Union County, North Carolina

Union County, North Carolina
Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 238,267. Its county seat is Monroe. 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 nine-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 seven, 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
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.08%) is water.
State and local protected areas
Mineral Springs Greenway
Rocky River Blueway
Major water bodies
Beaverdam Creek
Crooked Creek
Lake Lee
Lake Monroe
Lake Twitty
Lanes Creek
Lynches River
Rocky River
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
(Toll)
Major Infrastructure
Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport
Goose Creek Airport
Jaars-Townsend Airport
Demographics
2020 census
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, there were 201,292 people, 67,864 households, and 54,019 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 45,695 housing units at an average density of . 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
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 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.
Education
South Piedmont Community College
Central Academy of Technology and Arts
Cuthbertson High School
Forest Hills High School
Marvin Ridge High School
Metrolina Christian Academy
Monroe Charter Academy
Monroe High School
Parkwood High School
Piedmont High School
Porter Ridge High School
Sun Valley High School
Arborbrook Christian Academy
Tabernacle Christian School
Union County Early College
Union Academy
Weddington High School
Wingate University
Shiloh Elementary
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
Fairview
Hemby Bridge
Indian Trail (largest community)
Marshville
Mineral Springs
Mint Hill (mostly in Mecklenburg County)
Stallings
Unionville
Waxhaw
Weddington
Wingate
Villages
Lake Park
Marvin
Wesley Chapel
Townships
Goose Creek
Jackson
Marshville
Monroe
New Salem
Vance
Buford
Lanes Creek
Sandy Ridge
Census-designated place
JAARS
Unincorporated communities
Brief
Jackson
New Salem
Olive Branch
Roughedge
Ghost town
Gibraltar
See also
List of counties in North Carolina
National Register of Historic Places listings in Union County, North Carolina
Brandon Oaks, North Carolina
References
External links
Monroe–Union County Economic Development
1842 establishments in North Carolina
Populated places established in 1842