Rutherfordton is a town in and the county seat of Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,640 at the 2020 census.

History

The town of Rutherfordton was founded in 1787 to serve as the new seat of Rutherford County, taking over from Gilbert Town. Its foundation was planned by a committee appointed by the General Assembly of North Carolina. The committee purchased 50 acres of land on Cleghorn Creek from landowner James Adair. The plots included a hill safe from flooding, making it a perfect site for building the town courthouse. By 1791, the main streets of Rutherfordton had been laid out on a grid plan. Next was the construction of the U.S. Post Office in 1798, and the establishment of the Rutherfordton Academy in 1806.

Rutherfordton was at the center of the flourishing North Carolina gold industry between 1790 and 1840. German-born goldsmith Christopher Bechtler minted the first U.S. gold dollars in Rutherfordton.

Geography

Rutherfordton is concentrated around the intersection of U.S. Route 221 and North Carolina Highway 108. The town of Ruth borders Rutherfordton to the north, and the town of Spindale borders Rutherfordton to the east.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.2 square miles (10.8 km), all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Rutherfordton had a population of 3,640. The median age was 47.1 years. 17.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 92.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males age 18 and over.

96.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 3.6% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,586 households in Rutherfordton, of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 42.5% were married-couple households, 17.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. As of the 2020 census, there were 893 families residing in the town.

!scope="col"| Race

!scope="col"| Number

!scope="col"| Percentage

|-

!scope="row"| White (non-Hispanic)

| 2,853

| 78.38%

|-

!scope="row"| Black or African American (non-Hispanic)

| 352

| 9.67%

|-

!scope="row"| Native American

| 12

| 0.33%

|-

!scope="row"| Asian

| 52

| 1.43%

|-

!scope="row"| Pacific Islander

| 1

| 0.03%

|-

!scope="row"| Other/Mixed

| 176

| 4.84%

|-

!scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino

| 194

| 5.33%

|}

2000 census

As of the census

Notable people

  • Michael Johnston, actor
  • Betsy Brantley, actress
  • William T. Carpenter, psychiatrist who served as an expert witness in the trial of John W. Hinckley
  • Walter H. Dalton, lieutenant governor of North Carolina
  • Bruce Davis, National Football League offensive tackle
  • Gomer Hodge, Major League Baseball player, coach, and manager
  • Sherry Hursey, actress
  • Woodrow W. Jones, U.S. representative from North Carolina
  • Tom Wright, Major League Baseball outfielder

References

  • Official website