Union County
County
Union County Courthouse in Monroe
Union County Courthouse in Monroe
Flag of Union County
Flag
Official seal of Union County
Seal
Official logo of Union County
Logo
Motto: 
"Plant your future."
Map of North Carolina highlighting Union County
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
Map of the United States highlighting North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°59′31″N 80°31′50″W / 34.99182°N 80.530426°W / 34.99182; -80.530426
Country United States
State North Carolina
Founded1842
Named forCompromise name that both Democrats and Whigs agreed on[1]
SeatMonroe
Largest communityIndian Trail
Area
 • Total639.65 sq mi (1,656.7 km2)
 • Land632.74 sq mi (1,638.8 km2)
 • Water6.91 sq mi (17.9 km2)  1.08%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total238,267
 • Estimate 
(2022)
249,070
 • Density376.56/sq mi (145.39/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts8th
Websitewww.unioncountync.gov

Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 238,267.[2] Its county seat is Monroe.[3] Union County is included in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The county was formed in 1842 from parts of Anson County and Mecklenburg County. Its name was a compromise between Whigs, who wanted to name the new county for Henry Clay, and Democrats, who wanted to name it for Andrew Jackson. The Helms, Starnes, McRorie, and Belk families were prominent in the town as well as Monroe and Charlotte. Most of these families came from Goose Creek Township.

Monroe, the county seat of Union County, also became a focal point during the Civil Rights Movement. In 1958, local NAACP Chapter President Robert F. Williams defended a 9-year-old African American boy who had been kissed by a white girl in an incident known as the Kissing Case. A second African-American boy, aged 7, was also convicted and sentenced to live in a juvenile reformatory until he was 21 for simply witnessing the act. After three months in a detention center, Governor Luther H. Hodges pardoned the boys.

Geography

Entering Union County on North Carolina Highway 200

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 639.65 square miles (1,656.7 km2), of which 632.74 square miles (1,638.8 km2) is land and 6.91 square miles (17.9 km2) (1.08%) is water.[4]

State and local protected areas

  • Mineral Springs Greenway[5]
  • Rocky River Blueway[6]

Major water bodies

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Major Infrastructure

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
185010,051—
186011,20211.5%
187012,2179.1%
188018,05647.8%
189021,25917.7%
190027,15627.7%
191033,27722.5%
192036,0298.3%
193040,97913.7%
194039,097−4.6%
195042,0347.5%
196044,6706.3%
197054,71422.5%
198070,38028.6%
199084,21119.7%
2000123,67746.9%
2010201,29262.8%
2020238,26718.4%
2022 (est.)249,070[2]4.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790–1960[11] 1900–1990[12]
1990–2000[13] 2010–2020[2]

2020 census

Union County racial composition[14]
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 161,113 67.62%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 26,500 11.12%
Native American 641 0.27%
Asian 9,516 3.99%
Pacific Islander 90 0.04%
Other/Mixed 10,297 4.32%
Hispanic or Latino 30,110 12.64%

As of the 2020 census, there were 238,267 people, 77,954 households, and 62,932 families residing in the county.

2010 census

At the 2010 census,[15] there were 201,292 people, 67,864 households, and 54,019 families residing in the county. The population density was 194 people per square mile (75 people/km2). There were 45,695 housing units at an average density of 31.4 units per square mile (12.1 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 79.0% White, 11.7% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 5.3% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. 10.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 67,864 households, out of which 42.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.60% were married couples living together, and 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present. 6.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.3.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 32.90% under the age of 20, 4.7% from 20 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.2 years. The population was 49.4% male. Northern Union County has the southern foothills of the Uwharrie Mountains

Government and politics

In the early through mid-twentieth century, Union County was a firm "Solid South" Democratic county. Union County remained traditionally "Solid South" until after the Civil Rights Movement. The first Republican to win the county was Richard Nixon[16] with less than forty percent of the vote in a three-way race in 1968. Following Nixon's election, the trend towards liberalism in the Democratic Party has turned Union County into a strongly Republican county since the late twentieth century. The last Democrat to win Union County was Jimmy Carter in 1980, and since then, no Democrat has won more than 38 percent of the county's vote.

