Bladen County, North Carolina
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Bladen County (Template:IPAc-en)<ref name="North Carolina Collection">Talk Like A Tarheel Template:Webarchive, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved February 8, 2013.</ref> is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,606.<ref name="2020CensusQuickFacts"/> Its county seat is Elizabethtown.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county was created in 1734 as Bladen Precinct and gained county status in 1739.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
[edit]Bladen County was formed in 1734 as Bladen Precinct of Bath County, from New Hanover Precinct.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> It was named for Martin Bladen, a member of the Board of Trade.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> With the abolition of Bath County in 1739, all of its constituent precincts became counties.
Bladen's original residents included the Waccamaw people.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":0" />
Bladen County began as a vast territory, with indefinite northern and western boundaries. Reductions in its extent began in 1750, when its western part became Anson County. In 1754, the northern part of what was left of Bladen County became Cumberland County. In 1764, the southern part of what remained of Bladen County was combined with part of New Hanover County to form Brunswick County. In 1787, the western part of the now much smaller Bladen became Robeson County. Finally, in 1808, the southern part of Bladen County was combined with part of Brunswick County to form Columbus County. Bladen County is considered the "mother county" of North Carolina, because of the present 100 counties in the state, 55 of them belonged to Bladen at one point.
Geography
[edit]Template:Maplink According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (1.44%) is water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is the fourth-largest county in North Carolina by land area.<ref name= mildenberg>Template:Cite news</ref>
State and local protected areas
[edit]- Bakers Lake State Natural Area
- Bay Tree Lake State Natural Area
- Bladen Lakes State Forest
- Bladen Lakes State Forest Game Land<ref name="NCWRC Game Lands">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Jones Lake State Park
- Singletary Lake State Park
- Suggs Mill Pond Game Land (part)<ref name="NCWRC Game Lands"/>
- Turnbull Creek Educational State Forest
- White State Lake
- Whitehall Plantation Game Land (part)<ref name="NCWRC Game Lands"/>
Major water bodies
[edit]- Bay Tree Lake
- Slades Swamp
- Black River, home of the oldest documented Taxodium distichum (bald cypress) at Template:Age nts years old<ref name="Stahleetal2019">Template:Cite journal</ref>
- Cape Fear River
- Jones Lake
- Little Singletary Lake
- Salters Lake
- Singletary Lake
- South River
- Waccamaw River
- White Lake
Adjacent counties
[edit]- Cumberland County – north
- Sampson County – northeast
- Pender County – east
- Columbus County – south
- Robeson County – west
Major highways
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Major infrastructure
[edit]- Curtis L. Brown Jr. Field
- Elwell Ferry, river ferry across the Cape Fear River
Climate
[edit]Bladen County is located in the humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) zone, with mostly moderate temperatures year round. Winters are mild across Bladen, with the warmest winter temperatures found in the southeastern portion of the county due to the influence of the nearby Atlantic Ocean. The average high temperature in January is around 55 °F (13 °C). Summers are hot and humid, with the hottest summer temperatures found in the northern and western areas of Bladen County. The average high temperature in July is around 90 °F (32 °C).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The USDA hardiness zones for Bladen County are Zone 8A (10 °F to 15 °F or -12 °C to -9 °C) and Zone 8B (15 °F to 20 °F or -9 °C to -6 °C).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Extreme temperatures
[edit]Although uncommon, extreme temperatures can occur in Bladen County.
- In December 1989, Elizabethtown recorded a new record low temperature of -3 °F (-19 °C).<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>
- In August 2007, Elizabethtown recorded a new record high temperature of 105 °F (41 °C).<ref name=":1" />
Frost
[edit]Frost does occur in Bladen County. Most of the county experiences 50–75 days of frost conditions annually. However, southeastern Bladen averages only 40–50 days of frost conditions annually, due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Snow
[edit]Like much of eastern North Carolina, snow is rare in Bladen County. On average, light snowfall occurs once or twice every 10 years.
