McDowell County, NC Visitor Center

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McDowell County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 42,151. Its county seat is Marion.

History

The county was formed in 1842 from parts of Burke County and Rutherford County. It was named for Joseph McDowell, a colonel in the American Revolutionary War, a hero of the Battle of King's Mountain, and a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1797 to 1799.

In 1861, parts of McDowell County, Burke County, Caldwell County, Watauga County, and Yancey County were combined to form Mitchell County.

Law and government

McDowell County is a member of the Isothermal Planning and Development Commission regional council of governments.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,156 km˛ (446 mi˛). 1,144 km˛ (442 mi˛) of it is land and 12 km˛ (5 mi˛) of it (1.06%) is water.

The Catawba River crosses the county and empties into Lake James. Almost half of the county is located inside the Pisgah National Forest. Linville Caverns and Linville Falls are in the far northern part of the county.

The Blue Ridge Parkway follows the northwestern boundary of the county.

Townships

The county is divided into nine townships: Crooked Creek, Dysartsville, Glenwood, Higgins, Marion, Montford Cove, Nebo, North Cove, and Old Fort.

Cities & Towns

• Marion
• Old Fort

Unincorporated Places

• Little Switzerland
• Nebo
• Glenwood
• Pleasant Gardens
• West Marion

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 42,151 people, 16,604 households, and 11,954 families residing in the county. The population density was 37/km˛ (95/mi˛). There were 18,377 housing units at an average density of 16/km˛ (42/mi˛). The racial makeup of the county was 92.18% White, 4.16% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.61% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 2.88% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 16,604 households out of which 30.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.50% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the county the population was spread out with 22.80% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 99.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,396, and the median income for a family was $37,789. Males had a median income of $26,609 versus $21,640 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,109. About 9.00% of families and 11.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.10% of those under age 18 and 15.70% of those age 65 or over.