Madison County, North Carolina

Madison County is a located in the  of. It is part of the. As of 2000, the population was 19,635. Its is.

History
The county was formed in from parts of  and. It was named for, fourth (1809-1817).

Law and government
Madison County is a member of the of governments. With the exception of the town of Hot Springs, Madison County is a "dry" county, meaning that the sale and/or consumption of is illegal within the county limits. However, the county is also known for the sizable amounts of homemade liquor, often called, which is produced within its borders.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,170 (452 ). 1,164 km² (449 sq mi) of it is land and 6 km² (2 sq mi) of it (0.48%) is water.

Madison County is located deep in the of western North Carolina, and much of the county's terrain is rugged, heavily, and sparsely populated. The county's northern border is with the State of. Madison County's largest river is the, which flows north-northwest through the county, first past the county seat of , then past the resort town of.

Education
Madison County's public educational system consists of one high school, located in the county seat of Marshall, one middle school, and four elementary schools. The county is also home to, a private, , four-year college affiliated with the North Carolina  Convention. Founded in 1856, Mars Hill is the oldest college in western North Carolina; it offers 31 majors in five degrees.

Townships
The county is divided into eleven, which are both numbered and named: 1 (North Marshall and South Marshall), 2 (Laurel), 3 (Mars Hill), 4 (Beech Glenn), 5 (Walnut), 6 (Hot Springs), 7 (Ebbs Chapel), 8 (Spring Creek), 9 (Sandy Mush), 10 (Grapevine), and 11 (Revere Rice Cove). Formerly there were sixteen: 1 (Marshall), 2 (Shelton Laurel), 3 (Bull Creek), 4 (Middle Fork of Ivy), 5 (West Fork of Ivy), 6 (Sandy Mush), 7 (Little Pine Creek), 8 (Spring Creek), 9 (Hot Springs), 10 (Big Laurel), 11 (Upper Laurel), 12 (Big Pine Creek), 13 (Meadow Fork of Spring Creek), 14 (Grapevine), 15 (Mars Hill), and 16 (Foster Creek).

Adjacent Counties

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

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 19,635 people, 8,000 households, and 5,592 families residing in the county. The was 17/km² (44/sq mi). There were 9,722 housing units at an average density of 8/km² (22/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 97.63%, 0.83% or , 0.27% , 0.23% , 0.01% , 0.45% from , and 0.59% from two or more races. 1.35% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 8,000 households out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.50% were living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 26.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the county the population was spread out with 21.20% under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 26.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,985, and the median income for a family was $37,383. Males had a median income of $27,950 versus $22,678 for females. The for the county was $16,076. About 10.90% of families and 15.40% of the population were below the, including 17.60% of those under age 18 and 19.20% of those age 65 or over.

Townships

 * Township 1 - Marshall
 * Township 2 - Laurel
 * Township 3 - Mars Hill
 * Township 4 - Beech Glenn
 * Township 5 - Walnut
 * Township 6 - Hot Springs
 * Township 7 - Ebbs Chapel
 * Township 8 - Spring Creek
 * Township 9 - Sandy Mush
 * Township 10 - Grapevine
 * Township 11 - Revere Rice Cove