Demographics
[edit]2020 census
[edit]As of the 2020 census, there were 29,606 people residing in the county. Racially, 54.4 percent of residents identified as white, 32.3 percent identified as black, 2.7 percent as Native American, and 6.1 percent as other categories. Ethnically, 20.7 percent identified as Hispanic or Latino.<ref name= johnson1>Template:Cite news</ref>
Demographic change
[edit]| Historical population |
| Template:US Census population |
Between 2010 and 2020, Bladen County experienced a population decline of 15.9 percent,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> losing 5,584 residents.<ref name= johnson1/>
Government and politics
[edit]Government
[edit]Bladen County is a member of the Lumber River Council of Governments, a regional planning board representing five counties.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
It lies within the bounds of North Carolina's 15th Prosecutorial District, the 13A Superior Court District, and the 13th District Court District.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Politics
[edit]Following the 2018 United States Midterm Elections, an investigation was opened into accusations of an absentee ballot fraud scheme directed by McCrae Dowless in Bladen County, within North Carolina's 9th Congressional District. Accusations were based around the Republican Primary election, in which Mark Harris defeated incumbent Robert Pittenger, and around the general election, in which Harris initially appeared to defeat Democrat Dan McCready. Template:As of, the investigation is currently ongoing.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman, Democrat, said it was possible over 1,000 ballots had been destroyed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to District Attorney Jon David, Republican, the county has a "troubled history of political groups exploiting the use of absentee ballots."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The scandal brought national media attention to Bladen.<ref name= nagem/>
As of 2022, Bladen County is home to about 22,000 registered voters, comprising about 9,700 registered Democrats, about 5,100 Republicans, and about 7,000 unaffiliated voters.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Education
[edit]Colleges
[edit]Public schools
[edit]Public schools within Bladen County are operated by Bladen County Schools.
Healthcare
[edit]Bladen County is served by a single hospital, Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, based in Elizabethtown.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to the 2022 County Health Rankings produced by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, Bladen County ranked 85th in health outcomes of North Carolina's 100 counties, an improvement of 10 ranks over the previous five years. Per the ranking, 26 percent of adults say they are in poor or fair health, the average life expectancy is 75 years, and 16 percent of people under the age of 65 lack health insurance. It has one primary care physician per 4,670 residents.<ref name=nagemhealth>Template:Cite news</ref>
Economy
[edit]Agriculture constitutes a major part of Bladen County's economy.<ref name= nagem/> Smithfield Foods operates a pork processing facility north of the town of Tar Heel, the largest such plant in the world.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It employs 5,800 workers, making it the county's largest employer.<ref name= schofield>Template:Cite news</ref> The county is the largest producer of blueberries in the state. Area farmers also grow soybeans, peanuts, corn, wheat, and cotton.<ref name= nagem>Template:Cite news</ref> The county suffers from a large poverty rate and is one of the most economically distressed counties in the state.<ref name= mildenberg/> According to census figures, about 70 percent of working people in Bladen are employed outside the county.<ref name= williams>Template:Cite news</ref>
Communities
[edit]
Towns
[edit]- Bladenboro
- Clarkton
- Dublin
- East Arcadia
- Elizabethtown (county seat and largest community)
- Tar Heel
- White Lake
Census-designated places
[edit]Unincorporated communities
[edit]Townships
[edit]- Abbottsburg
- Bethel
- Bladenboro
- Brown Marsh
- Carvers Creek
- Central
- Clarkton
- Colly
- Cypress Creek
- Elizabethtown
- East Arcadia
- Frenches Creek
- Hollow
- Lake Creek
- Tarheel
- Turnbull
- White Oak
- Dublin
- Whites Creek
Population ranking
[edit]The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Bladen County.<ref name="PopEstCities">Template:Cite web</ref>
† = county seat
| Rank | Name | Type | Population (2020 census) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | † Elizabethtown | Town | 3,296 |
| 2 | Bladenboro | Town | 1,648 |
| 3 | White Lake | Town | 843 |
| 4 | Clarkton | Town | 614 |
| 5 | Kelly | CDP | 446 |
| 6 | East Arcadia | Town | 418 |
| 7 | White Oak | CDP | 346 |
| 8 | Dublin | Town | 267 |
| 9 | Butters | CDP | 250 |
| 10 | Tar Heel | Town | 90 |
See also
[edit]- List of counties in North Carolina
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Bladen County, North Carolina
- Waccamaw Siouan Indians, state-recognized tribe that resides in the county
- Colcor, political corruption investigation on government officials in neighboring Columbus County
- GenX, chemical compound found in the Cape Fear River, south of Fayetteville
References
[edit]External links
[edit]- Template:Osmrelation
- Template:Official website
- Bladen Journal, Google news archive. — PDFs of 2,696 issues, dating from 1929 to 1985.
Template:Geographic Location Template:Bladen County, North Carolina Template:North Carolina Template:Authority control