Rutherford County, North Carolina

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Rutherford County is a county in the southwestern area of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,444.<ref name="2020CensusQuickFacts"/> Its county seat is Rutherfordton.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Rutherford County comprises the Forest City, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

In the region's earliest history, it was inhabited by the Cherokee. It was a part of Mecklenburg County before being incorporated into Tryon County in 1768. Tryon County was divided into Rutherford County and Lincoln County in 1779.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> The first county seat was Gilbert Town. Rutherford Town (now Rutherfordton) was founded in 1787 to be the new county seat.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county and town are named for Griffith Rutherford, leader of an expedition against the Cherokee in 1776 and a general in the American Revolutionary War.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite book</ref>

In 1791 parts of Rutherford County and Burke County were combined to form Buncombe County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1841 parts of Rutherford and Lincoln counties were combined to form Cleveland County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1842, additional parts of Rutherford and Burke counties were combined to form McDowell County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Finally, in 1855, parts of Rutherford and Henderson counties were combined to form Polk County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1790, the county had 7,775 residents, including 164 families and 611 enslaved people. Many areas of the county were agriculturally productive or lay on important crossroads. The number of unincorporated communities in the county steadily increased, and the population reached had nearly doubled by 1810.<ref name=":0" /> The most important crops in the county during the 1800s were corn, wheat, oats, rye, cotton, wool and tobacco.<ref name=":2" />

The county existed at the crossroads of stagecoach routes that connected places like Asheville, Salisbury and Charlotte. The Hickory Nut Turnpike was completed in 1847 to help make the route even safer and more appealing to travelers.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Rutherford County was the most important gold-producing region in America from 1790 until the California gold rush of the 1840s. The town of Rutherfordton was at the center of this. German goldsmith Christopher Bechtler and his sons set up a mint just north of Rutherfordton, where they produced millions of dollars worth of US coins. The Bechtlers produced the first gold dollars in the United States.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite book</ref>

The county has a strong militia tradition, stretching back to the 18th century when it had the most well organized militia in North Carolina. Its militiamen served in the Battle of Kings Mountain and Battle of Cowpens. During the Civil War, Rutherfordton and Burnt Chimney (now Forest City) competed to raise militias to serve in the Confederate States Army.<ref name=":0" />

After the Civil War ended, many farmers in the region were forced to tenant farming, as they owned no land of their own. This meant that many Rutherford County residents were trapped in debt by predatory crop liens and other economic imbalances. The Rutherford Farmer's Alliance was established by D.N. Caviness in June 1888 to fight for farmer's rights, and had 300 members by 1891. The Alliance's first president was Colonel John L. McDowell.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref> The underlying economic and racial tensions led to events like the Forest City lynching.<ref name=":1" />

During this period of upheaval, when family and political feuds had been recently inflamed by the Civil War, Rutherford County experienced a rash of violence wreaked by the KKK, but local investigations in Rutherford County led to the prosecution of over 300 hundred Klan members and by 1872, the KKK had begun to "disappear".<ref>Template:Cite thesis Template:Pn</ref>

The construction of railroads and cotton mills in Rutherford County during the 1880s and 1890s invigorated the county's communities, none more so than Forest City. The Rutherford Railway Construction Company built a line from Rutherfordton to South Carolina, and Southern Railway and Seaboard Air Line Railroad also ran through the county.<ref name=":1" />

A disproportionate number of Rutherford County natives served during WWII, with about 12% participating in the war effort in some capacity. 149 Rutherford County natives died in the war, proportionately 3.5 times as many losses as other counties. The first soldier from Rutherford County to die in the war was SFC Mark Alexander Rhodes, who died aboard the USS Arizona during the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In May 1989, Rutherford County was hit by an EF4 tornado from a storm that came out of South Carolina. This tornado was part of the May 1989 tornado outbreak, that hit the states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

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File:Rutherford nc elevation.png

Rutherford County Elevation

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 (0.32%) is water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In addition to gold and platinum, minerals like rock crystal, garnet, tourmaline, slate, wolframite, and the rare-earth element samarskite have been mined in Rutherford County.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Diamonds have also been found there, including one mined at the JD Twitty Gold Placer Mine in 1845.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

