Caldwell County, North Carolina

Caldwell County is a located in the  of,. As of 2000, the population was 77,415. Its is.

Caldwell County is part of the.

History
The county was formed in from parts of  and. It was named for, presiding professor (1796-1797, 1799-1804) and the first president (1804-1812, 1816-1835) of the.

A series of reductions in the county's territory followed. In parts of Caldwell County,, and Wilkes County were combined to form. In parts of Caldwell County,, Wilkes County, and  were combined to form. In, parts of Caldwell County, Burke County, , Watauga County, and Yancey County were combined to form. Finally, in parts of Caldwell County, Mitchell County, and Watauga County were combined to form.

Law and government
The county is governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners, who appoint a County Manager.

Caldwell County is a member of the regional.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,228 (474 ). 1,221 km² (472 sq mi) of it is land and 7 km² (3 sq mi) of it (0.57%) is water. Caldwell County is divided into three distinct geographic sections: the, which dominate the northern and western parts of the county; the gently rolling country in the middle and southern parts of the county; and the , an isolated remnant of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The "Brushies", as they are often called, run across much of Caldwell County's eastern section. , located within the city limits of, the county's largest city, marks the western end of the Brushy Mountain range.

Adjacent counties

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

Demographics


As of the of 2000, there were 77,415 people, 30,768 households, and 22,399 families residing in the county. The was 63/km² (164/sq mi). There were 33,430 housing units at an average density of 27/km² (71/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 91.74%, 5.46% or , 0.21% , 0.39% , 0.03% , 1.42% from , and 0.76% from two or more races. 2.49% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 30,768 households out of which 31.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.30% were living together, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.20% were non-families. 23.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.40% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,739, and the median income for a family was $41,665. Males had a median income of $28,820 versus $21,850 for females. The for the county was $17,353. About 7.60% of families and 10.70% of the population were below the, including 14.10% of those under age 18 and 11.90% of those age 65 or over.

Notable Natives or Residents

 * , Considered the foremost pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon in the world, he made history performing the first successful 'living related' lung transplant.
 * , musician
 * , US Congressman
 * , US Congressman and US Senator
 * , country music artist
 * , country music artist
 * , mayor of Lenoir and Medal of Honor winner
 * , U.S. government official
 * , scientist and Nobel laureate
 * , NC Lt. Governor
 * , Major, Special Forces (retired),Son Tay Raider, Caldwell County's Most Decorated Soldier; two time recipient of the.
 * , actor
 * , driver
 * At least four players:
 * At least four players: