Stanly County, North Carolina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stanly County
U.S. county
Stanly County Courthouse in Albemarle
Seal Logo
Motto(s):  "Water, Air, Land, Success"
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Founded	1841
Named for	John Stanly
Seat	Albemarle
Largest municipality	Albemarle
Area
• Total	404.81 sq mi (1,048.5 km2)
• Land	395.08 sq mi (1,023.3 km2)
• Water	9.73 sq mi (25.2 km2)  2.40%
Population  (2020)
• Total	62,504
• Estimate  (2023)	65,699
• Density	158.21/sq mi (61.09/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	8th

Stanly County is a county located in the state of North Carolina in the United States. In 2020, about 62,504 people lived here. The main town and county seat is Albemarle.

Stanly County is part of a larger area called the Albemarle, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area. This area is also connected to the Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC Combined Statistical Area.

History of Stanly County

The land where Stanly County is today was first home to small groups of people who hunted and gathered food. There were also "Mound Builders" who created large earth mounds. We know this from artifacts and settlements found that are nearly 10,000 years old!

Later, in the mid-1700s, many European settlers came to this region. Some came from Pennsylvania and New Jersey. They were Dutch, Scots-Irish, and German, and they were looking for more freedom to practice their religion and have a say in government. Others came from Virginia and eastern North Carolina. These settlers were mostly of English background.

In the early days of the English colonies, the Stanly County area was part of a larger region called New Hanover Precinct. This area was later divided, and in 1734, Bladen Precinct was created. Bladen County was then divided to create Anson County in 1750. Finally, Montgomery County was formed from Anson County in 1779.

Stanly County was officially created in 1841. It was formed from the western part of Montgomery County, located west of the Pee Dee River. The county was named after John Stanly. He was a politician from New Bern (1774–1834). John Stanly served in the North Carolina House of Commons and also for two terms in the United States House of Representatives.

Geography and Location

The United States Census Bureau says that Stanly County covers about 405 square miles. Most of this (about 395 square miles) is land, and about 9.8 square miles (2.4%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Stanly County shares its borders with several other counties:

• Rowan County to the north
• Davidson County to the northeast
• Montgomery County to the east
• Anson County to the south
• Union County to the south
• Cabarrus County to the west

Main Roads and Highways

Many important roads pass through Stanly County, connecting it to other areas:

Population and People

2020 Census Information

The 2020 United States census counted 62,504 people living in Stanly County. There were 23,332 households and 16,569 families.

Education in Stanly County

Stanly County has many schools for students of all ages, from elementary to college.

Elementary Schools

• Aquadale Elementary "Little Bulls"
• Badin Elementary "Watts"
• Carolina Christian School "Lions"
• Central Elementary "Bulldogs"
• East Albemarle Elementary "Bullpups"
• Endy Elementary "Redhawks"
• Locust Elementary "Colts"
• Millingport Elementary "Wildcats"
• Norwood Elementary "Patriots"
• Oakboro Elementary "Eagles"
• Richfield Elementary "Tigers"
• Stanfield Elementary "Wildcats"

Middle Schools

• Albemarle Middle School "Bulldogs"
• Carolina Christian School "Lions"
• North Stanly Middle School "Comets"
• South Stanly Middle School "Rebels"
• West Stanly Middle School "Colts"

High Schools

• Carolina Christian School "Lions"
• Gray Stone Day School "Knights"
• North Stanly High School "Comets"
• South Stanly High School "Bulls"
• Albemarle High School "Bulldogs"
• Stanly Early College "Tigers"
• West Stanly High School "Colts"
• Stanly Academy Learning Center

Colleges and Universities

Patterson Building at Stanly Community College

• Pfeiffer University "Falcons"
• Stanly Community College "Eagles"

Local News and Media

Stanly County has its own local newspapers and radio stations.

• The Weekly Post is a newspaper published once a week.
• The Stanly News and Press is a newspaper published three times a week. It also shares local news on its website.

There are two radio stations owned by Stanly Communications, Inc.:

• WSPC broadcasts on 1010 AM and 107.3 FM. It mainly plays news and talk radio.
• WZKY broadcasts on 1580 AM and 103.3 FM. It mostly plays music from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

Towns and Communities

Map of Stanly County, showing cities, towns, and townships

Cities

• Albemarle (This is the county seat, where the main government offices are)
• Locust

Towns

Townships

Census-Designated Places

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated as cities or towns.

• Aquadale
• Millingport

Other Small Communities

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Stanly para niños