United States presidential election results for Union County, North Carolina[17]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 80,382 61.36% 48,725 37.19% 1,904 1.45%
2016 66,707 63.10% 34,337 32.48% 4,666 4.41%
2012 61,107 64.51% 32,473 34.28% 1,148 1.21%
2008 54,123 62.87% 31,189 36.23% 777 0.90%
2004 42,820 70.20% 17,974 29.47% 207 0.34%
2000 31,876 67.59% 14,890 31.57% 395 0.84%
1996 18,802 57.03% 11,525 34.96% 2,643 8.02%
1992 16,542 51.71% 10,789 33.72% 4,661 14.57%
1988 17,015 65.71% 8,820 34.06% 61 0.24%
1984 16,885 70.45% 7,048 29.41% 35 0.15%
1980 9,012 45.77% 10,073 51.16% 603 3.06%
1976 6,184 36.72% 10,578 62.81% 78 0.46%
1972 10,264 71.60% 3,886 27.11% 186 1.30%
1968 5,290 38.67% 3,630 26.53% 4,761 34.80%
1964 4,229 36.98% 7,208 63.02% 0 0.00%
1960 4,030 35.28% 7,393 64.72% 0 0.00%
1956 3,362 34.50% 6,383 65.50% 0 0.00%
1952 3,790 33.82% 7,416 66.18% 0 0.00%
1948 738 14.35% 3,407 66.23% 999 19.42%
1944 1,114 16.28% 5,729 83.72% 0 0.00%
1940 634 8.11% 7,179 91.89% 0 0.00%
1936 601 7.44% 7,480 92.56% 0 0.00%
1932 710 10.33% 6,103 88.84% 57 0.83%
1928 2,448 46.29% 2,840 53.71% 0 0.00%
1924 672 19.62% 2,721 79.45% 32 0.93%
1920 1,404 25.20% 4,168 74.80% 0 0.00%
1916 702 20.84% 2,662 79.04% 4 0.12%
1912 92 3.91% 1,786 75.87% 476 20.22%
1908 834 29.13% 2,029 70.87% 0 0.00%
1904 379 23.99% 1,181 74.75% 20 1.27%
1900 864 32.29% 1,790 66.89% 22 0.82%
1896 1,009 26.70% 2,747 72.69% 23 0.61%
1892 572 17.88% 1,798 56.19% 830 25.94%
1888 879 29.68% 2,067 69.78% 16 0.54%
1884 627 25.35% 1,846 74.65% 0 0.00%
1880 824 35.21% 1,516 64.79% 0 0.00%

Union County is a member of the regional Centralina Council of Governments.[18]

Education

Events

Two major annual events occur in the county:

  • Brooklandwood in Mineral Springs is the site of the Queens Cup Steeplechase, one of steeplechase horse racing's major annual events. The program consists of several races, and is held the last Saturday of April. The schedule of events also features a Jack Russell Terrier judging contest. Over 10,000 people typically attend the event.
  • The Union County town of Marshville is the site of the Boll Weevil Festival, an annual street fair and carnival that takes place every fall.

Communities

Map of Union County with municipal and township labels

City

Towns

Villages

Townships

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Ghost town

See also

References

  1. ↑ Powell, William S. (January 1, 2006). "Union County". NCpedia. University of North Carolina Press. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "QuickFacts: Union County, North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ↑ "2020 County Gazetteer Files – North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. August 23, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Mineral Springs Greenway". Carolina Thread Trail Map. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Rocky River Blueway". Carolina Thread Trail Map. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 "City of Monroe, NC > Departments > Water & Sewer > Lakes & Vegetative Buffers". www.monroenc.org. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  8. ↑ "FAA Information about Goose Creek Airport (28A)". www.airport-data.com. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  9. ↑ "AirNav: N52 - JAARS-Townsend Airport". www.airnav.com. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  10. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  12. ↑ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  15. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  16. ↑ Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, pp. 95-96 ISBN 0786422173
  17. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Centralina Council of Governments". Retrieved August 10, 2019.
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