Alamance County, North Carolina

Alamance County is a located in the  of. It coincides with the. Formed in 1849 from to the east, Alamance County has been the site of significant, , , and  in North Carolina.

As of 2006, the estimated population of the county and MSA was 142,661. Its is.

History
Before being formed as a county, the region had at least one known small of  in the 1700s - the  who lived in the area bound by modern, Hawfields and  locations in the county. European Americans entered the region largely following Native American trading paths that became the basis of the railroad and interstate highway routes. The county was formed, from. It was named after, site of the , in which militia under the command of Governor  crushed the Regulator movement. The Great Alamance Creek, and in turn the Little Alamance Creek, according to legend, were named after a local Native American word to describe the blue that was found at the bottom of the creeks.

Several other small battles occurred during the in the Alamance County area during the lead-up to the, including  and the  , and the.

Civil War and aftermath
In 1861, the United States began to fragment due to growing questions of states' rights concerning issues of money, agriculture, representation, and slavery. In February of that year, a peace conference was held in Washington, DC. North Carolina sent five delegates to this conference, including Chief Justice Thomas Ruffin of Haw River, an Alamance County community. Justice Ruffin was opposed to secession, but was voted down. Later on, President Buchanan said that if Ruffin had persisted, the war might have been averted. In March, 1861, Alamance County residents voted against North Carolina's secession from the Union, 1,114 to 254. Hostilities would later prove that vote moot.

Alamance County joined the rest of North Carolina as the state split off from the Union and joined the Confederate States. Although no battles took place in the county itself, Alamance County did send its share of sons and brothers to the front lines. Only in the last months of the war did the residents of the county see a significant number of troops. Most important of these events was when President Jefferson Davis dictated a note to General Johnston for Union General Sherman. General Johnston delivered that note, stopping in Company Shops to drop off some of the last of his men.



Some of the most significant effects of the Civil War were seen after the war. Alamance County briefly became a center of natioanl attention when, in 1870, a confrontation between local residents and an apparently corrupt Army colonel led to several people being wrongfully accused and arrested for various crimes. Only after involvement by a U. S. District Judge were these men and women freed and cleared of crimes. This event came to be known as the Kirk-Holden War, and it lead to the and removal of  by the North Carolina Legislature in 1871.

Textiles
The Holt family began the textile industry in the county in the 1800s. Textiles became the county's largest source of industry and nearly every community in the county contained a textile mill by the early 1900s. Most of the mills were located along the which provided a cheap easy source of energy. ,, , , , and  all contained textile mills and all these communities were located on the Haw River or tributaries of the river. The Holt's became famous for producing "Alamance Plaids" used mainly in tablecloths. Most of the plants have now gone out of business. Burlington was, also, home to.

Dairy industry
The county was once the state leader in production. Several dairies including in Burlington were headquartered in the county. With increasing real estate prices and a slump in milk prices, most dairy farms have been sold and many of them developed for real estate purposes.

Airplanes and radars
During  built airplanes at a plant on the eastern side of Burlington. Among the planes built at the plant were the AT-21 gunner used to train bomber pilots. Near the Fairchild plant was the Burlington works. The plant built radar equipment and guidance systems for missiles on top of many other electronics for the government. The guidance system for the missile was built there. The plant was closed in and sat abandoned until, when it was purchased by a local businessman for manufacturing.

Politics
Alamance County has provided North Carolina with three of its and two :, ,  (Kerr Scott's son), and.

Law and government
Alamance County is a member of the regional. The county is led by the Alamance County Board of Commissioners and the County Manager, who is appointed by the Board of Commissioners. County residents also elect 2 other county government offices: the and.

County commissioners

 * Larry W. Sharpe, Chairman (current term ends in 2008)
 * Dan Ingle, Vice-Chairman (current term ends in 2008)
 * William H. Lashley (current term ends in 2008)
 * Tim D. Sutton (current term ends in 2010)
 * Ann Vaughan (current term ends in 2010)

County manager
David Smith (since 2005), serving dual role as County Manager and County Attorney

Sheriff
Terry Johnson (current term ends in 2010)

Register of deeds
David Barber (current term ends in 2008)

Education
Alamance County is home to a, several private elementary and secondary schools, a , and a.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,126 (435 ). 1,114 km² (430 sq mi) of it is land and 12 km² (5 sq mi) of it (1.10%) is water.

