuse River begins here with the Flat River, where it combines with the Little and Eno rivers to go into Falls Lake and create the Neuse. The Uwharrie Mountains, part of North Carolina's easternmost mountain range, are the oldest mountain range in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. They are the lowest mountain range in the state. The Uwharries begin in Montgomery County and terminate at Hager's Mountain in the hills of northern Person County. The county is largely covered by rolling hills divided by farmlands and forest. The area's ridges are not narrow and sharp like those in some parts of the

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 ...

, and the gullies and ditches are not as abrupt. The northern part of the county between the lakes is skirted by a

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

. The highest point of the county is a prominent hill in Roxboro, where the county seat has located its water reservoir tank. Person County claims three small mountains. Hager's Mountain is north of Roxboro. Red Mountain and Mt. Tirzah are in the southeastern part of the county. The

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

of the county is dominated by

igneous Igneous rock ( ), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rocks are formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava. The magma can be derived from partial ...

formation, overlaid by a variety of soils.

Granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

boulders are strewn across the county.

State and local protected areas

* Hagers Mountain * Hyco Game Land * Mayo Lake Park * Mayo Game Land

Major water bodies

* After Bay Reservoir * Byrds Creek * Castle Creek * Flat River * Ghent Creek * Hyco Lake * Mayo Lake * Mill Creek * Richland Creek * Roxboro Lake * South Hyco Creek * Storys Creek * Tar River

Adjacent counties

Halifax County, Virginia Halifax County is a county (United States), county located in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 34,022. Its county seat is Halifax, Virginia, Halifax. ...

- north * Granville County – east * Durham County – south * Orange County – south * Caswell County – west

Major highways

* * * * * Interstate 85 is the closest

interstate highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...

to the county, located 29 miles south in Durham.

Major infrastructure

Norfolk Southern The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

, freight rail service * Raleigh Regional Airport at Person County, located south of Roxboro on U.S. Route 501 Raleigh-Durham International Airport, located south of Roxboro. Piedmont Triad International Airport, located southwest of Roxboro.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 39,097 people, 15,896 households, and 10,695 families residing in the county.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 39,464 people, 15,826 households, and 10,979 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 15,504 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 68.1%

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 ...

, 28.3%

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 ...

, 0.61% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.01%

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 ...

, 1.37% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races.

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 people of any race were 2.09% of the population. There were 14,085 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% 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, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% 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 2.95. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males. The median income for a household in the county was $42,559 and the median income for a family was $54,474. Males had a median income of $30,970 versus $22,804 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 $22,189. About 9.4% of families and 12.0% 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 14.9% of those under age 18 and 17.3% of those age 65 or over.

Law, government, and politics

Person County is a member of the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments. The county government is administered by an elected county commission, and county law enforcement is administered by an elected

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

and his officers. The county is politically conservative and Republican. No Democratic presidential candidate has carried Person County since

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

. Before being won by

George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who was the 45th and longest-serving governor of Alabama (1963–1967; 1971–1979; 1983–1987), and the List of longest-serving governors of U.S. s ...

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

, Person County had been part of the Democratic "

Solid South The Solid South was the electoral voting bloc for the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the Southern United States between the end of the Reconstruction era in 1877 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In the aftermath of the Co ...

", voting Democrat in most elections between

1880 Events January *January 27 – Thomas Edison is granted a patent for the incandescent light bulb. Edison filed for a US patent for an electric lamp using "a carbon filament or strip coiled and connected ... to platina contact wires." gr ...

and

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

, except the elections in 1892 and 1908, with six consecutive Democratic presidential nominees receiving 75 percent of the county's vote between

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

and

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

Elected officials

Elected officials in Person County (as of 2024): * Valerie Foushee (D), representative for North Carolina's 4th congressional district * Graig Meyer (D), representative for North Carolina's 23rd Senate district * Ray Jeffers (D), representative for North Carolina's 2nd House district * Jason Wilborn (R), sheriff * Charlie Palmer (R), county commissioner * Gordon Powell (R), county commissioner (chair) * Kyle W. Puryear (R), county commissioner * Derrick Sims (R), county commissioner (vice-chair) * Jason D. Thomas (R), county commissioner * Margaret Bradsher, school board member * Phillip Gillis, school board vice-chair * Harriett Tillet, school board member * Freda Tillman, school board chair * Jason Torian, school board member

