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 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
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 639.65 sqmi, of which 632.74 sqmi is land and 6.91 sqmi (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)
 * (Toll)

Major infrastructure

 * Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport
 * Goose Creek Airport
 * Jaars-Townsend Airport

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 194 /mi2. There were 45,695 housing units at an average density of 31.4 /mi2. 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.

City

 * Monroe (county seat)

Towns

 * Fairview
 * Hemby Bridge
 * Indian Trail (largest community)
 * Marshville
 * Mineral Springs
 * 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