Iredell County ( )Talk Like a Tarheel , from the North Carolina Collection website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved August 16, 2023. is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 186,693. Its county seat is Statesville, and its largest community is Mooresville. The county was formed in 1788, subtracted from Rowan County. It is named for James Iredell, one of the first justices of the Supreme Court.Martin, Jonathan; Iredell County is included in the Charlotte metropolitan area, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget, with data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
History Before colonization, many tribes inhabited the area, such as the Catawba, the Waccamaw, the Cheraw, the Winyah, the Wateree and the Sugaree. The following list shows significant events and firsts in the history of the area that is now called Iredell County, North Carolina.Lewis, J.D.; The Heritage of Iredell County, 1980, published by the Genealogical Society of Iredell County, PO Box 946, Statesville, North Carolina 28677, , 642 pages with indexThe Heritage of Iredell County, NC Vol II, 2000, published by the Genealogical Society of Iredell County, PO Box 946, Statesville, North Carolina 29866, LC # 00-110956, 574 pages with index
1629–1712 – Province of Carolina ruled by Lords Proprietors under British rule 1712–1776 – Province of North Carolina and Province of South Carolina created from Province of Carolina 1734 – Bladen County formed from New Hanover County 1730–1750 – first Scots-Irish and German immigrants seeking good soil, game, and proximity to fresh water had settled the area of modern-day Iredell County 1750 – Anson County formed from Bladen County 1750–1776 – Lord Granville and later his son issued Granville Grants of land in the Granville District, which included the area that later became Iredell County but was then Anson and later Rowan CountiesLand Records in North Carolina, see also Rowan and Iredell County Register of Deeds historical records 1750 – Fourth Creek Congregation established 1753 – Rowan County created from a portion of Anson County 1754–1763 – Fort Dobbs (named after Governor Arthur Dobbs) was erected as a defense facility during the French and Indian War (1754–63). Today, the location of Fort Dobbs is a North Carolina State Historic Site. 1761 – Coddle Creek Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, Session House and Cemetery established in what became Mooresville 1765 – Centre Presbyterian Church established in what became Mooresville 1773 – William Sharpe creates map of 4th Creek Congregation 1775 – Bethany Presbyterian Church (north of Fourth Creek on Fifth Creek) and Concord Presbyterian Church (west of Fourth Creek) established as offshoots of the Fourth Creek Congregation 1775, August 1 – Rowan County Regiment, North Carolina Militia established; most Iredell residents that saw service while in North Carolina, served in this regiment; for a time in 1775 and 1782 the regiment was divided into 1st and 2nd Rowan County Regiment 1775–1783 – North Carolina contributes 30,000 to 36,000 men during the American Revolutionary War, including the Continental Army, local North Carolina County Regiments of militia, and other State Troops 1776, July 4 – United States Declaration of Independence signing 1777 – State of North Carolina began issuing State Land Grants from land that came from Lord Granville estate in the Granville District 1778, August – Adlai Osborne compiles Tax List of Rowan County to raise money for the upcoming Revolutionary War, including Capt Caldwell's, Capt Nichols', Capt Falls', and Capt Purviance's Districts that would become part of Iredell County in 1788 1780, June 20 – Battle of Ramsour's Mill nearby in what is today Lincolnton, North Carolina, many Rowan County soldiers were killed at this battle 1787 – New Sterling ARP Church established in Buffalo Shoals area that would become New Sterling 1788, November 3 – Iredell County was incorporated in 1788 when it was formed from adjacent Rowan County. It is named for Honorable James Iredell, Sr. (1751–1799), Attorney General of North Carolina during the Revolutionary War, Supreme Court Justice, and a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1788. Its county seat is Statesville. 1789, November 21 – North Carolina admitted to the Union as the 12th state 1789 – Fourth Creek Congregation location chosen by the legislature as county seat of Iredell County, named Statesville 1790s – McKendree United Methodist Church established in Mooresville 1790 – August 13 – first 26 lots sold in Statesville 1794 – Grassy Knob Baptist Church established near what would become Union Grove in northern Iredell County 1800 – U.S. census shows 11 heads of household, including 68 free white persons and 27 slaves in "States Ville" 1801 – first post office established in Statesville 1805 – Mount Mourne post office established 1819 – second county courthouse built in Statesville 1847 – The only major cession of Iredell territory to another county was that to Alexander County, created in early 1847 from Iredell, Burke, and Wilkes counties. 1854 – fire burns second county courthouse and court house records 1858 – The arrival of the Western North Carolina Railroad in 1858, soon followed by the Atlantic, Tennessee and Ohio Railroad 1861–1865 – American Civil War 1866 – Freedom United Presbyterian Church and Logan Presbyterian Church, first free black churches, established in StatesvilleSpencer, Preston; Statesville Record and Landmark; 1868, May 1 – former Confederate soldier Tom Dooley hung in Statesville 1891, August 27 – The railway accident on the Bostian Bridge killed 23 people on August 27, 1891, west of Statesville, North Carolina, when a Richmond & Danville Railroad train derailed.Bill Moose: In: Encyclopedia of North Carolina, edited by William S. Powell, 2006 1891 – third U.S. Post Office and County Courthouse built in Statesville 1899 – fourth Iredell County Courthouse built in Statesville 1900s – Industries producing tobacco, liquor, and herbs (Statesville's Wallace Herbarium was one of the largest such facilities in the world during the late 19th and early 20th centuries) were later supplemented by the production of livestock, dairy products, and breeder chickens, of which the county remains a leading producer. 1924 – Ole Time Fiddlers' Convention in Union Grove started by H.P. VanHoy to benefit local school 1954 – cowboy town of Love Valley created by Jeter Andrew Barker 1974, about – National Balloon Rally/Fest in Troutman The North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame in Mooresville (known as "Race City USA")
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.85%) is water.