The county is in the physiographical region. The county has a general rolling terrain with the rising to over 970 ft. in the south central part of the county just north of. one of the prominent hills in the range is home to a world renowned festival every year. There are also isolated s in the northern part of the county that rise to near or over 900 ft. above sea level.

The largest river that flows through Alamance County is the, which eventually feeds into in , eventually leading to the. The county is also home to numerous creeks, streams, and ponds, including the, where a portion of the was fought. There are 3 large municipal reservoirs: Lake Cammack, Lake Mackintosh, and Graham-Mebane Lake (formerly Quaker Lake).

Major highways
Alamance County has several state and federal highways running through it.

Interstates and U.S. highways
Going east-west in the county:
 * [[Image:I-85.svg|20px]] [[Image:I-40.svg|20px]] /  (Concurrent), also known as the Sam Hunt Freeway, named after a former North Carolina Secretary of Transportation.  Interstates 85/40 run east-to-west through the central part of the county.
 * [[Image:US 70.svg|20px]] . Highway 70 nearly parallels 85/40 a few miles north of the interstates as it passes through the downtown sections of Burlington, Haw River, and Mebane.

N.C. state highways

 * [[Image:NC 49.svg|20px]] runs southwest to northeast from the  area, through Burlington, Graham, and Haw River, to the Pleasant Grove Community area before turning northeast and continuing into.
 * [[Image:NC 54.svg|20px]] runs from its northern hub at the intersection of Highway 54 U.S. Highway 70 in Burlington southeast to the  line in the southeast part of the county.
 * [[Image:NC 62.svg|20px]] runs southwest to northeast from the Kimesville Community area, through Burlington, to the Pleasant Grove Community area.  It then turns North and heads to.
 * [[Image:NC 87.svg|20px]] runs from southeast to northwest through the county, from the Eli Whitney Community area through Graham, Burlington, and a small part of Elon, before turning northeast and heading through the Altamahaw-Ossipee area, finally moving into.
 * [[Image:NC 100.svg|20px]]  forms a loop through downtown Burlington, starting at the intersection of Maple Avenue and Chapel Hill Road before moving north, then northwest, before going through Elon and moving on to  and.
 * [[Image:NC 119.svg|20px]]  runs roughly north from its southern hub at an intersection with N.C. Highway 54, moving through Mebane and heading north into.

Adjacent counties

 * - north
 * - east
 * - south
 * - southwest
 * - west

The arts
Paramount Theater serves as the center of dramatic presentations in the community.



Parks
Alamance County, Burlington, Graham, Elon, Haw River, Swepsonville, and Mebane all have other small parks that are not listed here. Major parks include:

Alamance County
Cedarock Park, located 6 miles south of the Intersection of Interstate 85/40 and NC Highway 49. Cedarock Park is home to the Cedarock Historic Farm, an Old Mill, and 2 Courses.

City of Burlington

 * City Park, located in Burlington off of (Church Street), and is home to a Dentzel  built between 1906 and 1910 and several -based rides, signifying Burlington's place in history as the Company Shops Train Depot.
 * Indian Valley Golf Course, an 18-hole operated by the City of Burlington
 * Lake Mackintosh Marina, located off of Huffman Mill Rd.

Professional
The are a    based in Burlington. They were previously known as the Burlington Indians, but changed affiliations in 2006 from Cleveland to Kansas City. This version of the team has been active since 1985, but Burlington did host a minor league baseball team for many years under the Burlington Indians and Burlington Bees.

Collegiate
The  play in the town of Elon. The Phoenix compete in the 's Division I (I-AA in football). Intercollegiate sports include, , , , , , and for men, and basketball, cross-country, golf, indoor , outdoor track, soccer, , tennis, and  for women.

Up until, the mascot of Elon was the Fightin' Christians. The moniker is said to have been coined by a sportswriter covering a contest in the 1930's between Elon and nearby, a Quaker school. Prior to the 1930's, Elon was known simply as the Christians. The nickname was chosen due to Elon's proximity to the Demon Deacons, and the  Blue Devils. However, many did not feel that the nickname was universal enough for a team making the transition to Division I athletics, so a new mascot was adopted, the. The choice came from the fire that destroyed almost the entire campus. Soon after the fire, the university trustees began planning to make Elon "rise from the ashes". The Phoenix was a mythical creature that rose from the ashes of its predecessors. The Christian symbolism is not lost with the Phoenix, however, which can be seen as a symbol of the.

