Yancey County, North Carolina
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Yancey County is a county located in the state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population is 17,774. Its county seat is Burnsville6.
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History
Independent and sturdy Scottish, English, and Irish settlers of the Carolina frontier had crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains and
settled the Toe River Valley by the mid-1700's. In the year 1796, one of the early land speculators, John Gray Blount, paid for
326,640 acres of land, a portion of which later became Yancey County, N.C.
In December, 1833, the N.C. General Assembly established a new western county, named Yancey, from sections of Burke and Buncombe
Counties. Yancey County was named in honor of one of North Carolina's most distinguished statesmen, Bartlett Yancey, of Caswell
County. As a U.S. Congressman (1813-17) and as speaker of the N.C. Senate (1817-27), he was instrumental in many accomplishments
that benefited the state, including the creation of an education fund that was the beginning of the N.C. Public School System.
He was an advocate of correcting the inequality in representation in the General Assembly by the creation of new western counties;
but he passed away on August 30, 1828, over five years before the General Assembly created a new county named in his honor. In
Yancey's boundaries looms Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in the Eastern U.S., at 6,684 feet above sea level.
On March 6, 1834, "Yellow Jacket" John Bailey conveyed 100 acres of land for the county seat. The town was named Burnsville
in honor of Captain Otway Burns, who voted for the creation of the new western county when he was serving in the General Assembly.
The grateful people named their county seat for Captain Burns, a naval hero in the War of 1812. A statue of Captain Burns stands
on a forty-ton, Mount Airy granite pedestal in the center of the town's public square, which was given the official name of
"Bailey Square" by the Yancey County Board of Commissioners on September 1, 1930. The statue of Captain Burns was given to the
county on July 5, 1909, by Walter Francis Burns, a grandson of the sea captain. The inscription reads: Otway Burns - Born in
Onslow County, North Carolina, 1777 - Died at Portsmouth, North Carolina, 1850. Sailor - Soldier - Statesman. North Carolina's
Foremost Son in the War of 1812-1815 - For Him, This Town Is Named - He Guarded Well Our Seas, Let Our Mountains Honor Him.
Law and government
Yancey County is a member of the regional High Country Council of Governments.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 811 km² (313 mi²). 809 km² (312 mi²) of it is land and 2 km² (1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.21% water.
Townships
The county is divided into eleven townships: Brush Creek, Burnsville, Cane River, Crabtree, Egypt, Green Mountain, Jacks Creek, Pensacola, Price's Creek, Ramseytown, and South Toe.
Adjacent Counties
- Mitchell County, North Carolina - northeast
- McDowell County, North Carolina - southeast
- Buncombe County, North Carolina - southwest
- Madison County, North Carolina - west
- Unicoi County, Tennessee - northwest
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 17,774 people, 7,472 households, and 5,372 families residing in the county. The population density is 22/km² (57/mi²). There are 9,729 housing units at an average density of 12/km² (31/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 97.99% White, 0.57% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. 2.69% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 7,472 households out of which 27.30% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.20% are married couples living together, 7.80% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% are non-families. 25.40% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.50% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.36 and the average family size is 2.81.
In the county the population is spread out with 21.20% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 27.10% from 45 to 64, and 18.20% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 42 years. For every 100 females there are 95.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $29,674, and the median income for a family is $35,879. Males have a median income of $26,800 versus $20,885 for females. The per capita income for the county is $16,335. 15.80% of the population and 10.90% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 22.10% of those under the age of 18 and 16.30% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Cities and towns
External links
- Yancey County government official website (http://www.main.nc.us/yanceycounty)
