Yadkin 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 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 ...

. The population was 37,214 at the 2020 census. 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 ...

Yadkinville Yadkinville is a town in Yadkin County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,997 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located in the Piedmont Triad, it is the county seat and most populous city of Yadkin County. History T ...

. Yadkin County is included in the

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 91st-most populous city in the Uni ...

, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point, NC Combined Statistical Area.

History

Present-day Yadkin County was home to the

Tutelo The Tutelo (also Totero, Totteroy, Tutera; Yesan in Tutelo) were Native American people living above the Fall Line in present-day Virginia and West Virginia. They spoke a dialect of the Siouan Tutelo language thought to be similar to that of th ...

and

Saponi The Saponi are a Native American tribe historically based in the Piedmont of North Carolina and Virginia.Raymond D. DeMaillie, "Tutelo and Neighboring Groups," pages 286–87. They spoke a Siouan language, related to the languages of the Tutel ...

Indian tribes. European-descent settlers moved into the area around 1748. Though in the western Piedmont region of the state, the residents of the eventual county developed more economic, political, and cultural similarities with their contemporaries in the mountains to the west than to many of their peers in other sections of the Piedmont or those in the eastern part of North Carolina. Over the following decades the county developed as a society mostly made up of smallholding white farmers, though Yadkin was also home to several large landowners and slaveholders (and their slaves), some working professionals, and a few free blacks and Native Americans. The land eventually comprising Yadkin County was first politically organized under the jurisdiction of Anson County. In 1750, it was placed in the new jurisdiction of Rowan County, and in 1770 was made a part of Surry County. In 1850, the North Carolina General Assembly split off the portion of Surry 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 ...

to create Yadkin County to satisfy local political divisions. At the time of its creation, the county had 9,808 residents, of whom 8,664 were white, 86 were free persons of color, and 1,508 were enslaved blacks. The town of Wilson was established to serve as the county seat. In 1852, the town's name was changed to

. From 1850 to 1860, the county experienced economic and demographic growth. By the end of the decade, though it was still mostly rural and dominated by farming, the county hosted several grist mills, stores, distilleries, and a tobacco factory. Politically, the county was home to many Whigs and its resident favored John Bell of the Constitutional Union Party during the

1860 United States presidential election Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 6, 1860. The Republican Party ticket of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin emerged victorious in a four-way race. With an electoral majority composed only of Northern states ...

. Following the election of Republican

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

as president, leaders of the state of North Carolina considered whether or not to secede in 1861 and join the nascent

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...

. Yadkin voters overwhelmingly rejected a vote to hold a state convention to consider secession. Following Lincoln's call for Southern volunteers to suppress rebellion in South Carolina, a state convention was held and North Carolina seceded from the United States. Men from Yadkin County served during the ensuing

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 ...

in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

. Many would desert and return home to assist their families in key agricultural activities before going back into service. North Carolina's declaration of a draft proved unpopular in the county; some locals avoided conscription into the army due to pro-Union sentiments, or, in the case of local Quakers, due to religious objections to war and slavery. Some draft dodgers hid in woods or caves, while others fled west to pro-Union communities in the mountains. In February 1863, two Confederate officials and two draft evaders were killed in an exchange of gunfire after a militia attempted to arrest a group of evaders at a school house. After the war, Yadkin became politically dominated by the Republican Party, with many locals being attracted to it for its opposition to slavery, support for central national government, and push for disbursing money to fund infrastructure improvements. Yadkin's support for the Republican Party persisted along with some of its neighboring counties after the state largely fell under the Democratic Party's domination in the 1870s. Portions of Yadkin County were annexed to Forsyth County in 1911 and 1927. The county garnered its first paved highways in the 1920s. By the mid-20th century, Yadkin's economy was largely rooted in tobacco farming. Many residents not employed by the agricultural industry commuted to

in Forsyth County for work. In 1971,

Unifi Manufacturing Unifi Manufacturing, Inc. is an American-based international textile manufacturing company which specializes in polyester yarns. History In 1971, Allen Mebane, Bill Kretzer, and several other executives left their positions at Universal Texture ...

established its first textile facility in Yadkin County. As the company expanded over the following decades, it became the leading industrial employer the county and provided additional economic support through tax revenue and philanthropy to the area. National declines in the textiles industry in the late 1990s and early 2000s led the company to shrink its local presence.

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 is land and (0.82%) is water. It is bordered by Surry, Forsyth, Davie, Iredell, and Wilkes counties. Yadkin County is located in 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 North Carolina and in the northwestern portion of state, close to 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 ...

. The western portions of the county are hillier than the eastern portions, with part of the Brushy Mountains crossing into the northwestern section. It is within the Yadkin-Pee Dee River Basin, with the Yadkin River forming its northern and eastern borders.

