Bladen County, North Carolina

Bladen County (/ˈbleɪdən/)^[1] is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,606.^[2] Its county seat is Elizabethtown.^[3] The county was created in 1734 as Bladen Precinct and gained county status in 1739.^[4]

Bladen County
County
Bladen County Courthouse
Flag Seal
Nickname:  The Mother County
Motto:  "In God We Trust"
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34.59°N 78.54°W / 34.59; -78.54
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Founded	1734
Named after	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.govoffice3.com

History

Bladen County was formed in 1734 as Bladen Precinct of Bath County, from New Hanover Precinct.^[5] It was named for Martin Bladen, a member of the Board of Trade.^[6] With the abolition of Bath County in 1739, all of its constituent precincts became counties.

Bladen's original residents included the Waccamaw people.^[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 became Anson County. In 1754, the northern part of what was left of Bladen County became Cumberland County. In 1764, the southern part of what remained of Bladen County was combined with part of New Hanover County to form Brunswick County. In 1787, the western part of the now much smaller Bladen became Robeson County. Finally, in 1808, the southern part of Bladen County was combined with part of Brunswick County to form Columbus County. Bladen County is considered the "mother county" of North Carolina, because of the present 100 counties in the state, 55 of them belonged to Bladen at one point.

Geography

Interactive map of Bladen County

According to the U.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

• 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

See also: Category:Rivers of Bladen County, North Carolina

• Bay Tree Lake
• Slades Swamp
• Black River, home of the oldest documented Taxodium distichum (bald cypress) at 2,650 years old^[11]
• Cape Fear River
• Jones Lake
• Little Singletary Lake
• Salters Lake
• Singletary Lake
• South River
• Waccamaw River
• White Lake

Adjacent counties

• Cumberland County – north
• Sampson County – northeast
• Pender County – east
• Columbus County – south
• Robeson County – west

Major highways

• US 701
• 
  US 701 Bus.
• NC 11
• NC 20
• NC 41
• NC 53
• NC 87
• 
  NC 87 Bus.
• NC 131
• NC 210
• NC 211
• 
  NC 211 Bus.
• NC 242
• NC 410

Major infrastructure

• Curtis L. Brown Jr. Field
• Elwell Ferry, river ferry across the Cape Fear River

Climate

Bladen County is located in the humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) zone, with mostly moderate temperatures year round. Winters are mild across Bladen, with the warmest winter temperatures found in the southeastern portion of the county due to the influence of the nearby Atlantic Ocean. The average high temperature in January is around 55 °F (13 °C). Summers are hot and humid, with the hottest summer temperatures found in the northern and western areas of Bladen County. The average high temperature in July is around 90 °F (32 °C).^[12][13]

The USDA hardiness zones for Bladen County are Zone 8A (10 °F to 15 °F or -12 °C to -9 °C) and Zone 8B (15 °F to 20 °F or -9 °C to -6 °C).^[14]

Extreme temperatures

Although uncommon, extreme temperatures can occur in Bladen County.

• In December 1989, Elizabethtown recorded a new record low temperature of -3 °F (-19 °C).^[15]
• In August 2007, Elizabethtown recorded a new record high temperature of 105 °F (41 °C).^[15]

Frost

Frost does occur in Bladen County. Most of the county experiences 50–75 days of frost conditions annually. However, southeastern Bladen averages only 40–50 days of frost conditions annually, due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean.^[16]

Snow

Like much of eastern North Carolina, snow is rare in Bladen County. On average, light snowfall occurs once or twice every 10 years.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 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.^[17]

Demographic change

Historical population

Historical population Census Pop. Note %± 1790 5,100 — 1800 7,028 37.8% 1810 5,671 −19.3% 1820 7,276 28.3% 1830 7,811 7.4% 1840 8,022 2.7% 1850 9,767 21.8% 1860 11,995 22.8% 1870 12,831 7.0% 1880 16,158 25.9% 1890 16,763 3.7% 1900 17,677 5.5% 1910 18,006 1.9% 1920 19,761 9.7% 1930 22,389 13.3% 1940 27,156 21.3% 1950 29,703 9.4% 1960 28,881 −2.8% 1970 26,477 −8.3% 1980 30,491 15.2% 1990 28,663 −6.0% 2000 32,278 12.6% 2010 35,190 9.0% 2020 29,606 −15.9% 2023 (est.) 29,484 [2] −0.4% U.S. Decennial Census[18] 1790–1960[19] 1900–1990[20] 1990–2000[21] 2010[22] 2020[2]

Between 2010 and 2020, Bladen County experienced a population decline of 15.9 percent,^[23] losing 5,584 residents.^[17]