State and local protected areas

Bechtler Mint Site Historic Park
Bradley Nature Preserve at Alexander's Ford (part)
Chimney Rock State Park (part)
Purple Martin Greenway Trail
South Mountains Game Lands (part)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
South Mountains State Park (part)

Major water bodies

Adjacent counties

McDowell County – north
Burke County – northeast
Cleveland County – east
Cherokee County, South Carolina – south
Spartanburg County, South Carolina – south
Polk County – southwest
Henderson County – west
Buncombe County – northwest

Major highways

Major infrastructure

Rutherford County Airport
Summey Airpark, near Forest City

Demographics

Template:US Census population

2020 census

Rutherford County racial composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	52,026	80.73%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	5,836	9.06%
Native American	152	0.24%
Asian	343	0.53%
Pacific Islander	23	0.04%
Other/Mixed	2,778	4.31%
Hispanic or Latino	3,286	5.1%

As of the 2020 census, there were 64,444 people, 27,970 households, and 18,874 families residing in the county.

2000 census

At the 2000 census,<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> the county had 62,899 people, 25,191 households, and 17,935 families. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 29,535 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The county's racial makeup was 86.79% White, 11.23% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 1.81% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 25,191 households, out of which 30.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.40% were married couples living together, 11.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.80% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 16.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.60 males.

The county's median household income was $31,122, and the median family income was $37,787. Males had a median income of $28,890 versus $21,489 for females. The county's per capita income was $16,270. About 10.40% of families and 13.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.30% of those under age 18 and 13.80% of those age 65 or over.

Ancestry/ethnicity

As of 1983, the largest ancestry/ethnicity groups in Rutherford County were:<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Ancestry/ethnicity	Percent (1983)
English Template:Flagicon	44%
African American Template:Flagicon	11%
Irish Template:Flagicon	9%
German Template:Flagicon	5%
Scotch-Irish Template:Flagicon	4%
Scottish Template:Flagicon	3%
Dutch Template:Flagicon	2%
Italian Template:Flagicon	1%
French or French Canadian (except Basque) Template:Flagicon	1%
Mexican Template:Flagicon	1%
Polish Template:Flagicon	1%

Government and politics

No Democrat has been elected to county-wide office by a partisan election in Rutherford County since Eddie Holland and John Mark Bennett were elected to the Board of Commissioners and Board of Education, respectively, in 2016.

Rutherford County is governed by an elected board of commissioners. The County Board of Commissioners<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> includes: Chair Bryan King, Vice Chair Alan Toney, Commissioner Michael Benfield, Commissioner Donnie Haulk, and Commissioner Hunter Haynes. The Board of Commissioners appoints a county manager to serve as the chief administrator. The current county manager is Steve Garrison who has been serving since March 16, 2015.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Rutherford County is a member of the Foothills Regional Commission regional council of governments.

The county is policed by the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office. The current sheriff is Aaron Ellenburg who has been serving since December 5, 2022.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In the North Carolina General Assembly, Rutherford County is represented by Senator Tim Moffitt of District 48, Representative Jake Johnson of District 113, and Representative Paul Scott of District 111.

Education

Rutherford County is served by Rutherford County Schools which operates 19 schools in the county. Rutherford County Schools is governed by an elected board of education. The County Board of Education<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> includes: Chair Phillip Morrow, Vice Chair Angel King, Thomas Crawford, David Linder, April Mayse, Brandi Nanney, and Tracy Short. The Board of Education appoints a superintendent to serve as the chief administrator. The current superintendent is Dr. David Sutton who has been serving since July 22, 2019.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Two public charter schools, Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy and Lake Lure Classical Academy, as well as two private schools, Trinity Christian Academy and The Masters Academy, operate in the county as well.

Economy

Rutherford County has a large timber industry, as well as textile and construction materials manufacturing. The agricultural industry in Rutherfordton produces soybeans, wheat, corn, cotton, and livestock.<ref name=":4" />

In 2010, Rutherford County was selected as the location for a new $450 million data center for Facebook.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web </ref>

Horsehead Corporation announced the construction of its new, state-of-the-art zinc and diversified metals production facility in Rutherford County, NC, near the municipality of Forest City.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>