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Union County, North Carolina

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Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 238,267.<ref name="2020CensusQuickFacts"/> Its county seat is Monroe.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Union County is included in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

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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

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File:Entering Union County on North Carolina Highway 200.jpg
Entering Union County on North Carolina Highway 200

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 (1.08%) is water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

State and local protected areas

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Major water bodies

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Adjacent counties

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Major highways

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Major infrastructure

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Demographics

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2020 census

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Union County racial composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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

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At the 2010 census,<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> there were 201,292 people, 67,864 households, and 54,019 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 45,695 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. 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

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File:Union County Government Center.jpg
Union County Government Center in Monroe

Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot 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<ref>Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, pp. 95-96 Template:ISBN</ref> with less than forty percent of the vote in a three-way race in 1968. Union County has followed much of the South in turning towards the Republican Party following Nixon's election. Native Southerner Jimmy Carter carried Union County twice, but he remains the last Democrat to carry the county, and no Democrat since 1980 has reached 40% of the county's vote.

Union County is a member of the regional Centralina Council of Governments.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Education

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Events

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Two major annual events occur in the county:

Communities

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File:Map of Union County North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels.PNG
Map of Union County with municipal and township labels

City

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Towns

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Villages

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Townships

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Census-designated place

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Unincorporated communities

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Ghost town

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See also

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References

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Template:Geographic Location Template:Union County, North Carolina Template:Charlotte/Metrolina Template:North Carolina Template:Authority control