Bladen County, North Carolina
Bladen County | |
---|---|
Nickname: The Mother County | |
Motto: "In God We Trust" | |
Coordinates:34°35′N78°32′W/ 34.59°N 78.54°W | |
Country | United States |
State | North Carolina |
Founded | 1734 |
Named for | Martin Bladen |
Seat | Elizabethtown |
Largest community | Elizabethtown |
Area | |
• Total | 887.78 sq mi (2,299.3 km2) |
• Land | 875.03 sq mi (2,266.3 km2) |
• Water | 12.75 sq mi (33.0 km2) 1.44% |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 29,606 |
• Estimate (2023) | 29,484 |
• Density | 33.83/sq mi (13.06/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−5(Eastern) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4(EDT) |
Congressional district | 7th |
Website | bladennc |
Bladen County(/ˈbleɪdən/)[1]is acountylocated in theU.S. stateofNorth Carolina.As of the2020 census,the population was 29,606.[2]Itscounty seatisElizabethtown.[3]The county was created in 1734 as Bladen Precinct and gained county status in 1739.[4]
History
[edit]Bladen County was formed in 1734 asBladen PrecinctofBath County,fromNew Hanover Precinct.[5]It was named forMartin Bladen,a member of theBoard of Trade.[6]With the abolition of Bath County in 1739, all of its constituent precincts became counties.
Bladen's original residents included theWaccamawpeople.[7][5]
Bladen County began as a vast territory, with indefinite northern and western boundaries. Reductions in its extent began in 1750, when its western part becameAnson County.In 1754, the northern part of what was left of Bladen County becameCumberland County.In 1764, the southern part of what remained of Bladen County was combined with part ofNew Hanover Countyto formBrunswick County.In 1787, the western part of the now much smaller county becameRobeson County.Finally, in 1808, the southern part of Bladen County was combined with part of Brunswick County to formColumbus County. Bladen County is considered the "mother county" of North Carolina because of the 100 counties in North Carolina, 55 of them at one point belonged to Bladen County.
Geography
[edit]According to theU.S. Census Bureau,the county has a total area of 887.78 square miles (2,299.3 km2), of which 874.03 square miles (2,263.7 km2) is land and 12.75 square miles (33.0 km2) (1.44%) is water.[8]It is the fourth-largest county in North Carolina by land area.[9]
State and local protected areas
[edit]- Bakers Lake State Natural Area
- Bay Tree Lake State Natural Area
- Bladen Lakes State Forest
- Bladen Lakes State Forest Game Land[10]
- Jones Lake State Park
- Singletary Lake State Park
- Suggs Mill Pond Game Land(part)[10]
- Turnbull Creek Educational State Forest
- White State Lake
- Whitehall Plantation Game Land(part)[10]
Major water bodies
[edit]- Bay Tree Lake
- Slades Swamp
- Black River,home of theoldestdocumentedTaxodium distichum(bald cypress) at2,649 years old[11]
- Cape Fear River
- Jones Lake
- Little Singletary Lake
- Salters Lake
- Singletary Lake
- South River
- Waccamaw River
- White Lake
Adjacent counties
[edit]- Cumberland County– north
- Sampson County– northeast
- Pender County– east
- Columbus County– south
- Robeson County– west
Major highways
[edit]Major infrastructure
[edit]- Curtis L. Brown Jr. Field
- Elwell Ferry,river ferry across the Cape Fear River
Demographics
[edit]2020 census
[edit]As of the2020 census,there were 29,606 people residing in the county. Racially, 54.4 percent of residents identified as white, 32.3 percent identified as black, 2.7 percent as Native American, and 6.1 percent as other categories. Ethnically, 20.7 percent identified as Hispanic or Latino.[12]
Demographic change
[edit]Historical population | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Between 2010 and 2020, Bladen County experienced a population decline of 15.9 percent,[18]losing 5,584 residents.[12]
Government and politics
[edit]Government
[edit]Bladen County is a member of theLumber River Council of Governments,a regional planning board representing five counties.[19]
It lies within the bounds of North Carolina's 15th Prosecutorial District, the 13ASuperior CourtDistrict, and the 13th District Court District.[20]
Politics
