Union County, North Carolina

Union County
Union County
County
	Union County Courthouse in Monroe
	Flag Seal Logo
	Motto: "Plant your future."
	Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
	North Carolina's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 34°59′N 80°32′W / 34.99°N 80.53°W
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Founded	1842
Named for	Compromise name that both local Democrats and Whigs agreed on
Seat	Monroe
Largest community	Indian Trail
Area
• Total	639.65 sq mi (1,656.7 km2)
• Land	632.74 sq mi (1,638.8 km2)
• Water	6.91 sq mi (17.9 km2) 1.08%
Population (2020)
• Total	238,267
• Estimate (2023)	256,452
• Density	376.56/sq mi (145.39/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	8th
Website	www.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

Interactive map of Union County

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

Major water bodies

Adjacent counties

Cabarrus County – north
Stanly County – northeast
Anson County – east
Chesterfield County, South Carolina – southeast
Lancaster County, South Carolina – southwest
Mecklenburg County – northwest

Major highways

Major infrastructure

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	10,051		—
1860	11,202		11.5%
1870	12,217		9.1%
1880	18,056		47.8%
1890	21,259		17.7%
1900	27,156		27.7%
1910	33,277		22.5%
1920	36,029		8.3%
1930	40,979		13.7%
1940	39,097		−4.6%
1950	42,034		7.5%
1960	44,670		6.3%
1970	54,714		22.5%
1980	70,380		28.6%
1990	84,211		19.7%
2000	123,677		46.9%
2010	201,292		62.8%
2020	238,267		18.4%
2023 (est.)	256,452	^[2]	7.6%
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

Historical presidential election returns

United States presidential election results for Union County, North Carolina^[16]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	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%

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^[17] 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.

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

City

Monroe (county seat)

Towns

Villages

Townships

Census-designated place

JAARS

Unincorporated communities

Ghost town

Gibraltar

References

^ Powell, William S.; NC Government & Heritage Library (2006). "Union County". NCpedia. University of North Carolina Press. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c "QuickFacts: Union County, North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ "2020 County Gazetteer Files – North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. August 23, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
^ "Mineral Springs Greenway". Carolina Thread Trail Map. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
^ "Rocky River Blueway". Carolina Thread Trail Map. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c "City of Monroe, NC > Departments > Water & Sewer > Lakes & Vegetative Buffers". www.monroenc.org. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
^ "FAA Information about Goose Creek Airport (28A)". www.airport-data.com. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
^ "AirNav: N52 - JAARS-Townsend Airport". www.airnav.com. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
^ "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.
^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
^ Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, pp. 95-96 ISBN 0786422173
^ "Centralina Council of Governments". Retrieved August 10, 2019.