Richmond County, North Carolina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Richmond County
U.S. county
Richmond County Courthouse in Rockingham
Flag Seal
Motto(s):  "Fiat Justicia" (Latin) (Let Justice Be Done)
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Founded	November 10, 1779
Named for	Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond and Lennox
Seat	Rockingham
Largest community	Rockingham
Area
• Total	479.70 sq mi (1,242.4 km2)
• Land	473.69 sq mi (1,226.9 km2)
• Water	6.01 sq mi (15.6 km2)  1.25%
Population  (2020)
• Total	42,946
• Estimate  (2023)	42,324
• Density	90.66/sq mi (35.00/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	8th, 9th

Richmond County is a county located in the central southern part of North Carolina. Its main town and government center is Rockingham. The county was created in 1779 from a piece of Anson County. It was named after Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond and Lennox, a British leader who supported the American colonists. In 2020, about 42,946 people lived here.

History of Richmond County

Who lived in Richmond County first?

The first people to live in the area that became Richmond County were the Cheraw Native Americans. Later, Scottish families were among the first European settlers. They traveled up the Cape Fear River to find good farmland. English settlers also arrived, moving down the Pee Dee River. Over time, the English became the largest group of European settlers. Many early settlers raised cattle.

How was Richmond County formed?

Richmond County was officially formed in 1779. It was created from a part of Anson County. This was done to make it easier for people to reach the county courthouse. The county was named after Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond and Lennox. He was a British Member of Parliament who supported the American colonists during the American Revolution.

The county seat was first called Richmond Court House. In 1785, it was renamed Rockingham. This name honored Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, another British politician friendly to the Americans. During the American Revolutionary War, Richmond County faced many attacks from Loyalists. By 1790, the county had 5,885 residents.

What was farming like in early Richmond County?

After the war, farmers in the area changed from raising cattle to growing crops. They started planting corn, oats, indigo, and cotton. In 1837, the county's first textile mill, Richmond Manufacturing Company, was built. As cotton farming grew, especially in the western part of the county, the number of enslaved people also increased. By the mid-1800s, about half of the local residents were enslaved.

Around 1850, people began using the sandy eastern part of the county, known as the Sandhills. They harvested turpentine from longleaf pines for the naval stores industry. Railway service came to Richmond County in 1861.

Richmond County during the Civil War

The Great Falls Cotton Mill was built in 1869.

During the American Civil War, white men from Richmond County joined different units of the Confederate States Army. These included groups like the Pee Dee Guards. In March 1865, Union troops led by General William Tecumseh Sherman entered Richmond County. Confederate soldiers left the area. The Union forces damaged local factories before moving north.

The Richmond Manufacturing Company mill was burned down. It was rebuilt in 1869 and called the Great Falls Mill. That same year, the railroad line reached Rockingham. Another cotton mill was built in 1876, and more textile factories followed quickly. Cotton farming continued to be important until the mid-1900s. Farmers also started growing other crops like tobacco and peaches. Peach orchards became common in the Sandhills.

How did politics change in the late 1800s?

By the late 1800s, Richmond County had a majority Black population. This led the county to often support the Republican Party. However, the state of North Carolina was mostly controlled by the Democratic Party. To gain more power, white Democrats built a strong political base in Laurinburg.

During the 1898 state elections, Democrats worked hard to defeat the Fusionist coalition. This group was made up of state Republicans and Populists. Democrats even used groups like the Red Shirts in Laurinburg to scare Black voters and other opponents. The Democrats won back control of the state government.

Because of the efforts in Laurinburg, the state assembly created a new county. On February 20, 1899, they separated Laurinburg and the surrounding area from Richmond County. This new area became Scotland County.

Growth and changes in the 1900s

Hamlet (pictured in 1912) grew as a railway town in the early 1900s.

At the start of the 1900s, Richmond County's economy relied on farming and textile mills in Rockingham. In the early 1900s, Hamlet grew into an important center for the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. Five different train lines crossed through Hamlet. The railroad brought many jobs. Also, the Blewett Falls Dam provided hydroelectric power. Both of these helped the textile industry grow.

By the end of World War II, Richmond County had ten textile mills. These mills employed as many as 15,000 people. Through the 1940s, larger companies bought most of the independent mills. Many mills started making fabrics that were not cotton, which led to less cotton farming locally. In 1954, Seaboard built a large train yard near Hamlet. In 1968, the school systems of the county, Rockingham, and Hamlet all joined together.

Economic challenges in Richmond County

Hamlet's economy started to struggle in the 1960s. The railroad faced more competition from new roads, trucking, and air travel. The railroad company, Seaboard, bought smaller companies and combined its operations. This meant moving workers out of the area. They also stopped increasing wages, ended some jobs, and offered fewer passenger train services. This reduced the number of visitors. Seaboard later became CSX Transportation in 1986.

The textile industry in the county also cut jobs due to foreign competition and new machines. By the 1970s, mills in Richmond County only had about 5,000 workers. Job losses in textiles continued through the 1980s and 1990s. In 1986, the county's biggest factory employer, Clark Equipment Company, closed its plant in Rockingham. Many of the remaining factory jobs needed special skills that people in the county often did not have.

Traditional railroad and factory jobs were replaced by lower-paying service jobs and work in food processing plants. Local small businesses were also replaced by large national store chains.

