Moore County, North Carolina

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Moore County
County
Moore County Courthouse in Carthage
Moore County Courthouse in Carthage
Flag of Moore County
Flag
Official seal of Moore County
Seal
Official logo of Moore County
Logo
Map of North Carolina highlighting Moore County
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
Map of the United States highlighting North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°19′N 79°29′W / 35.31°N 79.48°W / 35.31; -79.48
Country United States
State North Carolina
Founded1784
Named forAlfred Moore
SeatCarthage
Largest villagePinehurst
Area
 • Total706 sq mi (1,830 km2)
 • Land698 sq mi (1,810 km2)
 • Water8.0 sq mi (21 km2)  1.1%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2021)
102,763
 • Density147.2/sq mi (56.8/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district9th
Websitewww.moorecountync.gov

Moore County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 99,727.[1]

Its county seat is Carthage[2] and its largest municipality is the Village of Pinehurst. It is a border county between the Piedmont and the Atlantic Coastal Plain.

In the early years, the economy was dependent on agriculture and lumber. The lumber business expanded after railroads reached the area, improving access to markets. It lies at the northern edge of the area known as the Sandhills region, and developed resorts in the late 19th century, aided by railroads.

Since the early 21st century, Moore County comprises the Aberdeen-Pinehurst-Southern Pines, North Carolina Micropolitan Statistical Area. Moore County is a part of the Fayetteville Combined Statistical Area, which as of 2019 had an estimated population of 854,826, making it the 65th largest CSA in the United States.

History[edit]

Indigenous peoples occupied this area, with varying cultures over thousands of years. In the historic period that included European encounter, tribes included Algonquian-speaking tribes, Siouan-speaking tribes and the Iroquoian-speaking Cherokee in the western mountains.

This area was settled by Gaels from the Scottish Highlands and Islands and their descendants. The Loyalist war poet Iain mac Mhurchaidh, a member of Clan Macrae from Kintail and a major figure in Scottish Gaelic literature, purchased 150 acres in Moore County in 1775.[3]

The county was formed in 1785, shortly after the American Revolutionary War, from part of Cumberland County. It was named after Alfred Moore, an officer in the American Revolutionary War and associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

In 1907 parts of Moore and Chatham counties were combined to form Lee County.

Moore County has many golf resorts in the Southern Pines/Pinehurst area, and hosted the 1996 and 2001 Women's U.S. Opens, as well as the 1999 and 2005 Men's U.S. Opens. The Women's Open returned to Southern Pines in 2007. In 2014, they consecutively hosted both the Women's and Men's Opens in the same year, a first in U.S. Open history.[4]

Geography[edit]

Map
Interactive map of Moore County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 706 square miles (1,830 km2), of which 698 square miles (1,810 km2) is land and 8.0 square miles (21 km2) (1.1%) is water.[5]

State and local protected areas/sites[edit]

Major water bodies[edit]

See also: Category:Rivers of Moore County, North Carolina

Adjacent counties[edit]

Major highways[edit]

Major infrastructure[edit]

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
17903,870—
18004,76723.2%
18106,36733.6%
18207,12812.0%
18307,7458.7%
18407,9883.1%
18509,34217.0%
186011,42722.3%
187012,0405.4%
188016,82139.7%
189020,47921.7%
190023,62215.3%
191017,010−28.0%
192021,38825.7%
193028,21531.9%
194030,9699.8%
195033,1297.0%
196036,73310.9%
197039,0486.3%
198050,50529.3%
199059,01316.8%
200074,76926.7%
201088,24718.0%
202099,72713.0%
2021 (est.)102,763[7]3.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10]
1990-2000[11] 2010-2013[12]
2020[13]

2020 census[edit]

Moore County racial composition[14]
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 75,391 75.6%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 10,545 10.57%
Native American 688 0.69%
Asian 1,237 1.24%
Pacific Islander 59 0.06%
Other/Mixed 4,442 4.45%
Hispanic or Latino 7,365 7.39%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 99,727 people, 41,530 households, and 27,191 families residing in the county. The population density was 107 people per square mile (41/km2). There were 48,237 housing units at an average density of 50 per square mile (19/km2).

2000 census[edit]

There were 30,713 households, out of which 26.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.10% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.2% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 25.80% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 23.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 93.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $48,348, and the median income for a family was $48,492. Males had a median income of $31,260 versus $23,526 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,377. About 8.00% of families and 11.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.60% of those under age 18 and 10.10% of those age 65 or over.

By 2005 78.0% of the county population was non-Hispanic whites. 5.1% of the population was Latino. 14.8% of the population was African-American.

Government and politics[edit]

Since the late 1960s and the civil rights movement and other cultural changes, Moore has become a supporter of Republican presidential candidates. It was one of the first counties east of the Blue Ridge to turn Republican, having supported the GOP nominee in all but one election from 1952 onward. The last Democrat to carry the county was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, and Jimmy Carter in 1980 was the last to reach forty percent of the vote. The Republican Party also dominates many local and state elections in majority-white precincts and districts.

