Forsyth County, North Carolina

Forsyth County (/foʊrˈsaɪθ/ fohr-SYTH)^[1][2] is a county located in the northwest Piedmont of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 382,590,^[3] making it the fourth-most populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Winston-Salem.^[4] Forsyth County is part of the Winston-Salem, NC, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point, NC, Combined Statistical Area. Portions of Forsyth County are in the Yadkin Valley wine region.

Forsyth County
County
Forsyth County Courthouse in Winston-Salem
Flag Seal Logo
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 36.13°N 80.26°W / 36.13; -80.26
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Founded	1849
Named after	Benjamin Forsyth
Seat	Winston-Salem
Largest community	Winston-Salem
Area
• Total	412.35 sq mi (1,068.0 km2)
• Land	407.85 sq mi (1,056.3 km2)
• Water	4.50 sq mi (11.7 km2)  1.09%
Population  (2020)
• Total	382,590
• Estimate  (2023)	392,921
• Density	937.7/sq mi (362.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	6th, 10th
Website	www.co.forsyth.nc.us

History

The county was formed in 1849 from Stokes County. It was named for Colonel Benjamin Forsyth, who was killed in the War of 1812.^[5]

Geography

Interactive map of Forsyth County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county is in the outer Appalachian Mountains, and has a total area of 412.35 square miles (1,068.0 km²), of which 407.85 square miles (1,056.3 km²) is land and 4.50 square miles (11.7 km²) (1.09%) is water.^[6]

The northeast section of Forsyth County, including Belews Creek and parts of Rural Hall, Walkertown, and Kernersville, is drained by tributaries of the Dan River. A small portion of Kernersville is in the Cape Fear River basin.^[7] Most of the county is drained by tributaries of the Yadkin River, which forms the western boundary of the county. The lowest elevation in the county is 660 feet, on the Yadkin River at the southwest corner of the county.^[8] The highest is 1100 feet, at a point just off Jefferson Church Road on the outskirts of King, immediately south of the county line.

State and local protected areas and sites

• Cascades Preserve (part)
• Emily Allen Wildflower Preserve
• Historic Bethabara Park
• Kaleideum
• Old Salem Museums & Gardens
• Shell-Shaped Shell Station
• Tanglewood Park

Major water bodies

• Abbotts Creek
• Belews Creek
• Belews Lake
• Beaver Dam Creek
• Brushy Creek
• Blanket Creek
• Buffalo Creek
• Crooked Run Creek
• Lick Creek
• Little Creek
• Little Yadkin River
• Mill Creek
• Muddy Creek
• Old Field Creek
• Reedy Fork
• Salem Creek
• Silas Creek
• South Fork Muddy Creek
• Yadkin River

Adjacent counties

• Stokes County – north
• Rockingham County – northeast
• Guilford County – east
• Davidson County – south
• Davie County – southwest
• Yadkin County – west
• Surry County – northwest

Major highways

• I-40
• 
  I-74 / Future I-74 (designated section from I-40 to county line with Guilford County)
• 
  Future I-274 (future loop around Winston-Salem)
• I-285
• 
  Future I-685
• US 52
• US 158
• US 311
• US 421
• NC 8
• NC 65
• NC 66
• NC 67
• NC 74 (temporary highway designation for I-74)
• NC 109
• NC 150
• NC 192 (future designation between I-40 and I-74)
• NC 452 (future temporary highway designation for I-274)

Major infrastructure

• Amtrak Thruway (Winston-Salem)
• Smith Reynolds Airport

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	11,168		—
1860	12,692		13.6%
1870	13,050		2.8%
1880	18,070		38.5%
1890	28,434		57.4%
1900	35,261		24.0%
1910	47,311		34.2%
1920	77,269		63.3%
1930	111,681		44.5%
1940	126,475		13.2%
1950	146,135		15.5%
1960	189,428		29.6%
1970	214,348		13.2%
1980	243,683		13.7%
1990	265,878		9.1%
2000	306,067		15.1%
2010	350,670		14.6%
2020	382,590		9.1%
2023 (est.)	392,921	[3]	2.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790–1960[10] 1900–1990[11] 1990–2000[12] 2010[13] 2020[3]

2020 census

Forsyth County racial composition^[14]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	208,126	54.4%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	93,738	24.5%
Native American	978	0.26%
Asian	9,179	2.4%
Pacific Islander	233	0.06%
Other/Mixed	15,648	4.09%
Hispanic or Latino	54,688	14.29%

As of the 2020 census, there were 382,590 people, 148,151 households, and 90,837 families residing in the county.

2000 census

At the 2000 census,^[15] there were 306,067 people, 123,851 households, and 81,741 families residing in the county. The population density was 747 people per square mile (288 people/km²). There were 133,093 housing units, at an average density of 325 units per square mile (125 units/km²). The racial makeup was 68.47% White, 25.61% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 1.04% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.25% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. 6.40% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 123,851 households, out of which 30.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.90% were married couples living together, 13.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.00% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39, and the average family size was 2.94.

Map of census tracts in Forsyth County by racial plurality, per the 2020 US Census

Legend

• Non-Hispanic White   30–40%   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90%   90%+

  Black or African American   30–40%   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90% Hispanic or Latino   40–50%

The median age was 36 years, with 23.90% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 31.10% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.40 males.

