Stanly 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, the population was 62,504. 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 Albemarle. Stanly County comprises the Albemarle, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Charlotte- Concord, NC-SC Combined Statistical Area.

History

The site of modern-day Stanly County was originally peopled by small tribes of hunter-gatherers and Mound Builders whose artifacts and settlements have been dated back nearly 10,000 years. Large-scale European settlement of the region came in the mid-18th century via two primary waves: immigrants of Dutch, Scots-Irish and German descent moved from Pennsylvania and New Jersey seeking enhanced religious and political tolerance, while immigrants of English backgrounds came to the region from Virginia and the Cape Fear River Basin in Eastern North Carolina. In early English colonial times, the Stanly County area was politically part of the New Hanover Precinct, out of which the Bladen Precinct was created in 1734. The renamed Bladen County was subdivided to create Anson County in 1750, which in turn spawned Montgomery County in 1779. Stanly County was formed in 1841 from the part of Montgomery County west of the Pee Dee River. It was named for John Stanly of

New Bern New Bern, formerly Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 31,291 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located at the confluence of the Neuse River, Neuse a ...

(1774–1834), who served several terms in the North Carolina House of Commons and two terms (1801–1803, 1809–1811) in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

Hanging of Alec Whitley

Whitley was accused of theft and murder in Stanly County and also in Arkansas. Following a short manhunt through several states, he was captured by a local posse near Big Lick in 1892. Shortly after his capture and incarceration a mob of angry citizens gathered at the jail to demand Whitley be turned over to them. Sheriff Snuggs had been alerted to the mob's intention and he transferred all the prisoners from the jail to his own home across the street—except Whitley, who was seized by the mob, beaten, an
hanged from a tree off South Street
in Albemarle.

Name

Research by Chris Bramlett indicates that John Stanly had no connection with the area named for him, but that the name was chosen to please state legislators. Bramlett also believed that Stanly's father John Wright Stanly was named Stanley and changed the spelling. Because the county's name was often misspelled, in 1971 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 ...

passed legislation making the "Stanly" spelling official.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.40%) is water.

National protected areas/sites

* Hardaway Site * Uwharrie National Forest (part)

State and local protected areas

* Badin Lake Park * Locust City Park * Morrow Mountain State Park * Pee Dee River Game Land (part) * Roger F. Snyder Greenway * Town of Oakboro District Park * Yadkin River Game Land (part)

Major water bodies

* Badin Lake * Big Bear Creek *

Great Pee Dee River The Pee Dee River, also known as the Great Pee Dee River, is a river in the Carolinas of the United States. It originates in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, where its upper course, above the mouth of the Uwharrie River, is known a ...

* Island Creek * Lake Tillery * Little Bear Creek * Little Creek * Little Long Creek * Long Creek * Long Lake * Mountain Creek * Riles Creek * Rocky River * Tuckertown Reservoir *

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

* Rowan County – north * Davidson County – northeast * Montgomery County – east * Anson County – south * Union County – south * Richmond County – southeast * Cabarrus County – west

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Major infrastructure

* Stanly County Airport

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 62,504 people, 23,332 households, and 16,569 families residing in the county.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 60,585 people. In 2000 there were 22,223 households, and 16,156 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 24,582 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 84.67%

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 ...

, 11.46%

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 ...

, 0.25% Native American, 1.81% Asian, 0.02%

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 ...

, 1.01% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 2.13% 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 22,223 households, out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.30% 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, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.30% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.00. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.00% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,898, and the median income for a family was $43,956. Males had a median income of $31,444 versus $21,585 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 $17,825. About 8.10% of families and 10.70% 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 14.10% of those under age 18 and 10.30% of those age 65 or over.

Law and government

Stanly County is a member of the regional Centralina Council of Governments. The current sheriff of Stanly County is Jeff Crisco.

Politics

Stanly is currently a solidly Republican county. It has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1944, with the sole exception of 1976 when Southern Democrat Jimmy Carter carried the county. It did vote Democratic in every election from 1876 to 1900, but since then it has voted solidly Republican except in the 1912 Wilson and 1932 to 1940

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

landslides, and with southerners John W. Davis and Carter heading the Democratic tickets.

Education

Elementary schools

* Aquadale Elementary "Little Bulls" * Badin Elementary "Watts" * Carolina Christian School "Lions" * Central Elementary "Bulldogs" * East Albemarle Elementary "Bullpups" * Endy Elementary "Redhawks" * Locust Elementary "Colts" * Millingport Elementary "Wildcats" * Norwood Elementary "Patriots" * Oakboro Elementary "Eagles" * Richfield Elementary "Tigers" * Stanfield Elementary "Wildcats"

Middle schools

* Albemarle Middle School "Bulldogs" * Carolina Christian School "Lions" * North Stanly Middle School "Comets" * South Stanly Middle School "Rebels" * West Stanly Middle School "Colts"

High schools

* Carolina Christian School "Lions" * Gray Stone Day School "Knights" * North Stanly High School "Comets" * South Stanly High School "Bulls" * Albemarle High School "Bulldogs" * Stanly Early College "Tigers" * West Stanly High School "Colts" * Stanly Academy Learning Center

Universities

* Pfeiffer University "Falcons" * Stanly Community College "Eagles"

Media

The area is served by '' The Weekly Post'', a weekly newspaper. It is also served by '' Stanly News Journal'', a bi-weekly newspaper that also posts local news on its website. There are 2 radio stations locally owned by Stanly Communications, Inc. WSPC broadcasts at 1010 AM and 107.3 FM, and the current format is primarily news and conservative

talk radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, Interview (jo ...

. WZKY broadcasts at 1580 AM and 103.3 FM, and primarily plays music from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

Communities

Map of Stanly County North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

Cities

* Albemarle (county seat and largest municipality) *

Locust Locusts (derived from the Latin ''locusta'', locust or lobster) are various species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circumstances they b ...

(most; small portion in Cabarrus)

Towns

* Badin * Misenheimer * New London * Norwood * Oakboro *

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

* Richfield * Stanfield

Townships

* Almond * Big Lick * Center * Endy * Furr * Harris * North Albemarle * Ridenhour * South Albemarle * Tyson

Census-designated places

* Aquadale * Millingport

Other unincorporated communities

* Beetsville * Big Lick * Cottonville * Endy *

Finger A finger is a prominent digit (anatomy), digit on the forelimbs of most tetrapod vertebrate animals, especially those with prehensile extremities (i.e. hands) such as humans and other primates. Most tetrapods have five digits (dactyly, pentadact ...

* Frog Pond * Lambert *

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

* Palmerville * Plyler * Porter * Ridgecrest * Tuckertown * Kingville

References

External links

* *
NCGenWeb Stanly County
genealogy resources for the county {{Authority control 1841 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1841