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North Carolina Counties

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North Carolina Counties

North Carolina is divided into 100 counties. North Carolina ranks 28th in size by area, but has the seventh most counties in the country.

Rutherford County, North Carolina

Rutherford County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Rutherfordton
Year Organized: 1779
Square Miles: 564

Court House:

289 N Main St
County Office Building
Rutherfordton, NC 28139-2503

Etymology - Origin of County Name

t was named in honor of Griffith Rutherford, one of the most prominent of the Revolutionary patriots. He led the expedition that crushed the Cherokees in 1776, and rendered important services both in the Legislature and on the battlefield.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Rutherford was formed in 1779 from Tryon. It was named in honor of Griffith Rutherford, one of the most prominent of the Revolutionary patriots. He led the expedition that crushed the Cherokees in 1776, and rendered important services both in the Legislature and on the battlefield. It is in the southwestern section of the State and is bounded by the state of South Carolina and Polk, Henderson, McDowell, Burke and Cleveland counties. Its present land area is 564.12 square miles and the 2000 population was 62,901. The act establishing the county provided that the first court be held at the home of Joseph Walker and the justices were to decide on the most convenient place to hold succeeding courts until a courthouse could be erected. Commissioners were named to select a place for the county seat. In 1781 an act was passed stating that the original act had not been fully carried out and that the previous commissioners had failed to erect a courthouse even though they had selected the land of James Holland in the fork of Shepard's Creek. The act authorized the commissioners to purchase fifty acres of land from James Holland and erect the buildings. In 1784 an act was passed which stated that the place selected by the commissioners was not convenient; therefore, new commissioners were named to survey the county, locate the center, purchase land and erect the public buildings. In 1787 Rutherford was established on the land purchased for the county seat. Two acres were reserved for the public buildings. Rutherfordton was incorporated in 1793 and is the county seat.

Neighboring Counties:

State of South Carolina
Polk
Henderson
McDowell
Burke
Cleveland

Cities and Towns:

- Bostic	town	Incorporated Area
- Chimney Rock	village	Incorporated Area
- Ellenboro	town	Incorporated Area
- Forest City	town	Incorporated Area
- Lake Lure	town	Incorporated Area
- Ruth	town	Incorporated Area
- Rutherfordton (County Seat)	town	Incorporated Area
- Spindale	town	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."