Surry 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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 71,359. 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 Dobson, and its largest community is Mount Airy. Surry county comprises the Mount Airy, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Greensboro– Winston-Salem– High Point, NC Combined Statistical Area.

History

The county was formed in 1771 from Rowan County as part of the British Province of North Carolina. It was named for the county of

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

in England, birthplace of

William Tryon Lieutenant-General William Tryon (8 June 172927 January 1788) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as governor of North Carolina from 1764 to 1771 and the governor of New York from 1771 to 1777. He also served durin ...

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 ...

from 1765 to 1771. In 1777, parts of Surry County and Washington District (now Washington County, Tennessee) were combined to form Wilkes County. The first permanent courthouse was established at Richmond in 1779, what is now the modern-day Old Richmond Township in Forsyth County near Donnaha. However, in 1789 the eastern half of Surry County became Stokes County, thus making the Richmond site unusable for either county. In 1790, the county seat was moved to Rockford, where it remained for over half a century. In 1850, half of the county's remaining territory south of the

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 ...

became Yadkin County. The town of Dobson was established in 1853 to be the new county seat.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (0.75%) are water. The whole county is generally considered part of the Piedmont Triad metropolitan area. Surry County is located in the Yadkin Valley AVA, an

American Viticultural Area An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States, providing an official appellation for the mutual benefit of winery, wineries and consumers. Winemakers frequently want their consumers to know abo ...

Wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

s made from

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...

s grown in Surry County may carry the

appellation An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the ingredients of a food or beverage originated, most often used for the origin of wine grapes. Restrictions other than geographical boundaries, s ...

Yadkin Valley on their label.

Mountains

Surry County is located both within 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 ...

region of central North Carolina and in the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

region of western North Carolina. Most of the eastern two-thirds of the county lies within the Piedmont, a region of gently rolling hills and valleys. However, the Piedmont of Surry County also contains a small portion of the Sauratown Mountains; Surry County marks the western end of the Sauratown Mountain range. The western third of the county lies within 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 ...

, and they dominate the county's western horizon. The mountain passes (called "gaps" locally) are notorious for their occasional high winds, which can force automobiles and even large Eighteen wheeler trucks off the highways which lead through the passes. As a result, high wind advisories issued by the

National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...

are not uncommon. The highest point in Surry County is Fisher Peak in the Blue Ridge; it rises to above sea level. However, the best-known peak in Surry County is not the highest. That honor goes to Pilot Mountain, an isolated monadnock and a North Carolina landmark. Pilot Mountain sharply rises some above the surrounding countryside, and can be seen for miles.

Major water bodies

* Ararat River * Bear Creek * Big Creek * Camp Creek * Fisher River * Flat Shoal Creek * Grassy Creek * Hogan Creek * King Creek * Little Fisher Creek * Mill Creek * Mitchell River * Pauls Creek * Pheasant Creek * Pilot Creek * Ramey Creek * Stewarts Creek * Toms Creek *

While there are many creeks and streams in Surry County, there are three recognized major rivers in the county, the Ararat, the Fisher, and the Mitchell. All three flow southward and are

tributaries A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...

of the Yadkin River, which forms the southern border of Surry County. The Yadkin River is the northern component of the Pee Dee River which flows to the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

near Georgetown, South Carolina.

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) * Cumberland Knob Recreation Area (part)

State and local protected areas/sites

* Horne Creek Living Historical Farm * Mitchell River Game Land (part) * Pilot Mountain State Park * Raven Knob Scout Reservation (part)

Adjacent counties

Patrick County, Virginia Patrick County is a county located on the central southern border of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 17,608. Its county seat is Stuart. It is located within both the rolling hills and valley ...

– northeast * Carroll County, Virginia – north * Grayson County, Virginia – northwest * Stokes County – east * Forsyth County – southeast * Yadkin County – south * Wilkes County – southwest * Alleghany County – west

Major highways

* (route designated from the state border with Virginia to Exit 17) * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Major infrastructure

* Mount Airy/Surry County Airport * Elkin Municipal Airport

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 71,359 people, 28,408 households, and 19,539 families residing in the county.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 71,219 people, 28,408 households, and 20,482 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 31,033 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 90.40%

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 ...

, 4.16%

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 ...

, 0.23% Native American, 0.57% 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 ...

, 3.45% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. 6.49% 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 28,408 households, out of which 30.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% 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, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.90% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.70% 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 2.92. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.60% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 15.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $33,046, and the median income for a family was $38,902. Males had a median income of $27,854 versus $20,556 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 $17,722. About 9.10% of families and 12.40% 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 15.00% of those under age 18 and 17.40% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Surry is at present a strongly Republican county. The last Democratic presidential nominee to carry Surry County has been

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 ...

in 1976, and no Democrat since 1996 has reached forty percent of the county's vote.

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

received only twenty-three percent in 2016, a proportion smaller than Hubert Humphrey obtained in the three-way 1968 race. In the early 20th century, Surry swung from Democratic-leaning during the Third Party System, to Republican enough to be alongside Yadkin and Stokes County as the only North Carolina counties to vote with

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

during his disastrous 1912 campaign, back to Democratic enough to support Adlai Stevenson II in 1952. Surry County is a member of the Northwest Piedmont Council of Governments. The five-member Board of County Commissioners are elected from single-member districts for four-year staggered terms, with elections in even-numbered years. The board elects a chair and vice-chair, who serve twelve-month terms. The board appoints a county manager, who oversees county administration and implements the board's policies.