[edit]Historical presidential election returns | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Following the 2018 United States Midterm Elections, an investigation was opened into accusations of an absentee ballot fraud scheme directed byMcCrae Dowlessin Bladen County, within North Carolina's9th Congressional District.Accusations were based around the Republican Primary election, in whichMark Harrisdefeated incumbentRobert Pittenger,and around the general election, in which Harris initially appeared to defeat DemocratDan McCready.As of December 2018[update],the investigation is currently ongoing.[22][23]Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman, Democrat, said it was possible over 1,000 ballots had been destroyed.[24]According to District Attorney Jon David, Republican, the county has a "troubled history of political groups exploiting the use of absentee ballots."[25]The scandal brought national media attention to Bladen.[26]
As of 2022, Bladen County is home to about 22,000 registered voters, comprising about 9,700 registered Democrats, about 5,100 Republicans, and about 7,000 unaffiliated voters.[27]
Healthcare
[edit]Bladen County is served by a single hospital, Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, based in Elizabethtown.[28]According to the 2022 County Health Rankings produced by theUniversity of WisconsinPopulation Health Institute, Bladen County ranked 85th in health outcomes of North Carolina's 100 counties, an improvement of 10 ranks over the previous five years. Per the ranking, 26 percent of adults say they are in poor or fair health, the averagelife expectancyis 75 years, and 16 percent of people under the age of 65 lackhealth insurance.It has one primary care physician per 4,670 residents.[29]
Economy
[edit]Agriculture constitutes a major part of Bladen County's economy.[26]Smithfield Foodsoperates a pork processing facility north of the town ofTar Heel,the largest such plant in the world.[30]It employs 5,800 workers, making it the county's largest employer.[31]The county is the largest producer ofblueberriesin the state. Area farmers also grow soybeans, peanuts, corn, wheat, and cotton.[26]The county suffers from a large poverty rate and is one of the most economically distressed counties in the state.[9]According to census figures, about 70 percent of working people in Bladen are employed outside the county.[32]
Communities
[edit]Towns
[edit]- Bladenboro
- Clarkton
- Dublin
- East Arcadia
- Elizabethtown(county seat and largest community)
- Tar Heel
- White Lake
Census-designated places
[edit]Unincorporated communities
[edit]- Abbottsburg
- Ammon
- Ammon Ford
- Carvers
- Colly Township
- Council
- Emerson
- Rosindale
- Rowan
- Westbrook
- Zara
Townships
[edit]- Abbottsburg
- Bethel
- Bladenboro
- Brown Marsh
- Carvers Creek
- Central
- Clarkton
- Colly
- Cypress Creek
- Elizabethtown
- East Arcadia
- Frenches Creek
- Hollow
- Lake Creek
- Tarheel
- Turnbull
- White Oak
- Dublin
- Whites Creek
Population ranking
[edit]The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Bladen County.[33]
†=county seat
Rank | Name | Type | Population (2020 census) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | †Elizabethtown | Town | 3,296 |
2 | Bladenboro | Town | 1,648 |
3 | White Lake | Town | 843 |
4 | Clarkton | Town | 614 |
5 | Kelly | CDP | 446 |
6 | East Arcadia | Town | 418 |
7 | White Oak | CDP | 346 |
8 | Dublin | Town | 267 |
9 | Butters | CDP | 250 |
10 | Tar Heel | Town | 90 |
See also
[edit]- List of counties in North Carolina
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Bladen County, North Carolina
- Waccamaw Siouan Indians,state-recognized tribe that resides in the county
- Colcor,political corruption investigation on government officials in neighboring Columbus County
- GenX,chemical compound found in the Cape Fear River, south of Fayetteville
References
[edit]- ^Talk Like A TarheelArchivedJune 22, 2013, at theWayback Machine,from the North Carolina Collection's website at theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Retrieved February 8, 2013.
- ^abc"QuickFacts: Bladen County, North Carolina".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedMarch 21,2024.
- ^"Find a County".National Association of Counties. Archived fromthe originalon May 31, 2011.RetrievedJune 7,2011.
- ^"North Carolina: Individual County Chronologies".North Carolina Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.The Newberry Library. 2009. Archived fromthe originalon March 4, 2016.RetrievedJanuary 20,2015.
- ^abJason, Bordeaux (2010)."Bladen County in the 1700s".NCpedia.RetrievedJuly 17,2018.
- ^Proffitt, Martie (April 17, 1983)."Local history offers tasty tidbits".Star-News.pp. 1C.RetrievedNovember 1,2015.
- ^Martin, Jonathan (2016)."Bladen County (1734)".North Carolina History Project.RetrievedJuly 17,2018.
- ^"2020 County Gazetteer Files – North Carolina".United States Census Bureau. August 23, 2022.RetrievedSeptember 9,2023.