Iredell County is located within the Piedmont Region of central North Carolina. The northwestern section of the county contains the Brushy Mountains, a deeply eroded spur of the Blue Ridge Mountains far to the west. The highest point in Iredell County, Fox Mountain, is in the Brushies; it rises to 1,760 feet. Although the "Brushies", as they are often called locally, are not high in the normal sense, they do rise prominently above the surrounding countryside. The remainder of Iredell County consists of gently rolling countryside occasionally broken by low hills and small river valleys. The county's largest river, the Catawba, forms much of its western border. Lake Norman, North Carolina's largest manmade lake, is the most prominent geographic feature of southern Iredell County; it is often called North Carolina's "inland sea".
Iredell County is an important transportation center for the state, as Interstate 77 and Interstate 40 cross in northeast Statesville. This has given birth to the county's slogan "Crossroads for the Future." Residents have easy access going south on I-77 to Charlotte; north on I-77 to Elkin, North Carolina and Roanoke, Virginia; east on I-40 to Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Raleigh; and west along I-40 to Hickory, North Carolina and Asheville.
The northern third of Iredell County is highly rural and contains no large towns. Due to the thinly populated nature of this portion of the state, it is one of the select places in North Carolina where the speed limit on Interstate Highways exceeds 65 mph, as Interstate 77 north of Statesville has a speed limit of 70 mph.
Iredell County is one of the longest counties in the state and stretches for nearly fifty miles north to south, from Yadkin County in the north to Mecklenburg County in the south.
State and local protected areas/sites Fort Dobbs State Historic Site Lake Norman State Park
Major water bodies
Back Creek Buffalo Shoals Creek Catawba River Fifth Creek Fourth Creek Hunting Creek Lake Norman Lookout Shoals Lake Morrison Creek North Little Hunting Creek Olin Creek Patterson Creek Rocky Creek Rocky River Snow Creek South Fork Withrow Creek South Yadkin River Third Creek Withrow Creek
Adjacent counties
Yadkin County – north (created from Surry County in 1850) Davie County – east (created from Rowan County in 1836) Rowan County – east (created from Anson County in 1753) Cabarrus County – southeast (created from Mecklenburg County in 1792) Mecklenburg County – south (created from Anson County in 1762) Lincoln County – southwest (created from Tryon County in 1779) Catawba County – southwest (created from Lincoln County in 1842) Alexander County – west (created from Caldwell, Iredell, and Wilkes Counties in 1847) Wilkes County – north (created from Surry County and parts of Washington District in 1777)
Major highways
Major infrastructure City of Statesville Regional Airport Davis Regional Heliport, near Statesville Iredell County is served by two railroads, Alexander Railroad and Norfolk Southern Railway Lake Norman Airpark, near Mooresville
Demographics
2020 census +Iredell County, North Carolina – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)67,54076,89799,027124,107136,39381.83%82.75%80.73%77.84%73.06%Black or African American alone (NH)14,16414,82116,62018,74821,25517.16%15.95%13.55%11.76%11.39%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1291852964164370.16%0.20%0.24%0.26%0.23%Asian alone (NH)1173421,5352,8994,7180.14%0.37%1.25%1.82%2.53%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census223658xx0.02%0.02%0.03%Other race alone (NH)3414861786560.04%0.02%0.07%0.11%0.35%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census8922,2097,399xx0.73%1.39%3.96%Hispanic or Latino (any race)5546724,18210,84415,7770.67%0.72%3.41%6.80%8.45%Total82,53892,931122,660159,437186,693 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
As of the 2020 census, there were 186,693 people and 49,635 families residing in the county. The median age was 41.2 years, 23.0% of residents were under the age of 18, and 16.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older; for every 100 females there were 96.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.0 males age 18 and over.
There were 72,706 households in the county, of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 52.3% were married-couple households, 16.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 79,372 housing units, of which 8.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.1% were owner-occupied and 28.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.0%.