A 1991 fire at the Imperial Food Products plant (pictured) in Hamlet caused many deaths.

In 1991, a terrible fire happened at the Imperial Food Products plant in Hamlet. Many exits at the plant were locked, which was against safety rules. Twenty-four workers and one delivery driver died in the fire. The plant owner was sent to prison. State authorities gave the company a very large fine for the safety violations. This event brought negative attention to the town across the country.

The decline in textile jobs continued through the 1990s and early 2000s. From 1993 to 2005, nine textile mills closed in the county, and 1,730 mill jobs were lost. Unemployment became worse after the Great Recession started in 2007.

Geography and Nature

Richmond County covers about 479.70 square miles. Most of this is land (473.69 square miles), and a small part is water (6.01 square miles). It is the 38th largest county in North Carolina by land area. It shares borders with Montgomery County, Moore County, Scotland County, Anson County, and Marlboro County in South Carolina.

Richmond County is located where three different natural regions meet: the Piedmont, the Sandhills, and the Coastal Plain. The western part of the county is mostly Piedmont, while the center and east are mostly Sandhills and Coastal Plain. The Uwharrie Mountains run along the county's western border.

Rivers, Lakes, and Forests

Almost three-fourths of the county's water flows into the Great Pee Dee River. The rest mostly drains into Drowning Creek, which is the start of the Lumber River. The county has several lakes and reservoirs, like Blewett Falls Lake, and many creeks. Most of Richmond County is covered by forests. Longleaf pine trees grow naturally here.

Large areas of longleaf pine forest are protected in the Sandhills Game Land. More than half of this protected land is in Richmond County. The Pee Dee River Game Land is also partly in the county.

Animals in Richmond County

The farmlands in Richmond County are home to many birds, including the loggerhead shrike and vesper sparrow. The Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge covers part of the county and includes grasslands and swamps. This refuge is a home for many migratory waterfowl (birds that fly long distances) and white-tailed deer. Hunting for quail has been popular in Richmond County and the larger Sandhills region for a long time.

People and Population

What is the population of Richmond County?

According to the 2020 census, there were 42,946 people living in Richmond County. These people lived in 18,380 households, with 11,783 being families.

Richmond County is part of the Rockingham, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area. This means it's a smaller city area with close ties to surrounding communities.

Population changes over time

Between 2010 and 2022, the number of people living in Richmond County decreased by about 3,900.

Economy

The North Carolina Department of Commerce considers Richmond County to be economically challenged. However, in 2022, the county saw some positive changes. Several factories expanded their local operations and hired more workers. From 2017 to 2021, the average income for a household was estimated to be $38,962.

Transportation

Richmond County has several important roads, including Interstate 73 and Interstate 74. A part of these routes, the Rockingham Bypass, is expected to be finished in 2025. Other major roads include U.S. Route 1, US 74, and US 220. Several North Carolina state highways also pass through the county.

The county government offers a public transport bus service called the Area of Richmond Transportation. Train services are provided by CSX Transportation, which has facilities in Hamlet. Amtrak's Silver Star passenger train also stops in Hamlet. For air travel, the county is served by the Richmond County Airport.

Education

Public schools in Richmond County are managed by Richmond County Schools. They operate seven elementary schools, four middle schools, and four high schools. Like other places, the county's education system was greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For the 2021/2022 school year, about 56.1 percent of students tested did not meet state standards.

Richmond Community College, located in Hamlet, serves the county. In 2021, about 17.5 percent of county residents had earned a bachelor's degree or a higher level of education.

Culture and Fun

The Rockingham Speedway opened in 1965. It was a regular place for NASCAR racing events until 2004. NASCAR last used it for truck series races in 2012 and 2013. The speedway is currently being fixed up. A nearby dragway is still used regularly for races.

Since 1982, Hamlet has hosted the Seaboard Festival. This community event includes local sellers, running races, and music. It celebrates Hamlet's history with the railroad. The Raiders, the football team from Richmond Senior High School, are very popular among county residents.

The Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge is a popular spot for hunting and fishing. Quail hunting has been a favorite activity in Richmond County and the wider Sandhills region for a long time. Several buildings and places in the area are listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of their historical importance.

Communities in Richmond County

Map of Richmond County with municipal and township labels

Towns and Cities

• Rockingham (This is the main town and where the county government is located.)
• Hamlet
• Dobbins Heights
• Ellerbe
• Hoffman
• Norman

Other Communities

• East Rockingham
• Roberdel
• Fruitland
• Marston

Townships

• Steeles
• Mineral Springs
• Beaverdam
• Mark's Creek
• Wolf Pit
• Rockingham
• Blackjack

Famous People from Richmond County

• Wayne Goodwin – A politician and government official.
• Henry Frye – A former state lawmaker and chief justice of the state supreme court.
• Leon Levine – The person who started the store chain Family Dollar.
• John Coltrane – A very famous jazz saxophone player.
• Cameron A. Morrison – A former North Carolina governor, senator, and mayor.
• Terius Youngdell Nash – A singer-songwriter and music producer.
• Bucky Covington – A country music singer.
• Dannell Ellerbe – A player in the NFL (National Football League).
• Melvin Ingram – A player in the NFL.

Images for kids

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  Richmond County Courthouse in Rockingham

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  Seal of Richmond County

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  Flag of Richmond County

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Richmond (Carolina del Norte) para niños