Davidson County, North Carolina

Davidson County Education, Geography, and History

Davidson County is a county located in the state of North Carolina. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 162,878. Its county seat is Lexington, and its largest city is Thomasville.

Davidson 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.

Etymology - Origin of Davidson County Name

It was named in honor of General William Lee Davidson, a gallant soldier of the Revolution, who was killed at Cowan's Ford.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Davidson County History

Davidson was formed in 1822 from Rowan. It was named in honor of General William Lee Davidson, a gallant soldier of the Revolution, who was killed at Cowan's Ford. When General Greene retreated across North Carolina before Cornwallis in 1781, he stationed troops under Davidson at Cowan's Ford on the Catawba River to delay the British army. The British attacked the Americans, killing General Davidson, and forced a passage. The United States government has erected a monument in his honor on Guilford Battle Ground. The county is in the central section of the State and is bounded by Randolph, Montgomery, Rowan, Davie, Forsyth, and Guilford counties. The present land area is 552.15 square miles and the 2000 population was 147,246. Lexington is the county seat.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 567 square miles (1,470 km²), of which 553 square miles (1,430 km²) is land and 14 square miles (36 km²) (2.5%) is water.

Davidson County is located entirely within the Piedmont region of central North Carolina. The Piedmont consists of gently rolling terrain frequently broken by hills or shallow valleys formed by rivers and streams. An exception to this terrain are the Uwharrie Mountains in the county's western and southwestern sections. The Uwharries are the oldest mountain range in North America,[citation needed] and at one time they rose to nearly 20,000 feet (6,100 m) above sea level. However, time has worn them down to little more than high hills; yet due to the relative flatness of the surrounding countryside they still rise from 250 to 500 feet (150 m) above their base. The highest point in the Uwharries - and the highest point in Davidson County - is High Rock Mountain in the county's southwestern corner. It has an elevation of 1,119 feet (341 m) above sea level.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Davie County - northwest
• Forsyth County - north
• Guilford County - northeast
• Montgomery County - south
• Randolph County - east
• Rowan County - southwest
• Stanly County - southwest

Education

Davidson County is served by Davidson County Schools; however, the cities of Thomasville and Lexington have their own school districts. Davidson County Schools is one of the county's largest employers.

Davidson County is also served by Davidson County Community College, a comprehensive community college that is a member school of the North Carolina Community College System. Davidson County Community College was chartered in 1958 as an Industrial Education Center designed to provide adults with the education and skills needed to move from an agricultural to a manufacturing-based economy.

In 1965, the institution was chartered as Davidson County Community College. The Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees were added to the existing Associate in Applied Science degree, Diploma, and Certificate programs. University transfer courses were added in 1966. In 1997, the College participated in the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA) that allows college transfer students to move easily to the 16 UNC schools, as well as many independent college and universities.

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