United States presidential election results for Moore County, North Carolina[15]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 36,764 63.02% 20,779 35.62% 796 1.36%
2016 30,490 62.62% 16,329 33.54% 1,873 3.85%
2012 29,495 63.55% 16,505 35.56% 415 0.89%
2008 27,314 60.26% 17,624 38.88% 390 0.86%
2004 24,714 64.39% 13,555 35.32% 113 0.29%
2000 19,882 63.52% 11,232 35.88% 187 0.60%
1996 14,760 55.74% 9,847 37.19% 1,872 7.07%
1992 12,448 46.81% 9,649 36.29% 4,494 16.90%
1988 14,543 65.37% 7,642 34.35% 63 0.28%
1984 14,681 67.40% 7,063 32.43% 38 0.17%
1980 10,158 53.71% 8,084 42.75% 669 3.54%
1976 7,577 50.45% 7,373 49.09% 70 0.47%
1972 9,406 70.68% 3,627 27.25% 275 2.07%
1968 5,322 43.74% 3,583 29.45% 3,263 26.82%
1964 5,162 44.71% 6,384 55.29% 0 0.00%
1960 5,815 51.17% 5,548 48.83% 0 0.00%
1956 5,238 52.55% 4,729 47.45% 0 0.00%
1952 5,442 51.79% 5,066 48.21% 0 0.00%
1948 2,719 40.28% 3,341 49.50% 690 10.22%
1944 2,663 41.78% 3,711 58.22% 0 0.00%
1940 2,587 37.40% 4,330 62.60% 0 0.00%
1936 2,481 35.71% 4,466 64.29% 0 0.00%
1932 2,459 36.20% 4,287 63.11% 47 0.69%
1928 3,290 55.49% 2,639 44.51% 0 0.00%
1924 1,974 41.27% 2,771 57.93% 38 0.79%
1920 2,279 45.97% 2,679 54.03% 0 0.00%
1916 1,047 43.52% 1,337 55.57% 22 0.91%
1912 252 11.92% 1,167 55.20% 695 32.88%
1908 1,077 48.84% 1,109 50.29% 19 0.86%
1904 1,178 44.88% 1,424 54.25% 23 0.88%
1900 2,029 55.63% 1,606 44.04% 12 0.33%
1896 1,948 46.75% 2,207 52.96% 12 0.29%
1892 1,460 37.65% 1,674 43.17% 744 19.19%
1888 1,826 47.51% 1,955 50.87% 62 1.61%
1884 1,468 45.32% 1,769 54.62% 2 0.06%
1880 1,367 48.03% 1,476 51.86% 3 0.11%

Moore County is a member of the regional Triangle J Council of Governments. In the North Carolina House of Representatives, Moore County lies chiefly in the 52nd District, represented by Republican Deputy Majority Whip James L. Boles Jr. The northwestern part of the county lies within the 78th District, which also covers the southeastern part of Randolph County and is represented by Republican Allen McNeill. In the North Carolina Senate, Moore County lies entirely within the 29th Senate District represented by Majority Whip Jerry W. Tillman.

The North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention previously operated the Samarkand Youth Development Center (YDC), a correctional facility for delinquent girls, in Eagle Springs. The 60-acre (24 ha) complex first opened in 1918 and did not have a fence.[16]

Attractions and places of interest[edit]

Communities[edit]

Map of Moore County, North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

City[edit]

Towns[edit]

Villages[edit]

Census-designated places[edit]

Unincorporated communities[edit]

Townships[edit]

The county is divided into ten townships, which are both numbered and named:

  • 1 (Carthage)
  • 2 (Bensalem)
  • 3 (Sheffields)
  • 4 (Ritter)
  • 5 (Deep River)
  • 6 (Greenwood)
  • 7 (McNeill)
  • 8 (Sandhill)
  • 9 (Mineral Springs)
  • 10 (Little River)

Notable people[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Moore County, North Carolina". www.census.gov. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Michael Newton (2001), We're Indians Sure Enough: The Legacy of the Scottish Highlanders in the United States, Saorsa Media. Page 141.
  4. ^ 2014 US Open Championship
  5. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on January 12, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  6. ^ Center, Richmond Country Tourism Development Authority/ Richmond County Visitor's. "Sandhills Game Land". Richmond Country Tourism Development Authority/ Richmond County Visitor's Center. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  7. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Moore County, North Carolina". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  8. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  9. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  10. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  11. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  12. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 27, 2013.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Moore County, North Carolina". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  14. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  15. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  16. ^ "Samarkand YDC" (Archive). North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. April 28, 2006. Retrieved on December 16, 2015.
  17. ^ Chapin, Josh (November 13, 2018). "'He's not a monster': Parents of Chris Watts defend son who admitted to killing wife, children". WTVD. Retrieved September 8, 2022. Shanann Watts lived in Moore County when she was younger and attended Pinecrest High School in Southern Pines

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Moore County, North Carolina.

Coordinates: 35°19′N 79°29′W / 35.31°N 79.48°W / 35.31; -79.48

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