Davie County, North Carolina

Davie County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,712.^[1] Its county seat is Mocksville.^[2]

Davie County
County
Davie County Courthouse
Flag Seal Logo
Motto:  "You Belong Here"
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35.93°N 80.54°W / 35.93; -80.54
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Founded	1836
Named after	William R. Davie
Seat	Mocksville
Largest community	Mocksville
Area
• Total	266.60 sq mi (690.5 km2)
• Land	263.70 sq mi (683.0 km2)
• Water	2.90 sq mi (7.5 km2)  1.09%
Population  (2020)
• Total	42,712
• Estimate  (2023)	44,599
• Density	161.97/sq mi (62.54/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	6th
Website	www.daviecountync.gov

Davie County is included in the Winston-Salem, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point, NC Combined Statistical Area.

History

The county was formed in 1836 from Rowan County. It was named for William R. Davie,^[3] Governor of North Carolina from 1798 to 1799.

Davie County was initially strongly Unionist. However, 1,147 soldiers from Davie County fought in the American Civil War for the Confederate States of America.^[4]

In 2023, Davie County won the All-America City Award for the county's youth involvement and health and wellness programs. Some notable youth organizations included the SURF Board, Ignite Davie, the CTE programs, and the Davie Respect Initiative.^[5][6]

Geography

Interactive map of Davie County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 266.60 square miles (690.5 km²), of which 263.70 square miles (683.0 km²) is land and 2.90 square miles (7.5 km²) (1.1%) is water.^[7]

State and local protected areas

• Perkins Game Land^[8]
• Yadkin River Game Land (part)^[8]

Major water bodies

• Bear Creek^[9]
• Buffalo Creek
• Carter Creek
• Chinquapin Creek
• Dutchman Creek
• Fourth Creek^[9]
• Greasy Creek
• Hunting Creek^[9]
• Little Bear Creek
• Little Creek
• Second Creek^[9]
• South Yadkin River
• Sugar Creek
• Third Creek^[9]
• Yadkin River
• Withrow Creek^[9]

Adjacent counties

• Yadkin County - north
• Forsyth County - northeast
• Davidson County - east
• Rowan County - south
• Iredell County - west

Major highways

• I-40
• US 64
• US 158
• US 601
• NC 801
• NC 901

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	7,574		—
1850	7,866		3.9%
1860	8,494		8.0%
1870	9,620		13.3%
1880	11,096		15.3%
1890	11,621		4.7%
1900	12,115		4.3%
1910	13,394		10.6%
1920	13,578		1.4%
1930	14,386		6.0%
1940	14,909		3.6%
1950	15,420		3.4%
1960	16,728		8.5%
1970	18,855		12.7%
1980	24,599		30.5%
1990	27,859		13.3%
2000	34,835		25.0%
2010	41,240		18.4%
2020	42,712		3.6%
2023 (est.)	44,599	[1]	4.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790–1960[11] 1900–1990[12] 1990–2000[13] 2010[14] 2020[1]

2020 census

Davie County racial composition^[15]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	34,809	81.5%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	2,413	5.65%
Native American	96	0.22%
Asian	277	0.65%
Pacific Islander	5	0.01%
Other/Mixed	1,737	4.07%
Hispanic or Latino	3,375	7.9%

As of the 2020 census, there were 42,712 people, 16,405 households, and 11,586 families residing in the county.

2000 census

At the 2000 census,^[16] there were 34,835 people, 13,750 households, and 10,257 families residing in the county. The population density was 131 people per square mile (51 people/km²). There were 14,953 housing units at an average density of 56 units per square mile (22 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.44% White, 6.80% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.31% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. 3.47% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 13,750 households, out of which 32.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.40% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.40% were non-families. 22.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the county, the population was well distributed by age, with 24.30% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 29.40% from 25 to 44, 25.50% from 45 to 64, and 13.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,174, and the median income for a family was $47,699. Males had a median income of $33,179 versus $24,632 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,359. About 6.40% of families and 8.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.20% of those under age 18 and 11.30% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

