Cleveland County is a county located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the western Piedmont, on the southern border of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 99,519. Its county seat is Shelby. Cleveland County comprises the Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC Combined Statistical Area.
After the county abolished its eleven townships in 2009, the United States Census Bureau began treating the entire county as a single nonfunctioning, nongovernmental county subdivision named Cleveland. This arrangement is similar to Arlington County, Virginia, where the Census Bureau recognizes a single pseudo minor civil division encompassing the entire county.
History
The county was formed in 1841 from parts of Lincoln and Rutherford counties. It was named for Benjamin Cleveland, a colonel in the American Revolutionary War, who took part in Patriot victory at the Battle of King's Mountain. From 1841 to 1887 "Cleaveland" was the spelling used; the present spelling was adopted in 1887.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.84%) is water.
Cleveland County is part of the South Mountains, a sub-range of the Blueridge Mountains that runs through the county's northwest corner. In the south east corner of the county is Crowders & Kings Mountains, part of a small narrow ridge that sits above the very near surrounding area. They are part of a very old remnant of The Appalachians and used to be much larger. Overall Cleveland County is very hilly, and even mountainous in certain parts, though not to the extreme as counties to the west or north.
State and local protected areas Broad River Greenway City of Shelby Hanna Park Fallen Heroes Memorial at Raper-Roark Park John H. Moss Lake Recreation Park Kings Mountain Gateway Trail South Mountains Game Lands (part)
Major water bodies Benson Creek Broad River Buffalo Creek Hickory Creek Hilton Creek Kings Mountain Reservoir Little Buffalo Creek Little Persimmon Creek Persimmon Creek Suck Creek Moss Lake
Adjacent counties Burke County – north Lincoln County – east Gaston County – east York County, South Carolina – south Cherokee County, South Carolina – south Rutherford County – west
Major highways
(Kings Mountain) (Shelby) (to Rutherford County) (Shelby Bypass)
Major infrastructure Shelby–Cleveland County Regional Airport
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Cleveland County, North Carolina – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)65,54466,15273,35772,79370,16378.56%78.09%76.19%74.22%70.50%Black or African American alone (NH)17,20517,70120,01020,23720,03420.62%20.90%20.78%20.63%20.13%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)621131371932220.07%0.13%0.14%0.20%0.22%Asian alone (NH)1013546477358540.12%0.42%0.67%0.75%0.86%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census92223xx0.01%0.02%0.02%Other race alone (NH)501884743270.06%0.02%0.09%0.08%0.33%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census6101,2683,857xx0.63%1.29%3.88%Hispanic or Latino (any race)4733761,4332,7564,0390.57%0.44%1.49%2.81%4.06%Total83,43584,71496,28798,07899,519 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 99,519 and a median age of 42.4 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.5 males age 18 and over.
There were 39,887 households in the county, including 21,410 families. Of those households, 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 45.9% were married-couple households, 17.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 43,630 housing units, of which 8.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 66.3% were owner-occupied and 33.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%.
The racial makeup of the county was 71.4% White, 20.3% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.1% from some other race, and 5.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.1% of the population.
37.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 62.2% lived in rural areas.
2010 census At the 2010 census, there were 98,078 people, 37,046 households, and 27,006 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 40,317 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 74% White, 21% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. Of any race, 3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.
There were 37,046 households, out of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.00% were married couples living together, 13.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were non-families. 23.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county, the age distribution of the population shows 25.20% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,283, and the median income for a family was $41,733. Males had a median income of $30,882 versus $21,995 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,395. About 10.10% of families and 13.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.90% of those under age 18 and 14.00% of those age 65 or over.
Government and politics
Cleveland is a typical "Solid South" county in its voting patterns. It was Democratic until 1968 when the county voted for American Independent Party candidate George Wallace. In 1972, the county voted overwhelmingly for Richard Nixon, and since then, Cleveland has become a Republican stronghold. The last Democrat to carry Cleveland County was Jimmy Carter in 1980.