- ^abMildenberg, David (April 20, 2021)."Bladen County's crafty approach to economic development".Business North Carolina.RetrievedNovember 17,2022.
- ^abc"NCWRC Game Lands".www.ncpaws.org.RetrievedMarch 30,2023.
- ^Stahle, D. W.; Edmondson, J. R.; Howard, I. M.; Robbins, C. R.; Griffin, R. D.; Carl, A.; Hall, C. B.; Stahle, D. K.; Torbenson, M. C. A. (May 16, 2019)."Longevity, climate sensitivity, and conservation status of wetland trees at Black River, North Carolina".Environmental Research Communications.1(4): 041002.Bibcode:2019ERCom...1d1002S.doi:10.1088/2515-7620/ab0c4a.
- ^abJohnson, Kristen (August 16, 2021)."Hoke, Harnett counties experienced major population growth since 2010, Census results show".The Fayetteville Observer.Archived fromthe originalon September 25, 2021.RetrievedApril 15,2023.
- ^"U.S. Decennial Census".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedJanuary 12,2015.
- ^"Historical Census Browser".University of Virginia Library.RetrievedJanuary 12,2015.
- ^Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995)."Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedJanuary 12,2015.
- ^"Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000"(PDF).United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001.Archived(PDF)from the original on March 27, 2010.RetrievedJanuary 12,2015.
- ^"State & County QuickFacts".United States Census Bureau. Archived fromthe originalon July 28, 2011.RetrievedOctober 17,2013.
- ^Schofield, Ivey (August 17, 2021)."Columbus leaders react to disappointing census results".The News Reporter.RetrievedJanuary 25,2023.
- ^"Richardson explains role of LRCOG to Rotary Club".The Laurinburg Exchange.January 28, 2020.RetrievedJuly 21,2022.
- ^"Bladen County".North Carolina Judicial Branch.RetrievedFebruary 12,2023.
- ^Leip, David."Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".uselectionatlas.org.RetrievedMarch 14,2018.
- ^Morrill, Jim (November 29, 2018)."'Tangled web' in Bladen County has questions swirling about votes in the 9th District ".The Charlotte Observer.Charlotte, North Carolina.RetrievedNovember 30,2018.
- ^Gardner, Amy; Ross, Kirk (November 29, 2018)."Certification in limbo in N.C. House race as fraud investigation continues".The Washington Post.Washington, D.C.RetrievedNovember 30,2018.
- ^Casiano, Louis (December 6, 2018)."Over 1,000 ballots may have been destroyed in NC congressional race, DA says".Fox News.RetrievedDecember 6,2018.
- ^Henderson, Bruce; Doran, Will (December 7, 2018)."In 2 NC counties with 'rough politics,' election fraud claims are nothing new".The Charlotte Observer.RetrievedDecember 9,2018.
- ^abcNagem, Sarah (March 30, 2022)."Bladen County, shrinking but hopeful, creates a plan for its future".Border Belt Independent.RetrievedApril 12,2022.
- ^Nagem, Sarah (April 20, 2022)."Here are some primary races to watch in Bladen County for May 17 election".Border Belt Independent.RetrievedJuly 21,2022.
- ^Nagem, Sarah (November 16, 2022)."How safe are the hospitals in North Carolina's Border Belt? New grades released".Border Belt Independent.RetrievedNovember 28,2022.
- ^Nagem, Sarah (May 9, 2022)."The fight for better health (and health care) in rural North Carolina".Border Belt Independent.RetrievedNovember 28,2022.
- ^Wooten, Alan (April 18, 2020)."Coronavirus: Smithfield Foods worker at Tar Heel plant tests positive; a second Bladen resident also infected".The Bladen Journal.
- ^Schofield, Ivey (May 16, 2021)."'Strong human capital and innovation:' How Bladen County has created plans for future development ".Border Belt Independent.RetrievedJuly 21,2022.
- ^Williams, Joseph (June 15, 2022)."Most county residents work elsewhere, and those who do earn more, data shows".The News Reporter.Archived fromthe originalon January 28, 2023.
- ^"City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022".United States Census Bureau,Population Division.Archivedfrom the original on July 11, 2022.RetrievedMay 18,2023.
External links
[edit]- Geographic data related toBladen County, North CarolinaatOpenStreetMap
- Official website
- Bladen Journal,Google news archive.— PDFs of 2,696 issues, dating from 1929 to 1985.