Burke County, NC Visitor Center

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Burke County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 89,148. Its county seat is Morganton. The symbol of Burke County is Table Rock.

History

The county was formed in 1777 from Rowan County. It was named for Thomas Burke, a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1777 to 1781 and Governor of North Carolina from 1781 to 1782. In 1791 parts of Burke County and Rutherford County were combined to form Buncombe County. In 1833 parts of Burke County and Buncombe County were combined to form Yancey County. In 1841 parts of Burke County and Wilkes County were combined to form Caldwell County. In 1842 additional parts of Burke County and Rutherford County were combined to form McDowell County. Finally, in 1861 parts of Burke County, Caldwell County, McDowell County, Watauga County, and Yancey County were combined to form Mitchell County.

Law and government

Burke County is a member of the regional Western Piedmont Council of Governments.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,334 km˛ (515 mi˛). 1,312 km˛ (507 mi˛) of it is land and 21 km˛ (8 mi˛) of it (1.59%) is water. The county contains portions of two lakes: Lake James along its western border with McDowell County and Lake Rhodhiss along its northeastern border with Caldwell County

Notable residents

• Colonel Samuel Ervin, (1810-1900), Morganton politician.
• Sam Ervin, (1896-1985), chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee.
• William Waightstill Avery, (1816-1864), member of the Congress of the Confederate States from North Carolina.
• Terrance McFarland, (1963-), linebacker for Notre Dame football.
• Etta Baker, (1913-2006), Piedmont Blues guitarist and singer.
• Joe Cheves, retired golf pro.

Cities & Townships

• Connelly Springs
• Drexel
• Glen Alpine
• Hildebran
• Icard
• Jonas Ridge
• Linville
• Lovelady
• Lower Creek
• Lower Fork
• Morganton
• Quaker Meadows
• Rhodhiss
• Rutherford College
• Silver Creek
• Smoky Creek
• Upper Creek
• Upper Fork
• Valdese

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 89,148 people, 34,528 households, and 24,342 families residing in the county. The population density was 68/km˛ (176/mi˛). There were 37,427 housing units at an average density of 29/km˛ (74/mi˛). The racial makeup of the county was 86.01% White, 6.71% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 3.48% Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 2.17% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. 3.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race

There were 34,528 households out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.90% were married couples living together, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.50% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.90% 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 2.94.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 29.60% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 100.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,629, and the median income for a family was $42,114. Males had a median income of $27,591 versus $21,993 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,397. About 8.00% of families and 10.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.60% of those under age 18 and 12.50% of those age 65 or over.