Wake County, North Carolina

Wake County, officially the County of Wake, is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the United States, with Cary and Raleigh being the 8th- and 15th-fastest growing communities, respectively.
Its county seat is Raleigh, which is also the state capital. Eleven other municipalities are in Wake County, the largest of which is the town of Cary, the third-most populous city of the Research Triangle region and the seventh-most populous municipality in North Carolina.
It is governed by the Wake County Board of Commissioners, coterminous with the Wake County Public School System, with law enforcement provided by the Wake County Sheriff's Department. It is also part of the wider Triangle J Council of Governments, which governs regional planning.

History

Early history

Prior to English colonization, present-day Wake County was part of the Tuscarora nation.

18th century

Wake County was formed in 1771 from parts of Cumberland County, Johnston County, and Orange County. The first courthouse was built at a village originally called Wake Courthouse, now known as Bloomsbury. In 1771, the first elections and court were held, and the first militia units were organized.
Wake County lost some of its territory through the formation of other counties. Parts were included in Franklin County in 1787, and in Durham County in both 1881 and 1911.
During the colonial period of North Carolina, the state capital was New Bern. For several years during and after the Revolutionary War, there was no capital, and the General Assembly met in various locations. Fayetteville was the state capital in 1786, 1789, 1790, and 1793, when Raleigh became the permanent state capital in 1794. In 1792, a commission was appointed to select a site to build a permanent state capital. The commission members favored land owned by Colonel John Hinton across the Neuse River, but the night before the final vote, the committee adjourned to the home of Joel Lane for an evening of food and spirits. The next day, the vote went in Lane's favor.
Lane named Wake County in honor of Margaret Wake Tryon, wife of colonial Governor William Tryon. Raleigh was named after Sir Walter Raleigh, and established in 1792 on purchased from Lane. Raleigh had never set foot in North Carolina, but he had sponsored the establishment of the first English colony in North America on North Carolina's Roanoke Island in 1585. The city of Raleigh became both the state capital and the new seat of Wake County.

19th century

The Battle at Morrisville Station was fought April 13–15, 1865, in Morrisville, North Carolina, during the Carolinas Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the last official battle of the Civil War between the armies of Major General William T. Sherman and General Joseph E. Johnston. General Judson Kilpatrick, commanding officer of the Union cavalry advance, compelled Confederate forces under the command of Generals Wade Hampton III and Joseph Wheeler to withdraw in haste. They had been frantically trying to transport their remaining supplies and wounded by rail westward toward the final Confederate encampment in Greensboro. Kilpatrick used artillery on the heights overlooking Morrisville Station and cavalry charges to push the Confederates out of the small village, leaving many needed supplies behind. However, the trains were able to withdraw with wounded from the Battle of Bentonville and the Battle of Averasboro. Later, General Johnston sent a courier to the federal encampments at Morrisville with a message for Major General Sherman requesting a conference to discuss an armistice. Several days later, the two generals met at Bennett Place near Durham on April 17, 1865, to begin discussing the terms of what would become the largest surrender of the war.

20th century

In the 20th century, the average per capita income for the county was of $54,988, and the median income for a family was of $67,149. In the same period, the per capita income decreased from $44,472 to $31,579, especially for women. About 7.80% of the population was below the federal poverty line.
A county courthouse was built in 1915. Space for county government in the building grew increasingly inadequate in the 1960s, and another courthouse was built in 1970.

21st century

In August 2014, the county population surpassed 1,000,000 people.
In November 2017, the commissioners of Wake and Harnett counties discussed the possibility of redrawing the line between the counties using the latest technology. This boundary change would affect about 130 properties, with 27 having houses on them, meaning they would end up in a different county or divided between two. An agreement was reached regarding the adjustment of the Wake, Chatham, and Harnett county lines in May 2018.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
Wake County is located in the northeast central region of North Carolina, where the North American Piedmont and Atlantic Coastal Plain regions meet. This area is known as the "fall line" because it marks the elevation inland at which waterfalls begin to appear in creeks and rivers. As a result, most of Wake County features gently rolling hills that slope eastward toward the state's flat coastal plain. Its central Piedmont location situates the county about three hours west of Atlantic Beach by car and four hours east of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Bodies of water that are located in Wake County include Crabtree Creek, Walnut Creek, the Neuse River, Lake Crabtree, Lake Johnson, Lake Raleigh, Lake Wheeler, Lake Benson, Harris Lake and portions of Falls Lake and Jordan Lake.

Climate

Wake County enjoys a moderate subtropical climate, with moderate temperatures in the spring, fall, and winter. Summers are typically hot with high humidity. Winter highs generally range in the low 50s °F with lows in the low to-mid 30s °F, although an occasional or warmer winter day is not uncommon. Spring and fall days usually reach the low to mid-70s °F, with lows at night in the lower 50s °F. Summer daytime highs often reach the upper 80s to low 90s °F. The rainiest months are July and August.
The county, at the National Weather Service in Raleigh, receives on average of snow in the winter. Freezing rain and sleet occur most winters, and occasionally the area experiences a major damaging ice storm.

State parks

Wake County is home to three state parks: Falls Lake State Recreation Area, Jordan Lake State Recreation Area, and William B. Umstead State Park. Falls Lake Park is located in northern Wake County and contains the Falls Lake and of woodlands. Umstead Park is situated between Raleigh and Cary near RDU. Located right off I-40, it is divided into two sections, Crabtree Creek and Reedy Creek, and contains of woodlands. Jordan Lake Park, which is partially located in Wake County near Apex, contains Jordan Lake and of woodlands. This park is known for being home to bald eagles.

County parks and recreation centers

There are 152 county parks, city parks, public swimming and public tennis facilities in Wake County. In addition, there are 53 community centers. Notable parks include Pullen Park and Yates Mill Park. The American Tobacco Trail is a rail trail project that is located in the Research Triangle Park region. Fifteen miles of the trail is located in Wake County and is open to pedestrians, cyclists, equestrians, and other non-motorized users. The Capital Area Greenway system has over of paved walking and biking trails and connects to other systems operated by municipalities and neighboring counties.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 1,129,410, 437,043 households, and 279,243 families. The median age was 36.3 years, with 23.8% of residents under the age of 18 and 12.3% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.4 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 58.8% White, 18.5% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 8.6% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 6.0% from some other race, and 7.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 11.4% of the population.
94.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 5.2% lived in rural areas.
There were 462,582 housing units, of which 5.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 61.6% were owner-occupied and 38.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.9%.