State and local protected areas

* Historic Richmond Hill Nature Park * Yadkinville Community Park

Major water bodies

* Beaverdam Creek * Deep Creek * Dobbins Creek * Forbush Creek * Harmon Creek * Little Forbush Creek * Logan Creek * Miller Creek * North Deep Creek * North Little Hunting Creek * South Deep Creek * South Yadkin River * Turner Creek *

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 37,214 people, 15,425 households, and 10,789 families residing in the county.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 36,348 people, 14,505 households, and 10,588 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 15,821 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.54%

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 ...

, 3.43%

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 ...

, 0.16% Native American, 0.17% 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 ...

, 2.91% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 6.48% 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 14,505 households, out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.00% 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, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.00% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.92. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.00% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 30.20% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,660, and the median income for a family was $43,758. Males had a median income of $29,589 versus $22,599 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 $18,576. About 7.10% of families and 10.00% 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 10.90% of those under age 18 and 17.40% of those age 65 or over.

Law and government

Government

Yadkin County is governed by a five-member board of commissioners who are elected at-large to serve staggered two- and four-year terms. Elections are held in November of even-numbered years. The commissioners appoint a county manager, who serves as the head administrator of the county government. Yadkin County is a member of the

Northwest Piedmont Council of Governments The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each ...

, a regional planning association. 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 36th district, 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 ...

' 77th district, and North Carolina's 5th congressional district. Yadkin County lies within the bounds of North Carolina's 34th Prosecutorial District, the 23rd

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 23rd

District Court District courts are a category of courts which exists in several nations, some call them "small case court" usually as the lowest level of the hierarchy. These courts generally work under a higher court which exercises control over the lower co ...

District.

Politics

Yadkin County began supporting the Republican Party in the aftermath of the American Civil War. Like some its neighboring counties, Yadkin's support for Republicans continued while the state was politically dominated by Democrats from the 1870s into the latter part of the 20th century. Republicans won every county election in the 20th century except in 1958, when Democrats won the sheriff's office and all seats on the county commission in response to the incumbent commissioners' decision to demolish the county's antebellum courthouse and replace it with one the public viewed as unsightly. Yadkin's support for the Republican Party carried into the 21st century with the party's rebound across the state. As of March 2022, the county was home to approximately 25,000 registered voters, of whom 56.9 percent were registered Republicans and 13.4 percent were registered Democrats.

Economy

, a textile company, is the largest private employer in Yadkin County and operates a large recycled plastics polymer plant in Yadkinville.

Transportation

Major highways

* * * * * * * Two major four-lane highways serve Yadkin County.

Interstate 77 Interstate 77 (I-77) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the ...

runs north to south in the western part of the county and U.S. Highway 421 runs east to west. The two highways intersect near Hamptonville. The county also is served by U.S. Highway 21, which runs mostly parallel with I-77, and U.S. Highway 601, which runs through

and Boonville. North Carolina Highway 67 is another popular artery that links the northern part of the county with Jonesville-Elkin and

Airports

Commercial flights are available through

Piedmont Triad International Airport Piedmont Triad International Airport (; commonly referred to locally as "PTI") is an airport located in unincorporated Guilford County, North Carolina, west of Greensboro, serving the Piedmont Triad region of Greensboro, High Point and Winsto ...

and

Charlotte Douglas International Airport Charlotte Douglas International Airport is an international airport serving Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, located roughly west of the city's central business district. Charlotte Douglas is the primary airport for commercial and m ...

. Two private airports are located in the county, Swan Creek near Jonesville and Lone Hickory near Yadkinville. One additional airport is located in Boonville on Baptist Church Road. It recently housed NC Baptist Hospital's AirCare II during a transitional period.

Public transportation

Beginning in 2006, the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART) began offering limited bus service between

Boone, North Carolina Boone is a town in and the county seat of Watauga County, North Carolina, United States. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, Boone is the home of Appalachian State University and the headquarters of the disaster and me ...

and

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...

as part of its US 421 Mountaineer Express. The buses make stops east and west in Yadkinville. Yadkin Valley Economic Development District Inc. (YVEDDI), a community action agency based in Boonville, operates a multi-county rural public transportation system.

Education

Yadkin County has three high schools, Forbush, Starmount, and the Yadkin Early College. The Yadkin Early College is a five-year program where high school and college courses are offered on the Yadkin campus of Surry Community College. Students get the opportunity to earn their high school diploma and an associate degree in nursing, criminal justice, or a transfer degree to a four-year university. The high schools are fed by eight elementary schools, which teach kindergarten through sixth grades. The eight elementary schools are Boonville, Courtney, East Bend, Fall Creek, Forbush, Jonesville, West Yadkin and Yadkinville. The school system also operates Yadkin Success Academy, an alternative learning center on Old U.S. 421 in Yadkinville. Yadkin County opened two new middle schools in 2009. Starmount Middle School opened in August and serves seventh and eighth grade students from Jonesville, Boonville, and West Yadkin Elementary Schools. Forbush Middle opened in November and serves East Bend, Forbush Elementary, Fall Creek, Courtney, and Yadkinville Schools. Both campuses are adjacent to the high schools. Surry Community College offers courses through its Yadkin Campus at 4649 U.S. Highway 601 North near Yadkinville.

