Chatham County, North Carolina

Chatham County is a located in the  of. As of 2000, the population was 49,329. Since 2000, its population has grown by more than 20% and now exceeds 60,000. Its is.

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 49,329 people, 19,741 households, and 13,858 families residing in the county. The was 28/km² (72/sq mi). There were 21,358 housing units at an average density of 12/km² (31/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 74.94%, 17.07% or , 0.41% , 0.59% , 0.04% , 5.81% from , and 1.13% from two or more races. 9.62% of the population were or  of any race.

By 2005 the population was 11.3% Latino.

In 2000 there were 19,741 households out of which 28.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.30% were living together, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.80% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the county the population was spread out with 22.50% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 15.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 96.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,851, and the median income for a family was $50,909. Males had a median income of $32,980 versus $26,044 for females. The for the county was $23,355. About 7.10% of families and 9.70% of the population were below the, including 12.70% of those under age 18 and 12.00% of those age 65 or over.

History
The county was formed in from. It was named for, who served as from 1766 to 1768 and opposed harsh colonial policies.

In parts of Chatham County and  were combined to form. The award winning PBS Documentary Family Name notes Chatham County as the place the relationship between the African-American and European-American branches of the Alston family originated. , Historic Poet Laureate of Chatham County, North Carolina (1797?-1883) lived most of his life in Chatham County and is among the few slaves to have published material while still a slave.

Law and government
Chatham County is a member of the regional.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,836 (709 ). 1,769 km² (683 sq mi) of it is land and 68 km² (26 sq mi) of it (3.69%) is water.

The county lies totally within the physiographic region. The topography of the county is generally gently rolling with several higher hills rising above the general terrain. One of these hills, Terrells Mountain, on the line is the transmitter site for several radio and tv stations for the Raleigh-Durham market, including , (G105),  (93.9 Kiss FM), and  (NC Public Radio).

The county lies within the drainage basin. The Cape Fear River begins in the county near the community of, at the confluence of the and the  below Jordan Lake. , a major reservoir and flood-control lake, is located within the basin and lies mainly in eastern Chatham County. The lake is owned by the and is partially leased by the State of North Carolina as Jordan Lake State Recreation Area.

Geology
The county lies in the area of central North Carolina. Much of the eastern part of the county lies within the Triassic Basin, a subregion of the Piedmont. Much of the bedrock in the county is volcanic in origin and formed during the period (hence the name). The Triassic origins have led to the formation of deposits in the southern part of the county. The Boren Clay Products Pit just north of Gulf in extreme southern Chatham County is a place where Triassic flora fossils persist The volcanic origins also led to the creation of high amounts of based rocks in the county. The county lies on the. Soils in the county are mostly clay based and have a deep red color, as do most soils in the piedmont. Groundwater in the county is general full of minerals and tends to be hard if not softened. Mineral based water was the attraction at during the latter part of the  and the early part of the. A resort spa was established there based around the mineral springs of which people would drink the water to hopefully cure ailments and diseases. The resort closed in the early 20th century and is now gone. The springs are still there and are maintained by a local church.

Coal Mining
The county is also home to the only known minable deposits in the state. The area along the Deep River, which forms the border of Chatham and was a major coal producing area between the  and the. It was deemed the. The communities of and (formerly called Egypt in Lee County) began as a result of the coal mining industry. It is said that much of the coal mined in the field during the was used to fuel  operations. A fatal mining disaster at the mine in the 1920's, along with frequent flooding of Deep River sealed the fate of the mines and the mines were all closed by the 1940's. Recent attempts to tap the coal have proved failures, since geologists say the coal is too highly faulted and the threat of explosive gases underground is too high. The coal is, also, said to have too high of a content to be burned with current environmental laws. It was once thought that natural gas and oil may be in the area where the coal mines were, but none that is economical enough to be pumped has yet to be found.

Townships
The county is divided into thirteen : Albright, Baldwin, Bear Creek, Cape Fear, Center, Gulf, Hadley, Haw River, Hickory Mountain, Matthews, New Hope, Oakland, and Williams.

Agriculture and Industry
The county once was dependent on agriculture for economic survival. Due to the area's relatively poor soil conditions, cash crops such as were grown only in smaller quantities and were never important in the county's economy. Livestock has always played a larger role in the county's agricultural heritage, especially cattle and poultry. The county was once had a thriving dairy industry, but in recent years most farms have been sold and developed. The county is one of the state leaders in the poultry industry, being home to several large poultry processing facilities. The poultry industry in the county is centered mainly around the western part of the county near. and are the largest poultry companies in the county. Forage crops such as are, also, grown in large quantities in the county. has been housed in Chatham County along with many.

Industrial growth in the county has largely been focused around the and  areas of the county. By far most of the industry in the county is set up around. Companies in that area include,, , , and

Brick manufacturing has been an important economic factor in the Moncure area with several brick plants operating around the Moncure and communities.

also operates a greenstone mine south of along. The mine takes greenstone and uses it to manufacture roofing shingle granules.

