Surry County, North Carolina

Surry County is a located in the  of. As of 2000, the population was 71,219. Its is.

History
The county was formed in from. It was named for the county of in England, birthplace of,  from  to.

In parts of Surry County and Washington District (now ) were combined to form. The first permanent courthouse was established at Richmond in, what is now the modern-day in  near. However, in the eastern half of Surry County became, thus making the Richmond site unusable for either county. In, the county seat was moved to where it remained for over half a century. In the half of the county's remaining territory south of the  became. The town of was established in  to be the new county seat.

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

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,393 (538 ). 1,390 km² (537 sq mi) of it is land and 3 km² (1 sq mi) of it (0.24%) is water.

The whole county is generally considered part of the metropolitan area. Surry County is located in the, an. s made from s grown in Surry County may carry the Yadkin Valley on their label.

Townships
The county is divided into fifteen :

Adjacent counties

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

Mountains
Surry County is located both within the region of central North Carolina and in the  region of western North Carolina. Most of the eastern two-thirds of the county lies within the Piedmont, a region of gently rolling hills and valleys. However, the Piedmont of Surry County also contains a small portion of the ; Surry County marks the western end of the Sauratown Mountain range. The western third of the county lies within the, and they dominate the county's western horizon. The mountain passes (called "gaps" locally) are notorious for their occasional high winds, which can force automobiles and even large trucks off the highways which lead through the passes. As a result, high wind advisories issued by the are not uncommon. The highest point in Surry County is Fisher Peak in the Blue Ridge; it rises to 3,570 feet above sea level. However, the best-known peak in Surry County is not the highest. That honor goes to, an isolated and a North Carolina landmark. Pilot Mountain sharply rises some 1,500 feet above the surrounding countryside, and can be seen for miles.

Another notable peak in Surry County is Cumberland Knob, in the northwest corner of the county, which was the starting point of the construction of the. The following table provides a list of some of the more prominent mountains of the county.

Major rivers
While there are many creeks and streams in Surry County, there are three recognized major rivers in the county, the Ararat, the Fisher, and the Mitchell. All three flow southward and are of the Yadkin River, which forms the southern border of Surry County. The Yadkin River is the northern component of the which flows to the  near.



U.S. census (2000)
As of the of 2000, there were 71,219 people, 28,408 households, and 20,482 families residing in the county. The was 51/km² (133/sq mi). There were 31,033 housing units at an average density of 22/km² (58/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 90.40%, 4.16% or , 0.23% , 0.57% , 0.04% , 3.45% from , and 1.15% from two or more races. 6.49% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 28,408 households out of which 30.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% were living together, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.90% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.70% 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 2.92.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.60% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 15.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,046, and the median income for a family was $38,902. Males had a median income of $27,854 versus $20,556 for females. The for the county was $17,722. About 9.10% of families and 12.40% of the population were below the, including 15.00% of those under age 18 and 17.40% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns
Surry County contains only four incorporated municipalities.



Unincorporated communities
With 538 sq mi of total land area and only four incorporated muncipalities, much of Surry County remains rural. Like much of rural North Carolina, Surry County is dotted with many unincorporated communities, some with rather colorful names. Like many rural communities, these places are centered around churches, schools, post offices, and other common gathering places that developed to serve the needs of a mostly agricultural society.

The United States includes 68 populated places in Surry County. Four of these are the county's incorporated municipalities and seven are historical place names. Of the remaining 57, three have since been annexed by an existing city or town. Elkin Valley and North Elkin have long been part of the town of Elkin and the city of Mount Airy will complete in summer its annexation of the remaining portions of Hollyview Forest-Highland Park that remain outside of the city. Additionally, the communities of and  frequently show up on county maps, although they are not officially classified as populated places by the GNIS.

Airports
Commercial flights are available through in  and  in. Additionally, Surry County has two smaller public airports for smaller aircraft:



Education
, part of the, is the county's only institution for. Most North Carolina counties' public schools are administered by one centralized school board. However, Surry County is divided into three local school systems: Surry County Schools, Mount Airy City Schools, and Elkin City Schools.

Colleges and universities

 * Surry Community College

High schools

 * Early College High School of Design (on the college campus.)
 * East Surry High School
 * Elkin High School
 * Mount Airy High School
 * North Surry High School
 * Surry Central High School

Middle schools

 * Central Middle School
 * Elkin Middle School
 * Gentry Middle School
 * Jones Intermediate School
 * Meadowview Middle School
 * Mount Airy Middle School
 * Pilot Mountain Middle School

Elementary schools

 * Cedar Ridge Elementary School
 * Copeland Elementary School
 * Dobson Elementary School
 * Elkin Elementary School
 * Flat Rock Elementary School
 * Franklin Elementary School
 * Mountain Park Elementary School
 * Shoals Elementary School
 * Tharington Primary School
 * Westfield Elementary School
 * White Plains Elementary School

Print
Surry County is home to four local newspapers, the ' and ' of Mount Airy, ' in Pilot Mountain and ' of Elkin. Additionally, the larger daily  covers news and events in the county.

Broadcast
in Elkin is the county's only radio station. The county also has three stations,  in Dobson, as well as  and  in Mount Airy. There are no broadcast stations in Surry County.

Surry County is part of the radio and television market but many broadcasts from the  market also can be received in Surry County.