Montgomery County, North Carolina

Montgomery County is a rural county located in the southern Piedmont of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,751. Its county seat is Troy.

History
The first inhabitants of the area eventually comprising Montgomery County were Keyauwee and Cheraw Native Americans. The first European settlers were German and Scottish.

Montgomery County was created in 1779 out of Anson County. It was named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture Quebec City, Canada. The law establishing the county also directed a group of commissioners to secure land near the center of the county for the construction of a country courthouse and prison. Many residents were dissatisfied with the location chosen, and after several years of demurring on a decision, a courthouse was erected in the community of Henderson, created at the confluence of the Yadkin and Uwharrie rivers in 1794. In 1816, the old courthouse was sold another was erected at the new community of Laurenceville. In 1841, the portion of Montgomery County west of the Yadkin/Pee Dee River became Stanly County. Two years later, commissioners were selected to move the courthouse to Montgomery's geographic center, and in 1844 Troy was established as the county seat.

The county's first paved roads were established in the 1920s. The Great Depression, which began in 1929, had a large adverse impact on the local agricultural and manufacturing industries. By 1933, 30 percent of local residents were unemployed.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 501.54 sqmi, of which 491.54 sqmi is land and 10.00 sqmi (1.99%) is water. Montgomery is bordered by Davidson, Moore, Richmond, Randolph, and Stanly counties. Most of the county lies within the Yadkin-Pee Dee River Basin, with some smaller areas lying within the Cape Fear and Lumber River basins. The Uwharrie National Forest encompasses a large swathe of the county.

State and local protected areas/sites

 * Pee Dee River Game Land (part)
 * Roy J. Maness Nature Preserve
 * Town Creek Indian Mound State Historic Site
 * Uwharrie Game Land (part)
 * Yadkin River Game Land (part)

Major water bodies

 * Badin Lake
 * Big Creek
 * Big Mountain Creek
 * Densons Creek
 * Drowning Creek
 * Great Pee Dee River
 * Jackson Creek
 * Lake Tillery
 * Little River
 * Rocky Creek
 * Spencer Creek
 * Tuckertown Reservoir
 * Uwharrie River
 * Yadkin River

2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 25,751 people, 10,195 households, and 6,788 families residing in the county.

2000 census
At the 2000 census, there were 26,822 people, 9,848 households, and 7,189 families residing in the county. The population density was 55 /mi2. There were 14,145 housing units at an average density of 29 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 69.07% White, 21.84% Black or African American, 0.40% Native American, 1.61% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 5.75% from other races, and 1.29% from two or more races. 10.43% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 9,848 households, out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.60% were married couples living together, 12.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.00% were non-families. 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.080.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.90% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 28.50% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 102.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,903, and the median income for a family was $39,616. Males had a median income of $27,832 versus $21,063 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,505. About 10.90% of families and 15.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.50% of those under age 18 and 17.80% of those age 65 or over.

Government
The county's government is led by a board of commissioners, is responsible for levying taxes and appropriating county funds, issuing ordinances to regulate resident behavior, and overseeing county government administration. A county manager oversees most regular administrative activities and is responsible for executing the board's wishes.

Montgomery County is a member of the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments, a regional voluntary association of 12 counties, It is located entirely in the North Carolina Senate's 29th district, the North Carolina House of Representatives' 67th district, and North Carolina's 8th congressional district. It is represented in the 118th United States Congress by Dan Bishop (R).

Politics
As of March 2022, 35.9 percent of registered voters in Montgomery County were Republicans, 34.1 percent were registered Democrats, and 29.4 percent were registered unaffiliated.

Economy
One of the United States' largest lumber mills, a Jordan Lumber & Supply facility, is located near Mt. Gilead.

Transportation
Interstate 73/Interstate 74 runs through the eastern portion of Montgomery County. The main east-to-west road route which crosses the county is North Carolina Highway 27. Freight rail service is run by the Aberdeen, Carolina and Western Railway, which operates an east-to-west line through the county which connects to Charlotte and Raleigh, and another which runs south to the Southern Pines/Pinehurst region. Corporate and private airplane facilities are provided by the Montgomery County Airport, located in the eastern portion of the county.

Major highways

 * (business route)
 * (Mount Gilead)
 * (Troy)
 * (business route)
 * (Mount Gilead)
 * (Troy)
 * (Mount Gilead)
 * (Troy)
 * (Troy)

Education
The public school system provides five elementary schools (Star, Mt. Gilead, Candor, Page Street, and Green Ridge), two middle schools (West Montgomery and East Montgomery and one high school (Montgomery Central, formed in 2020 by the merger of East Montgomery High and West Montgomery High). Higher education is provided by Montgomery Community College.

Towns

 * Biscoe
 * Candor
 * Mount Gilead
 * Star
 * Troy (county seat and largest community)

Townships

 * Biscoe
 * Cheek Creek
 * Eldorado
 * Little River
 * Mount Gilead
 * Ophir
 * Pee Dee
 * Rocky Springs
 * Star
 * Troy
 * Uwharrie

Unincorporated Communities

 * Abner
 * Black Ankle
 * Blaine
 * Chip
 * Dry Creek
 * Eldorado
 * Emery
 * Ether
 * Harrisville
 * Love Joy
 * Okeewemee
 * Ophir
 * Pee Dee
 * Pekin
 * Steeds
 * Thickety Creek
 * Uwharrie
 * Wadeville
 * Windblow

Notable people

 * Beulah Parson Davis (1896–1948), fortune-telling witch
 * Henry F. Warner (1923–1944), United States Army World War II Medal of Honor recipient