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.

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 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)

| align-fn = center

| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020

| align = right

thumb|2020 population density of Montgomery County NC by census block

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Montgomery County, North Carolina – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 1980

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|16,755

|16,564

|17,514

|17,875

|style='background: #ffffe6; |16,504

|74.57%

|70.95%

|65.30%

|64.30%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |64.09%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|5,440

|5,986

|5,805

|5,182

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,192

|24.21%

|25.64%

|21.64%

|18.64%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |16.28%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|64

|90

|76

|102

|style='background: #ffffe6; |76

|0.28%

|0.39%

|0.28%

|0.37%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.30%

|Asian alone (NH)

|10

|142

|412

|439

|style='background: #ffffe6; |391

|0.04%

|0.61%

|1.54%

|1.58%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.52%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2

|0.01%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.01%

|Other race alone (NH)

|12

|16

|style='background: #ffffe6; |47

|0.02%

|0.03%

|0.04%

|0.06%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.18%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|202

|255

|style='background: #ffffe6; |615

|0.75%

|0.92%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.39%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|196

|556

|2,797

|3,926

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,924

|0.87%

|2.38%

|10.43%

|14.12%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |15.24%

|Total

|22,469

|23,346

|26,822

|27,798

|style='background: #ffffe6; |25,751

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 25,751 people, 10,333 households, and 6,788 families residing in the county.

<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 10,333 households in the county, of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.1% were married-couple households, 19.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. there were 26,822 people, 9,848 households, and 7,189 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 14,145 housing units at an average density of . 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.

Law and government

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 Mark Harris(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)

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.

Communities

thumb|300px|Map of Montgomery County with municipal and township labels

Towns

Biscoe
Candor (also in Moore County)
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
Wind Blow (also in Richmond County)

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