Government and politics

Government

Bladen County is a member of the Lumber River Council of Governments, a regional planning board representing five counties.^[24]

It lies within the bounds of North Carolina's 15th Prosecutorial District, the 13A Superior Court District, and the 13th District Court District.^[25]

Politics

United States presidential election results for Bladen County, North Carolina[26] Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies) No.  % No.  % No.  % 2024 10,035 59.86% 6,620 39.49% 109 0.65% 2020 9,676 56.50% 7,326 42.78% 123 0.72% 2016 8,550 53.78% 7,058 44.40% 289 1.82% 2012 7,748 48.56% 8,062 50.52% 147 0.92% 2008 7,532 48.66% 7,853 50.73% 95 0.61% 2004 6,174 50.14% 6,109 49.61% 30 0.24% 2000 4,977 45.63% 5,889 53.99% 42 0.39% 1996 3,335 37.22% 4,952 55.27% 673 7.51% 1992 3,214 31.58% 5,700 56.01% 1,263 12.41% 1988 3,770 42.77% 5,031 57.08% 13 0.15% 1984 4,701 48.07% 5,064 51.78% 14 0.14% 1980 2,745 30.70% 6,104 68.27% 92 1.03% 1976 1,546 20.37% 6,009 79.18% 34 0.45% 1972 4,205 64.72% 2,201 33.88% 91 1.40% 1968 1,746 20.79% 2,754 32.80% 3,897 46.41% 1964 2,169 32.45% 4,516 67.55% 0 0.00% 1960 1,854 29.87% 4,353 70.13% 0 0.00% 1956 1,542 27.44% 4,078 72.56% 0 0.00% 1952 1,710 32.78% 3,506 67.22% 0 0.00% 1948 500 12.77% 2,831 72.33% 583 14.90% 1944 731 22.33% 2,542 77.67% 0 0.00% 1940 543 15.66% 2,925 84.34% 0 0.00% 1936 551 14.09% 3,360 85.91% 0 0.00% 1932 808 23.12% 2,651 75.85% 36 1.03% 1928 1,911 55.18% 1,552 44.82% 0 0.00% 1924 786 33.31% 1,551 65.72% 23 0.97% 1920 1,064 35.43% 1,939 64.57% 0 0.00% 1916 651 34.05% 1,261 65.95% 0 0.00% 1912 33 1.96% 1,140 67.70% 511 30.34%

Following the 2018 United States Midterm Elections, an investigation was opened into accusations of an absentee ballot fraud scheme directed by McCrae Dowless in Bladen County, within North Carolina's 9th Congressional District. Accusations were based around the Republican Primary election, in which Mark Harris defeated incumbent Robert Pittenger, and around the general election, in which Harris initially appeared to defeat Democrat Dan McCready. As of December 2018^[update], the investigation is currently ongoing.^[27][28] Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman, Democrat, said it was possible over 1,000 ballots had been destroyed.^[29] According to District Attorney Jon David, Republican, the county has a "troubled history of political groups exploiting the use of absentee ballots."^[30] The scandal brought national media attention to Bladen.^[31]

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.^[32]

Education

Colleges

• Bladen Community College (Dublin)

Public schools

Public schools within Bladen County are operated by Bladen County Schools.

Healthcare

Bladen County is served by a single hospital, Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, based in Elizabethtown.^[33] According to the 2022 County Health Rankings produced by the University of Wisconsin Population 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 average life expectancy is 75 years, and 16 percent of people under the age of 65 lack health insurance. It has one primary care physician per 4,670 residents.^[34]

Economy

Agriculture constitutes a major part of Bladen County's economy.^[31] Smithfield Foods operates a pork processing facility north of the town of Tar Heel, the largest such plant in the world.^[35] It employs 5,800 workers, making it the county's largest employer.^[36] The county is the largest producer of blueberries in the state. Area farmers also grow soybeans, peanuts, corn, wheat, and cotton.^[31] 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.^[37]

Communities

Map of Bladen County with municipal and township labels

Elizabethtown Presbyterian Church, Elizabethtown

Towns

• Bladenboro
• Clarkton
• Dublin
• East Arcadia
• Elizabethtown (county seat and largest community)
• Tar Heel
• White Lake

Census-designated places

• Butters
• Kelly
• White Oak

Unincorporated communities

• Abbottsburg
• Ammon
• Ammon Ford
• Carvers
• Colly
• Council
• Emerson
• Rosindale
• Rowan
• Sparkleberry Landing
• Westbrook
• Zara

Townships

• 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

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Bladen County.^[38]

† = 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

• 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