A proposed mine is in the works to be developed near Siler City by of Maryland. The mine has proven to be very controversial since many residents fear the noise and vibrations would destroy the rural setting.

The scenic rural environment has attracted many artists' studios, and arts-related tourism is a growing economic influence.

Transportation
Chatham County has managed to retain its rural character in part because it is not served by an Interstate Highway. However, Chatham County plays an important role in regional transportation due to its close proximity to the geographic center of North Carolina and to major cities such as Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro.

The main east-west artery serving Chatham County is US Highway 64 which provides access to Siler City and Pittsboro. US Highways 421 and 15-501 run approximately north-south through the county. US421 serves Siler City and US15-501 serves Pittsboro. During the 1990s and early 2000s, the North Carolina Department of Transportation invested more than one hundred million dollars upgrading US64, US421 and US15-501, which had previously been two-lane country roads, to modern multi-lane highways. US64 now passes well to the north of Pittsboro via an interstate style bypass. A similar freeway diverts traffic on US421 to the east of Siler City.

Siler City Municipal Airport (5w8) is located 3 miles southwest of downtown Siler City. This public access airport is home to several single and multiengine airplanes and is a favorite stop for general aviation flyers, owing to its idyllic setting and spacious runway and ramp.

The county is served by both and. Norfolk Southern serves, , , and as a part of a spur line that runs between  and. CSX serves the area on trackage that runs between  and. Oddly enough Pittsboro was once served by the (the predecessor to CSX), but the tracks were taken up in the 1970's and were never to return.

Development
Residential development has been a highly contested and controversial issue in the county for the past few years. The county's location in the region has allowed for explosive growth to occur in the county within the past 10 years. Many large scale residential developments have been built over the past few years in the eastern and northern parts of the county as towns in, , and have been filling up and expanding outward into Chatham County. Many people are lured to Chatham County by its rural setting and by the cheaper tax base compared to other counties in the Triangle, although this is becoming less of an issue as taxes and property values increase. Many residents feel that as the county grows and becomes developed that it will lose its rural charm and will become suburban. Some residents worry that incidents of crime and infrastructure strains will get worse. There has already been much criticism of local law enforcement agencies in the county for not growing adequately enough with the county, inadvertently leading to variable increases in crime. On the other hand, some resident believe that growth benefits the county and will bring a much larger tax base to the historically rural county, which could fund increases in law enforcement and government services. Further these residents note that rising demand for land in Chatham leads to higher property value for all existing residents. And finally, they say that growth will bring more retail stores to the area so that the county loses less of their sales tax revenue to neighboring counties.

Immigration
Immigration issues have been another controversial topic in the county over the last few years. Many workers have come to the county over the last few years, mainly to work in the county's large poultry industry. The poultry industry, centered around has done wonders for the county's economy and has been very helpful to Siler City's economy as well. Illegal immigration though has divided many residents. One side of the issue says that immigrants have destroyed Siler City's small town charm, forced many older residents and business to leave town and has driven up crime rates, gang activity, and poverty rates. On the other side it is argued that if not for the immigrants the town's economy might be non existent altogether and that the cultural diversity has helped to enlighten and open up the town and the county to issues beyond its borders.

Adjacent Counties

 * - north
 * - northeast
 * - east
 * - southeast
 * - south
 * - southwest
 * - west
 * - northwest

Cities and towns


Unincorporated communities:



Trivia

 * The is located near  near.
 * It is widely said that lived in the Goldston area as a child and on several occasions has come back to visit.
 * Chatham County is one of the few school systems in the state to not offer a middle school football program.
 * One of the only cases of a rabid beaver ever attacking a human in the US occurred during a rabies outbreak at Jordan Lake in the mid 1990's.
 * A secret government facility termed by locals as the "Big Hole" was operated north of Pittsboro till around 1996. It was said the site was a virtual concrete city built several stories into the ground. The facility was actually part of the system operated under government contract by . The site has reportedly been closed due to the introduction of the.
 * The clock currently in the county courthouse was a recent addition added to the courthouse. It was reportedly in the original plans of the courthouse, but for some reason was left out during its original construction.
 * Even though Jordan Lake is held mostly in the county's borders, county residents get very little drinking water from the lake. Most of the water is currently being sold to and areas of eastern . These contracts have forced the county to purchase water from neighboring counties to guarantee sufficient supply in the county water system.
 * Many people moving to the area choose to live in the county because of lower tax rates compared to neighboring counties.
 * The geographical center of North Carolina is said to be near the community south of Goldston.
 * (Aunt Bea) of fame lived in  and is buried there.
 * It is rumored that several of the costumes for the movie were actually purchased from antique stores in Pittsboro.
 * The county is one of the largest (in terms of land size) in the state.
 * Since the county is wedged between the and the  many residents in the western portion of the county do most of their commerce in the Greensboro area, while those in the eastern portion do most of theirs in the Research Triangle area.
 * Pittsboro was once considered to house the.
 * The county was once a leading shipper of wild meat. Around the turn of the century "Chatham Rabbit" was a known delicacy in restaurants as far away as.
 * It is rumored that singer recently built a home in an undisclosed development in the county and lives there full time.