Cabarrus County, North Carolina

Cabarrus County Education, Geography, and History

Cabarrus County is a county located in the south-central part of the state of North Carolina. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 178,011. The county seat is Concord, which was incorporated in 1803.

Cabarrus County is included in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Cabarrus County Name

It was named in honor of Stephen Cabarrus of Edenton, several times a member of the Legislature and four times speaker of the House of Commons.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Cabarrus County History

Cabarrus was formed in 1792 from Mecklenburg. It was named in honor of Stephen Cabarrus of Edenton, several times a member of the Legislature and four times speaker of the House of Commons. It is in the south central section of the State and is bounded by Stanly, Union, Mecklenburg, Iredell and Rowan counties. The present land area is 364.39 square miles and the 2000 population was 131,063. In 1795 an act was passed naming commissioners to erect a courthouse on the land of Samuel Hugey which had already been selected as a proper place for the county seat. They were to lay out the town of Concord. Concord was incorporated in 1806, and is the county seat.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 364 square miles (940 km²), of which 362 square miles (940 km²) is land and 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²) (0.7%) is water.

Cabarrus County is situated in the gently rolling countryside of the Carolina Piedmont There are no significantly high peaks or points, although the eastern half of the county contains the westernmost foothills of the Uwharrie Mountains. Altitude ranges from approximately 500 - 800 feet above sea level. No large or navigable rivers flow through the county; the nearest navigable waterway is the Yadkin River in nearby Rowan County. Land slope is generally toward the southeast. The longest waterway within the county is Rocky River, which rises in Iredell County and empties into the Pee Dee below Norwood in Stanly County.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Rowan County - north
• Stanly County - east
• Union County - south
• Mecklenburg County - west
• Iredell County - northwest

Education

The Cabarrus County School System services all of the county with the exception of parts of Kannapolis, which operates its own school district. The system is generally regarded as one of the better school districts in the state with high student achievement and low instances of violence and other problems.

The county is also home to Barber-Scotia College, the Cabarrus College of Health Sciences (a four-year college), and a branch of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. UNC Charlotte, although in Mecklenburg County, is actually located near Harrisburg and is easily accessible to Cabarrus residents via [Highway 49]

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