United States presidential election results for Davie County, North Carolina^[17]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	19,398	72.25%	6,988	26.03%	464	1.73%
2020	18,228	72.02%	6,713	26.52%	370	1.46%
2016	15,602	71.71%	5,270	24.22%	884	4.06%
2012	14,687	71.05%	5,735	27.75%	248	1.20%
2008	13,981	68.64%	6,178	30.33%	209	1.03%
2004	12,372	74.17%	4,233	25.38%	75	0.45%
2000	10,184	72.75%	3,651	26.08%	163	1.16%
1996	8,141	64.51%	3,525	27.93%	954	7.56%
1992	6,796	54.86%	3,675	29.67%	1,916	15.47%
1988	7,988	71.37%	3,166	28.29%	38	0.34%
1984	8,201	73.72%	2,911	26.17%	13	0.12%
1980	6,302	63.79%	3,289	33.29%	289	2.93%
1976	4,772	56.39%	3,635	42.96%	55	0.65%
1972	5,613	75.69%	1,578	21.28%	225	3.03%
1968	3,866	49.04%	1,502	19.05%	2,515	31.90%
1964	4,460	59.10%	3,086	40.90%	0	0.00%
1960	4,788	65.96%	2,471	34.04%	0	0.00%
1956	4,599	68.55%	2,110	31.45%	0	0.00%
1952	4,010	62.50%	2,406	37.50%	0	0.00%
1948	2,679	54.02%	1,917	38.66%	363	7.32%
1944	3,244	58.87%	2,266	41.13%	0	0.00%
1940	2,532	46.65%	2,896	53.35%	0	0.00%
1936	2,502	50.26%	2,476	49.74%	0	0.00%
1932	2,473	50.52%	2,381	48.64%	41	0.84%
1928	2,959	73.17%	1,085	26.83%	0	0.00%
1924	2,672	59.64%	1,795	40.07%	13	0.29%
1920	2,591	61.47%	1,624	38.53%	0	0.00%
1916	1,245	57.61%	910	42.11%	6	0.28%
1912	810	40.93%	823	41.59%	346	17.48%

Davie is an overwhelmingly Republican county, being one of seven North Carolina counties to be won by Alf Landon in 1936, and one of thirteen to be carried by Barry Goldwater in 1964. The only Democrat to win the county since World War I has been Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940, when he was aided by support for Britain's World War II effort by the county's population – which was predominantly of British ancestry.^[18]

Davie County is a member of the Northwest Piedmont Council of Governments. In the North Carolina Senate, it is in the 31st Senate district, represented by Republican Joyce Krawiec. In the North Carolina House of Representatives, Davie County is in the 79th district represented by Republican Julia C. Howard.

Yadkin Valley wine region

Portions of Davie County are located in the Yadkin Valley AVA, an American Viticultural Area. Wines made from grapes grown in the Yadkin Valley AVA may use the appellation Yadkin Valley on their labels.

Communities

Map of Davie County with municipal and township labels

Towns

• Bermuda Run
• Cooleemee
• Mocksville (county seat and largest community)

Townships

By the requirements of the North Carolina Constitution of 1868, all counties in North Carolina were divided into townships.^[19] The townships have been used in U.S. Census enumerations since 1870. The following townships were created in 1868:

• Calahaln Township
• Clarksville Township
• Farmington Township
• Fulton Township
• Jerusalem Township
• Mocksville Township
• Shady Grove Township

Unincorporated communities

• Cornatzer
• Hillsdale
• Maine
• Sheffield
• Turkeyfoot

Census-designated places

• Advance
• Farmington

Post offices

Through 1971, there were only three continuing U.S. post offices in Davie County:^[20]

• Advance (since February 16, 1877)
• Cooleemee (since February 9, 1900)
• Mocksville (since January 4, 1830; created in Rowan County until Davie County was formed)

See also

• List of counties in North Carolina
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Davie County, North Carolina