Editing Rowan County, North Carolina (section)

===19th century===
In 1822, [[Davidson County, North Carolina|Davidson County]] was formed from an eastern section. Finally, in 1836, that part of Rowan County north of the [[Yadkin River|South Yadkin River]] became [[Davie County, North Carolina|Davie County]], and Rowan County took its present form and size.<ref name='Formation'>{{cite book|title=Formation of North Carolina Counties, 1663–1943|url=http://digital.ncdcr.gov/cdm/ref/collection/p16062coll9/id/289959|author=Corbitt, David Leroy|year=1987|publisher=State Department of Archives and History|pages=185–188}}</ref> Since Rowan County was developed for tobacco, cotton cultivation, and mixed farming in the antebellum period, many of the plantation owners and some farmers were dependent on enslaved labor. Cotton and tobacco continued as a commodity crop after the war and into the 20th century. The population of Rowan County was 27.1 percent slaves in 1860.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ncpedia.org/slavery|title=Slavery|website=NCPEDIA|access-date=February 27, 2021}}</ref>

During and following the [[Reconstruction era]], the state legislature encouraged investment in railways, which had not occurred before. In addition, textile mills were built here and elsewhere in the Piedmont, bringing back cotton processing and manufacturing from centers in New York and New England. Urban populations increased.