Economy
Today, Alamance County is often described as a "bedroom" community, with many residents living in the county and working elsewhere due to low tax rates, although the county is still a major player in the textile and manufacturing industries.

The current county-wide tax rate for Alamance County residents is 57.5 per $100 valuation. This does not include tax rates imposed by municipalities or fire districts.

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 130,800 people, 51,584 households, and 35,541 families residing in the county. The was 117/km² (304/sq mi). There were 55,463 housing units at an average density of 50/km² (129/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 75.61%, 18.76% or , 0.35% , 0.90% , 0.02% , 3.19% from , and 1.16% from two or more races. 6.75% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 51,584 households out of which 31.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.10% were living together, 12.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.10% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.80% under the age of 18, 9.90% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,168, and the median income for a family was $46,479. Males had a median income of $31,906 versus $23,367 for females. The for the county was $19,391. About 7.60% of families and 11.10% of the population were below the, including 13.30% of those under age 18 and 12.90% of those age 65 or over.

Incorporated cities and towns
Populations given are from the 2005 Census Estimate ( file).


 * -the smallest town in Alamance County, population 321
 * - the largest city in Alamance County, population 47,592.
 * - formerly called "Elon College", population 7,100.
 * - A town shared with Guilford County, population 4,569
 * - the County Seat, population 13,952
 * - incorporated in 1990, population 2,129
 * - town named for the, population 1,981
 * - a city shared with Orange County, population 8,945
 * - a small town in Northeastern Alamance County, population 328
 * - a mill town located on the banks of the Haw River, population 952

Townships
The county is divided into thirteen, which are both numbered, named, and contain the following municipalities:


 * 1 (Patterson): Contains no incorporated areas
 * 2 (Coble):
 * 3 (Boone Station):, parts of , parts of
 * 4 (Morton):
 * 5 (Faucette): Contains no incorporated areas
 * 6 (Graham):, parts of
 * 7 (Albright):
 * 8 (Newlin): Contains no incorporated areas
 * 9 (Thompson): Contains no incorporated areas
 * 10 (Melville):
 * 11 (Pleasant Grove): Contains no incorporated areas
 * 12 (Burlington):
 * 13 (Haw River): ,

Unincorporated communities

 * - Sister community to Ossipee
 * - Home to the a historic textile mill town and Textile Heritage Museum
 * - Site of a winter camp used by General Cornwallis and home to the Snow Camp Drama
 * - Home to the a historic textile mill town and Textile Heritage Museum
 * - Site of a winter camp used by General Cornwallis and home to the Snow Camp Drama
 * - Site of a winter camp used by General Cornwallis and home to the Snow Camp Drama
 * - Site of a winter camp used by General Cornwallis and home to the Snow Camp Drama
 * - Site of a winter camp used by General Cornwallis and home to the Snow Camp Drama

Notable residents



 * Jacob Brent, born in Graham, starred as Mr. Mistoffelees in the broadway and home video version of.
 * Billy Bryan, Center for the from 1977-1988 grew up in Burlington.
 * Several generations of 's family may have lived in Alamance County as noted in his 1976 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family - coming from to, to  to Alamance County and moving to  after the.
 * , Governor of North Carolina from 1891-1893.
 * born and raised in Graham, is "John Boy" of the broadcast on radio stations around the nation.
 * , born in Alamance County, player
 * , U. S. Senator (Class 2) from 1958-1973
 * , born in Burlington, wrestler who appeared in with
 * , Manager of the champion  has lived in Alamance County.
 * , a convicted whose life story was portrayed in the television movie "Black Widow: The Blanche Taylor Moore Story", starring.
 * , North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner (2001-2003)
 * , born in Burlington, stars as Drew Rock in, and played a young Ray Charles in the movie
 * (Kerr Scott's son), Governor of North Carolina from 1969-1973
 * , Governor of North Carolina from 1949-1953, U. S. Senator (Class 2) from 1954-1958
 * Adam Daniel Chandler, 2006