Stokes County, North Carolina

Stokes County Courthouse, Danbury

Seal

Location in the U.S. state of North Carolina

North Carolina's location in the U.S.

Founded

1789

Named for

Largest town

Area

• Total

456 sq mi (1,181 km²)

• Land

449 sq mi (1,163 km²)

• Water

6.8 sq mi (18 km²), 1.5%

Population

• (2010)

47,401

• Density

106/sq mi (41/km²)

Congressional district

Website

Stokes County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 47,401. Its county seat is Danbury.

Stokes County is included in the Winston-Salem, N.C., Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, N.C., Combined Statistical Area.

The county was formed in 1789 from Surry County. It was named for John Stokes, an American Revolutionary War captain severely wounded when British Colonel Banastre Tarleton's cavalry practically destroyed Col. Abraham Buford's Virginia regiment in the Waxhaws region in 1780. After the war, Captain Stokes was appointed a judge of the United States district court for North Carolina. In 1849 the southern half of Stokes County became Forsyth County.

During the American Civil War, located near Danbury served as a foundry for the Confederate Army. It was destroyed in April 1865 when Union cavalry under the command of General George Stoneman conducted extensive raiding through the region.