Media

Print

Yadkin County is covered by two community newspapers, '' The Yadkin Ripple'' and ''

The Tribune ''The Tribune'' or ''Tribune'' is the name of various newspapers: United States Daily California *''Oakland Tribune'' * ''The Tribune'' (San Luis Obispo) * ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' *''San Gabriel Valley Tribune'' Indiana *''Kokomo Tribune' ...

'' of Elkin. The ''

Winston-Salem Journal The ''Winston-Salem Journal'' is an American, English language daily newspaper primarily serving Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, North Carolina. It also covers Northwestern North Carolina. The paper is owned by Lee Enterprises. ''The Journ ...

'', a larger daily paper, also covers the county. Yadkin Valley Living, a bimonthly lifestyles publication, is based in East Bend.

Broadcast

WSGH, an AM Spanish contemporary station, broadcasts from eastern Yadkin County. Yadkin County is part of 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 ...

radio and

television market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...

but many broadcasts from the Charlotte market also can be received.

Yadkin Valley wine region

All of Yadkin County is included in the

Yadkin Valley AVA Yadkin Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) expanding across seven counties of northwestern North Carolina encompassing approximately in the Yadkin River Valley. The appellation includes all of Wilkes, Surry, and Yadkin counties, ...

, 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 ...

recognized by the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

government as a unique

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 ...

-growing region.

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 grapes grown in this area may use 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 the label. Yadkin County is also home to the second North Carolina AVA, the Swan Creek Wine Region.

Communities

Towns

* Boonville * East Bend * Jonesville *

(county seat and largest community)

Townships

* Boonville * Deep Creek * East Bend * Forbush * North Buck Shoals * North Fall Creek * North Knobs * North Liberty * South Buck Shoals * South Fall Creek * South Knobs * South Liberty

Census-designated place

* Smithtown

Unincorporated communities

* Barney Hill * Branon * Buck Shoals * Center * Brooks' Crossroads * Courtney * Enon * Flint Hill * Footville * Forbush * Hamptonville *

Huntsville Huntsville is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the 100th-most populous city in the U.S. The Huntsville metropolitan area had an estimated 525,465 ...

* Lone Hickory * Longtown * Marler * Richmond Hill * Swan Creek * Union Hill * Windsor's Crossroads * Wyo

Former towns

These towns were incorporated at one time: * Arlington, merged with Jonesville in 2001 * Hamptonville, chartered in 1818 *

, incorporated in 1792 *

Shore A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

, incorporated from 1903 to 1911 * Smithtown, incorporated in 1924

Notable people

* Leo Arnaud, French-born film composer * Thomas Lanier Clingman,

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

and representative and Confederate brigadier general * William "Mo" Cowan, U.S. senator for Massachusetts in 2013 *

William Wade Hampton William Wade Hampton (22 January 1856–1928) was one of the first attorneys in Gainesville, Florida. Hampton was born near Albany, Georgia. His family was descended from Anthony Hampton, one of the first white settlers in Virginia; his fa ...

(1858–1930), state senator and state representative * Mamrie Hart,

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

celebrity *

Dickie Hemric Ned Dixon "Dickie" Hemric (August 29, 1933 – August 3, 2017) was an American collegiate and professional basketball player for Wake Forest University (1952–1955) and the NBA's Boston Celtics ( 1955–1957). Hemric played the first two ...

, basketball star for Wake Forest and the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

* Richmond Mumford Pearson,

North Carolina Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina is the state of North Carolina's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists ...

chief justice, and his son, Richmond Pearson, a diplomat and U.S. representative *

Richard Clauselle Puryear Richard Clauselle Puryear (February 9, 1801 – July 30, 1867) was a U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between the years of 1853 and 1857. A planter and politician, he also served in the North Carolina House for several terms and the state ...

, U.S. congressman * Ernie Shore, a

Major League baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

pitcher and former Forsyth County sheriff *

Junior Johnson Robert Glenn Johnson Jr. (June 28, 1931 – December 20, 2019), better known as Junior Johnson, was an American professional stock car racing driver, engineer, and team owner as well as an entrepreneur. He won 50 NASCAR races in his career befor ...

(Robert Glenn),

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 ...

Hall of Fame driver and champion team owner

References

Works cited

* * * * * *

External links

* *
Yadkin County Chamber of Commerce

Yadkin Valley Chamber of Commerce

Yadkin County Schools

Yadkin Valley Wineries and Vineyards
{{Authority control 1850 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1850