Rutherford County, North Carolina
Rutherford County is a county in the southwestern area of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,444. Its county seat is Rutherfordton. Rutherford County comprises the Forest City, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area. History The county was formed in 1779 from the western part of the former Tryon County. It was named for Griffith Rutherford, leader of an expedition against the Cherokee in 1776 and a general in the American Revolutionary War. In 1791 parts of Rutherford County and Burke County were combined to form Buncombe County. In 1841 parts of Rutherford and Lincoln counties were combined to form Cleveland County. In 1842 additional parts of Rutherford and Burke counties were combined to form McDowell County. Finally, in 1855, parts of Rutherford and Henderson counties were combined to form Polk County. In May 1989, Rutherford County was hit by an EF4 tornado from a storm that came out of South Carolina. This tornado was part of the May 1989 tornado outbreak, that hit the states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.32%) is water. State and local protected areas Bechtler Mint Site Historic Park Bradley Nature Preserve at Alexander's Ford (part) Chimney Rock State Park (part) Purple Martin Greenway Trail South Mountains Game Lands (part) South Mountains State Park (part) Major water bodies Broad River Catheys Creek Cedar Creek Duncans Creek Floyds Creek Green River Hills Creek Hollands Creek Lake Lure McKinney Creek Mountain Creek North Fork First Broad Creek Roberson Creek Second Broad River Adjacent counties McDowell County – north Burke County – northeast Cleveland County – east Cherokee County, South Carolina – south Spartanburg County, South Carolina – south Polk County – southwest Henderson County – west Buncombe County – northwest Major highways Major infrastructure Rutherford County Airport Summey Airpark, near Forest City Demographics 2020 census As of the 2020 census, there were 64,444 people, 27,970 households, and 18,874 families residing in the county. 2000 census At the 2000 census, the county had 62,899 people, 25,191 households, and 17,935 families. The population density was . There were 29,535 housing units at an average density of . The county's racial makeup was 86.79% White, 11.23% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 1.81% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 25,191 households, out of which 30.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.40% were married couples living together, 11.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.90. In the county, the population was spread out,