The median household income was $42,097, and the median family income was $52,032. Males had a median income of $36,158, versus $27,319 for females. The per capita income was $23,023. About 7.90% of families and 11.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.10% of those under age 18 and 9.70% of those age 65 or over.

Law and government

Forsyth County Public Safety Center

The Forsyth County Government Center is located at 201 North Chestnut Street in Downtown Winston-Salem. Forsyth County is a member of the regional Northwest Piedmont Council of Governments.

The Forsyth County Public Library, founded in 1906, is free for residents of Forsyth and surrounding counties, while all others must pay a small yearly fee for a library card. The library runs Adult, Children's, and Hispanic Outreach programs. Its main "Central Library" is in downtown Winston-Salem, with branches all across the county.^[16]

Forsyth County Public Library is part of NC Cardinal, a consortium of many other library systems in North Carolina.

The Forsyth County Department of Public Health is located at 799 North Highland Avenue near downtown Winston-Salem.

Politics

Forsyth County typically favors Democratic candidates in national elections, though Republicans remain competitive in local races.^[17]

United States presidential election results for Forsyth County, North Carolina^[18]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	87,292	42.64%	114,145	55.76%	3,289	1.61%
2020	85,064	42.26%	113,033	56.16%	3,173	1.58%
2016	75,975	42.61%	94,464	52.98%	7,873	4.42%
2012	79,768	45.83%	92,323	53.04%	1,978	1.14%
2008	73,674	44.35%	91,085	54.83%	1,374	0.83%
2004	75,294	54.12%	63,340	45.53%	491	0.35%
2000	67,700	55.98%	52,457	43.37%	785	0.65%
1996	59,160	52.81%	46,543	41.54%	6,330	5.65%
1992	52,787	45.40%	49,006	42.15%	14,481	12.45%
1988	57,688	59.02%	39,726	40.65%	321	0.33%
1984	59,208	61.54%	36,814	38.26%	189	0.20%
1980	42,389	49.99%	38,870	45.84%	3,539	4.17%
1976	38,886	49.34%	39,561	50.20%	361	0.46%
1972	46,415	67.69%	20,928	30.52%	1,226	1.79%
1968	31,623	46.79%	20,281	30.01%	15,681	23.20%
1964	30,276	48.92%	31,615	51.08%	0	0.00%
1960	33,374	58.13%	24,035	41.87%	0	0.00%
1956	29,368	64.99%	15,819	35.01%	0	0.00%
1952	26,436	51.86%	24,535	48.14%	0	0.00%
1948	10,147	41.04%	12,201	49.35%	2,377	9.61%
1944	10,014	37.93%	16,390	62.07%	0	0.00%
1940	7,125	25.64%	20,664	74.36%	0	0.00%
1936	5,256	21.91%	18,734	78.09%	0	0.00%
1932	5,727	28.49%	14,016	69.73%	357	1.78%
1928	13,258	66.63%	6,639	33.37%	0	0.00%
1924	5,315	40.33%	7,404	56.18%	459	3.48%
1920	6,792	45.54%	8,123	54.46%	0	0.00%
1916	3,585	45.16%	4,115	51.84%	238	3.00%
1912	1,689	26.72%	3,042	48.12%	1,591	25.17%
1908	2,876	52.28%	2,472	44.94%	153	2.78%
1904	2,209	47.94%	2,301	49.93%	98	2.13%
1900	2,588	50.77%	2,482	48.70%	27	0.53%
1896	3,888	57.85%	2,778	41.33%	55	0.82%
1892	2,447	42.13%	2,880	49.59%	481	8.28%
1888	2,613	53.28%	2,238	45.64%	53	1.08%
1884	1,941	48.46%	2,060	51.44%	4	0.10%
1880	1,791	49.42%	1,778	49.06%	55	1.52%

Education

Forsyth County is served by the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools School district.

Communities

Map of Forsyth County with municipal and township labels

Cities

• Winston-Salem (county seat and largest community)
• High Point (mostly in Guilford County; also in Randolph County and Davidson County)
• King (mostly in Stokes County)

Towns

• Bethania
• Kernersville (partially in Guilford County)
• Lewisville
• Rural Hall
• Stokesdale (mostly in Guilford County)
• Walkertown

Villages

• Clemmons
• Tobaccoville (also in Stokes County)

Townships

• Abbots Creek
• Belews Creek
• Bethania
• Broadbay
• Clemmonsville
• Kernersville
• Lewisville
• Middle Fork I
• Middle Fork II
• Old Richmond
• Old Town
• Salem Chapel
• South Fork
• Vienna
• Winston

Former township

• Middle Fork Township was split into Middle Fork I Township and Middle Fork II Township in 2003.^[19]

Census-designated place

• Germanton

Unincorporated communities

• Belews Creek
• Bethabara
• Dennis
• Donnaha
• Dozier
• Horneytown
• Pfafftown
• Seward
• Stanleyville
• Union Cross
• Vienna

See also

• List of counties in North Carolina
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Forsyth County, North Carolina
• Arts Council of Winston-Salem Forsyth County
• Adelaide Fries, author of the 1898 book, Forsyth County