Wilkes County, NC
| Wilkes County, North Carolina | ||
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 Location in the U.S. state of North Carolina |
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 North Carolina's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1778 | |
| Named for | John Wilkes | |
| Seat | Wilkesboro | |
| Largest town | North Wilkesboro | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 757 sq mi (1,961 km2) | |
| • Land | 754 sq mi (1,953 km2) | |
| • Water | 2.6 sq mi (7 km2), 0.3% | |
| Population | ||
| • (2010) | almost 69,000(May 2,016) | |
| • Density | 92/sq mi (36/km²) | |
| Congressional district | 5th | |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website | www |
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Wilkes County is a county located in the US state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 69,340. In May 2016, the population is almost 69,000. Its county seat is Wilkesboro, and its largest town is North Wilkesboro. Wilkes County comprises the North Wilkesboro, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area.
The county was formed in 1777 from parts of Surry County and Washington District (now Washington County, Tennessee). The first session of the county court was held in John Brown's house near what is today Brown's Ford. The act creating the county became effective on February 15, 1778, and the county celebrates its anniversary as February 15. It was named for the English political radical John Wilkes, who lost his position as Lord Mayor of the City of London due to his support for the colonists during the American Revolution.
In 1799 the northern and western parts of Wilkes County became Ashe County. In 1841 parts of Wilkes County and Burke County were combined to form Caldwell County. In 1847 another part of Wilkes County was combined with parts of Caldwell County and Iredell County to become Alexander County. In 1849 additional parts of Wilkes County and Caldwell County were combined with parts of Ashe County and Yancey County to form Watauga County. Numerous boundary adjustments were made thereafter, but none resulted in new counties.
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