Economy

The economy of Person County is dominated by electrical, textile, administrative, manufacturing, aerodynamics, viticulture, brokering, food processing, automotive, aluminum and paper products. Diversification from traditional flue cured tobacco to include burley tobacco and other modes of agriculture is underway. Person County is home to two industrial parks: Person County Business and Industrial Center (PCBIC), located on Durham Road (US 501), and North Park, located north of Roxboro on North Park Drive. Person County is also near North Carolina's

, home to numerous high-tech companies and enterprises. Person County offers a strategic location for business and industry, as it is within an hour's drive of North Carolina's two major economic centers, the

(Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh) and the

Piedmont Triad The Piedmont Triad (or simply the Triad) is a metropolitan region in the north-central part of the U.S. state of North Carolina anchored by three cities: Greensboro, North Carolina, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Winston-Salem, and ...

(Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point), and within a two-hour drive of

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

Healthcare

* Person Memorial Hospital. Affiliated with the Duke University Health System * Roxboro MedAccess * Person County Medical and Dental

Education

Higher education

* Piedmont Community College offers associate degrees, technical training programs, and college credit which is transferable to local state supported colleges/universities. There is a satellite campus in neighboring Caswell County.

Public education

Person County School System

Public education is provided by the Person County School System and administers a single unified school district with a K-12 program. As of fiscal 2018–2019, the school system consists of: * 4,364 students * 555+ staff

Charter schools

The State of North Carolina also provides for a certain number of

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

s. These are administered separately from the Person County School System. Roxboro has two charter schools: * Bethel Hill Charter School, an alternative public school that offers young kids an alternative for grades K–5, opened for the 2000–2001 school year. Previously the school served up to grade 6. However, it was eliminated starting in the 2016–17 school year. Total enrollment is 385. * Roxboro Community School, an alternative to the state public school system, is located in uptown Roxboro. It is housed in the historic Roxboro Cotton Mill/Tultex building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The school opened for the 2006–2007 school year. Currently serves grades 6–12. Total enrollment is 700.

Private education

* Person Christian School * Roxboro Christian Academy was founded in 1976 and serves a K-12 program. Total enrollment is 176. * Zion Christian Academy was founded in 2002 and offers a 1-12 program. Total enrollment is 30.

Communities

Map of Person County North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

City

* Roxboro (county seat and largest community)

Census-designated place

* Rougemont

Townships

* Allensville * Bushy Fork * Cunningham * Flat River * Holloway * Mount Tirzah * Olive Hill * Roxboro * Woodsdale

Unincorporated communities

* Ai * Allensville * Bethel Hill * Brooksdale * Bushy Fork * Cavel * Ceffo * Concord * Cunningham * Denny Store * Five Forks * Gentry Store * Gordonton * Hesters Store * Hurdle Mills * Leasburg * Longhurst * Longs Store * Moriah * Mount Tirzah * Olive Hill * Paynes Tavern * Peeds Store * Roseville * Semora *

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

* Surl * Timberlake * Triple Springs * Whitt Town * Woodsdale

Notable people

* Henry Atkinson, soldier * Leonidas Berry, medical doctor, inventor of Eder-Berry biopsy gastroscope * Robert L. Blackwell, one of two soldiers from North Carolina to receive the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for service 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 ...

; killed in action on October 11, 1918 * Margie Bowes, country music singer * Mic'hael Brooks, defensive tackle for the Seattle Seahawks * Anderson Clayton, chairperson of the North Carolina Democratic Party * Carl Long,

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

driver * Wendy Palmer, former WNBA player * James E. Ramsey, politician,

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 ...

, former Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives * Ray Scott, country music singer *

Enos Slaughter Enos Bradsher Slaughter (April 27, 1916 – August 12, 2002), nicknamed "Country", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) right fielder. He played for 19 seasons on four major league teams from 1938 to 1942 and 1946 to 1959. He is noted prim ...

or "Country", St. Louis Cardinals, and Baseball Hall of Fame inductee *

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe (; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete who won Olympic gold medals and played professional American football, football, baseball, and basketball. A citizen of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was ...

, Champions Tour golfer * Luke Torian, politician,

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

52nd district

References

External links

* *
Roxboro Area Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Research Triangle 1791 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1791