Economy

In its 2024 county economic tier ratings, the North Carolina Department of Commerce classified Surry as among the state's 20 least economically distressed counties, or "tier 1", largely owing to a prevailing low median household income in the county.

Education

Surry County is divided into three local school systems: Surry County Schools, Mount Airy City Schools, and Elkin City Schools.

Surry County Schools

High schools

* Surry Early College High School of Design (on the Surry Community College campus.) * East Surry High School * North Surry High School * Surry Central High School

Middle schools

* Central Middle School * Gentry Middle School * Meadowview Magnet Middle School * Pilot Mountain Middle School

Elementary schools

* Cedar Ridge Elementary School * Copeland Elementary School * Dobson Elementary School * Flat Rock Elementary School * Franklin Elementary School * Mountain Park Elementary School * Pilot Mountain Elementary School * Rockford Elementary School * Shoals Elementary School * Westfield Elementary School * White Plains Elementary School

Mount Airy City Schools

* Mount Airy High School * Mount Airy Middle School * Jones Intermediate School * Tharington Primary School

Elkin City Schools

The Elkin City Schools system has 3 schools ranging from pre-kindergarten to

twelfth grade Twelfth Grade (also known as Grade 12, Senior Year, Standard 12, 12th Standard, 12th Class, or Class 12th or Class 12) is the twelfth and final Educational stage, year of Formal education, formal or compulsory education. It is typically the final ...

: Elkin Elementary School, Elkin Middle School and Elkin High School.

Colleges and universities

Surry Community College, part of the North Carolina Community College System, is the county's only institution for

post-secondary education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational school ...

Media

Print

Surry County is home to three local newspapers, '' The Mount Airy News'' of Mount Airy, '' The Pilot'' in Pilot Mountain and '' The Tribune'' of Elkin. Additionally, the larger daily '' Winston-Salem Journal'' covers news and events in the county. One local newspaper, '' The Messenger'' in Mount Airy, ceased operation in approximately 2011.

Broadcast

WIFM in Elkin is a full-time FM radio station. The county has three AM stations, WYZD in Dobson, as well as WSYD and WPAQ in Mount Airy, both of which operate also on 24-hour FM repeaters that cover most of the county. There are no broadcast

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

stations in Surry County. Surry County is part of the Piedmont Triad radio and television market but many broadcasts from the Charlotte market also can be received in Surry County.

Culture

Surry County is apparently home to the fictitious community of Mayberry from " The Andy Griffith Show", which aired from 1960 through 1968. Andy Griffith reportedly used many things from his hometown in his TV town. Now guests can experience what it was like living in Mayberry by visiting the Andy Griffith Museum, stopping by Andy's homeplace, getting a trim at Floyd's barbershop, taking a ride in a replica Mayberry Squad Car, or even grabbing a bite to eat a
Snappy Lunch
Every year in September the city holds the "Mayberry Days" celebration, where fans can come and enjoy the town together. A dish, sonker, is made in Surry County and surrounding areas in North Carolina, and is thought to have originated in the county in the mid-1800s. Similar to cobbler, it is a pie made of dough with a fruit or sweet potato filling and baked. It is traditionally served with "dip", a vanilla cream sauce. Since 1980, Mount Airy has hosted an annual sonker festival, and sonkers are often made to cater to tourism. Ground steak—principally a sandwich consisting of ground beef or chuck, flour, salt, and pepper mixed with water or milk—is exclusive to the county, maintaining enduring popularity among locals since the Great Depression, when it was developed as means of stretching supplies of beef.

Communities

Map of Surry County North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

City

* Mount Airy (largest community)

Towns

* Dobson (county seat) * Elkin (also in Wilkes County) * Pilot Mountain

Census-designated places

* Flat Rock * Lowgap * Toast * White Plains

Townships

* Bryan * Dobson * Eldora * Elkin * Franklin * Long Hill *

Marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

* Mount Airy *

Pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

* Rockford * Shoals * Siloam * South Westfield * Stewarts Creek * Westfield

Unincorporated communities

* Albion * Ararat * Ash Hill * Bannertown * Blackwater * Blevins Store * Boones Hill * Bottom * Burch * Cedar Hill * Combstown * Copeland * Crooked Oak * Crutchfield * Devotion * Fairview * Franklin * Hills Grove * Holly Springs * Indian Grove * Jenkinstown * Ladonia * Level Cross * Little Richmond * Long Hill * Mount Herman * Mountain Park * Mulberry * New Hope * Oak Grove * Pine Hill * Pine Ridge * Poplar Springs * Red Brush * Rockford * Round Peak * Salem * Salem Fork * Sheltontown * Shoals * Siloam * Slate Mountain * State Road * Stony Knoll * Turkey Ford * Union Cross * Union Hill * Westfield * White Sulphur Springs * Woodville * Zephyr

References

External links

* *
Yadkin Valley Chamber of Commerce

Surry County Economic Development Partnership

NCGenWeb Surry County
genealogy resources for the county {{Authority control 1771 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1771