Cleveland County is a member of the Isothermal Planning and Development Commission regional council of governments.Isothermal Planning and Development Commission (NC Tomorrow)
Education Cleveland County Schools Cleveland County Schools, which covers the entire county, - Text list has 29 schools ranging from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade, comprising five high schools, two alternative schools, four middle schools, two intermediate schools (grades 5 and 6), and sixteen elementary schools. It was formed from the 2004 merger of Kings Mountain City Schools, Shelby City Schools and the former Cleveland County Schools.
Post-secondary Ambassador Bible College in Lattimore, North Carolina Cleveland Community College Gardner–Webb University
Communities
Cities Kings Mountain (small section in Gaston County) Shelby (county seat and largest community)
Towns
Belwood Boiling Springs Casar Earl Fallston Grover Kingstown Lattimore Lawndale Mooresboro Patterson Springs Polkville Waco
Census-designated place Light Oak
Unincorporated communities Delight Double Shoals Hillsdale Toluca Woodbridge Zion
Townships
By the requirement of the North Carolina Constitution of 1868, Cleveland County was divided into eleven townships. Although the townships originally had governmental functions, their administrative importance declined as those functions were consolidated at the county level.
In 2009, the Cleveland County Planning Department recommended abolishing the township boundaries. At a May 5 meeting of the Board of County Commissioners, Planning Director Bill McCarter explained that the county had experienced discrepancies between township boundaries used by the United States Census Bureau and precinct boundaries used by the county and the North Carolina State Board of Elections for approximately twenty years. According to McCarter, the historic township boundaries were arbitrary, lacked legal descriptions, and were not known to be used by any agency for regulatory purposes. The Planning Department recommended resolving the issue before the 2010 census. The commissioners initially tabled the proposal to allow additional research.
On May 19, 2009, the commissioners reconsidered the proposal. McCarter again explained that eliminating the township boundaries would reduce discrepancies between Census Bureau and election records. The board then unanimously adopted Resolution No. 15-2009, which formally abolished all eleven townships and their boundaries. The resolution cited the lack of written descriptions for the township boundaries, the county's responsibility to report boundary information to the Census Bureau through the annual Boundary and Annexation Survey, and confusion caused by inaccurate township boundaries. North Carolina law authorizes county boards of commissioners to establish, alter, name, and abolish townships.
For the 2010 census, the Census Bureau recorded a new county subdivision named Cleveland as having been formed from the merger of all eleven former townships. The Census Bureau consequently treats the entire county as a single nonfunctioning, nongovernmental county subdivision named Cleveland, rather than as eleven separate townships.
The eleven former townships were:
River Township Boiling Springs Township Rippy's Township Kings Mountain Township Warlick Township Shelby Township Sandy Run Township Polkville Township Double Shoals Township Knob Creek Township Casar Township
Notable people Tamara P. Barringer, former state legislator and Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court Bobby Bell, NFL Hall of Fame inductee Alicia Bridges, disco singer Jonathan Bullard, NFL DE, Minnesota Vikings. Former Crest High School and the University of Florida football great. W. J. Cash, author of The Mind of the South Bill Champion, MLB player. Morris Davis, Colonel in US Air Force Thomas Dixon Jr., minister, author Manny Fernandez, "The Raging Bull", professional wrestler David Flair, professional wrestler Alvin Gentry, NBA Coach Don Gibson, Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Pleasant Daniel Gold, American publisher and Baptist minister Kay Hagan, Senator from North Carolina. Robert Harrill, The Fort Fisher Hermit Keith E. Haynes, Maryland statesman, lawyer Norris Hopper, MLB player Hatcher Hughes, Pulitzer Prize winner Charlie Justice, NFL player, two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up Doug Limerick, ABC radio newscaster Patty Loveless, country music singer Leroy McAfee – Confederate soldier, Ku Klux Klan organizer, and member of the North Carolina House of Representatives (1870–73). Roger Hornsby McKee, pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies Manteo Mitchell, Olympic Silver Medalist, World Champion, US Champion, International Icon in Track & Field Scottie Montgomery, NFL wide receiver, Oakland Raiders, Arena Football League player