kids encyclopedia robot

Yadkin County, North Carolina facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Yadkin County
Yadkin River in Elkin
Yadkin River in Elkin
Official seal of Yadkin County
Seal
Map of North Carolina highlighting Yadkin County
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
Map of the United States highlighting North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  North Carolina
Founded 1850
Named for Yadkin River
Seat Yadkinville
Largest town Yadkinville
Area
 • Total 338 sq mi (880 km2)
 • Land 335 sq mi (870 km2)
 • Water 2.7 sq mi (7 km2)  0.8%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2018)
37,543
 • Density 115/sq mi (44/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 10th

Yadkin County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 38,406. Its county seat is Yadkinville. Yadkin County is included in the Winston-Salem, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, NC Combined Statistical Area.

History

The county was formed in 1850 from the part of Surry County south of the Yadkin River, for which it was named.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 338 square miles (880 km2), of which 335 square miles (870 km2) is land and 2.7 square miles (7.0 km2) (0.8%) is water.

Yadkin County is located in the Piedmont region of central North Carolina. The Piedmont consists of rolling farmlands frequently broken by hills or valleys formed by streams. The extreme western section of the county contains the Brushy Mountains, a deeply eroded spur of the much higher Blue Ridge Mountains to the west. Yadkin County marks the eastern end of the Brushy Mountains range; none of the peaks rise more than 400–500 feet above the surrounding countryside. The highest point in the county is Star Peak near Jonesville, at 1,590 feet above sea level.

The Yadkin River forms the county's northern and eastern borders. The county takes its name from the river.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 10,714
1870 10,697 −0.2%
1880 12,420 16.1%
1890 13,790 11.0%
1900 14,083 2.1%
1910 15,428 9.6%
1920 16,391 6.2%
1930 18,010 9.9%
1940 20,657 14.7%
1950 22,133 7.1%
1960 22,804 3.0%
1970 24,599 7.9%
1980 28,439 15.6%
1990 30,488 7.2%
2000 36,348 19.2%
2010 38,406 5.7%
2020 37,214 −3.1%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2013

2020 census

Yadkin County racial composition
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 30,357 81.57%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 1,071 2.88%
Native American 63 0.17%
Asian 142 0.38%
Other/Mixed 1,199 3.22%
Hispanic or Latino 4,382 11.78%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 37,214 people, 15,425 households, and 10,789 families residing in the county.

Transportation

Major highways

  • I-77
  • US 21 (BUS)
  • US 421
  • US 601
  • NC 67

Two major four-lane highways serve Yadkin County. Interstate 77 runs north to south in the western part of the county and U.S. Highway 421 runs east to west. The two highways intersect near Hamptonville. The county also is served by U.S. Highway 21, which runs mostly parallel with I-77, and U.S. Highway 601, which runs through Yadkinville and Boonville. North Carolina Highway 67 is another popular artery that links the northern part of the county with Jonesville-Elkin and Winston-Salem.

Airports

Commercial flights are available through Piedmont Triad International Airport and Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Two private airports are located in the county, Swan Creek near Jonesville and Lone Hickory near Yadkinville. One additional airport is located in Boonville on Baptist Church Road. It recently housed NC Baptist Hospital's AirCare II during a transitional period.

Public transportation

Beginning in 2006, the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART) began offering limited bus service between Boone, North Carolina and Greensboro, North Carolina as part of its US 421 Mountaineer Express. The buses make stops east and west in Yadkinville.

Yadkin Valley Economic Development District Inc. (YVEDDI), a community action agency based in Boonville, operates a multi-county rural public transportation system.

Yadkin Valley wine region

All of Yadkin County is included in the Yadkin Valley AVA, an American Viticultural Area recognized by the United States government as a unique grape-growing region. Wines made from grapes grown in this area may use the appellation "Yadkin Valley" on the label. Yadkin County is also home to the second North Carolina AVA, the Swan Creek Wine Region.

Communities

Map of Yadkin County North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels
Map of Yadkin County, North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

Towns

Townships

  • Boonville
  • Deep Creek
  • East Bend
  • Forbush
  • North Buck Shoals
  • North Fall Creek
  • North Knobs
  • North Liberty
  • South Buck Shoals
  • South Fall Creek
  • South Knobs
  • South Liberty

Unincorporated communities

Former towns

These towns were incorporated at one time:

Education

Yadkin County has three high schools, Forbush, Starmount, and the Yadkin Early College.

The Yadkin Early College is a five-year program where high school and college courses are offered on the Yadkin campus of Surry Community College. Students get the opportunity to earn their high school diploma and an associate degree in nursing, criminal justice, or a transfer degree to a four-year university.

The high schools are fed by eight elementary schools, which teach kindergarten through sixth grades. The eight elementary schools are Boonville, Courtney, East Bend, Fall Creek, Forbush, Jonesville, West Yadkin and Yadkinville.

The school system also operates Yadkin Success Academy, an alternative learning center on Old U.S. 421 in Yadkinville.

Yadkin County opened two new middle schools in 2009. Starmount Middle School opened in August and serves seventh and eighth grade students from Jonesville, Boonville, and West Yadkin Elementary Schools. Forbush Middle opened in November and serves East Bend, Forbush Elementary, Fall Creek, Courtney, and Yadkinville Schools. Both campuses are adjacent to the high schools.

Surry Community College offers courses through its Yadkin Campus at 4649 U.S. Highway 601 North near Yadkinville.

Notable people

  • Leo Arnaud, French-born film composer
  • Thomas Lanier Clingman, U.S. senator and representative and Confederate brigadier general
  • William "Mo" Cowan, U.S. senator for Massachusetts in 2013
  • Mamrie Hart, YouTube celebrity
  • Dickie Hemric, basketball star for Wake Forest and the Boston Celtics
  • Richmond Mumford Pearson, North Carolina Supreme Court chief justice, and his son, Richmond Pearson, a diplomat and U.S. representative
  • Richard Clauselle Puryear, U.S. congressman
  • Ernie Shore, a Major League baseball pitcher and former Forsyth County sheriff
  • Robert Glenn Junior Johnson, NASCAR Hall of Fame driver and champion team owner

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Yadkin para niños

kids search engine
Yadkin County, North Carolina Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.