Burke

Formed January 1, 1777 (33^rd county)

Burke County (87,573), Morganton (17,473)

The Modern 1976 courthouse, on a square at Green, Meeting, Bouchelle, and Concord streets, is made of tan brick.  Green Street is United States Highway 70 Business in this part of the town.  J. T. Pegram is the building designer.  A classic 1833 courthouse preceded this one.  Its grounds are under renovation in 2021.  Veteran memorials and busts are in front of the courthouse.  The county was formed on January 1, 1777 from Rowan County as the 33^rd county with Morganton as the only county seat.  The county is named for Colonial Congress delegate Thomas Burke.  Morganton is named for American Revolutionary General Daniel Morgan.  Burke County was the birthplace for 1 North Carolina Governor, Tod R. Caldwell. 

Burke County government consists of a manager, a register, a sheriff, an attorney, and a clerk (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Twenty-seven Superior Court Judges serve Burke, Avery, Buncombe, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancy counties, Nine District Court Judges serve Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba counties and a court clerk serves Burke County (judicial.)  The county is in western North Carolina.  Asheville, North Carolina is west and Greensboro, North Carolina is northeast of the county.  The county center is 3.4 miles East of Morganton.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Rutherford, McDowell, and Avery counties. 

The area of the county is 514 square miles.  It is 46 out of 100 in the state.  It ranks 32 out of 100 in population in the state.  It has a density of 170.4 persons per square mile making it 31 out of 100 in the state.  Burke County has 35.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 40 crosses east to west through the county from Catawba County to McDowell County.  United States Highway 64 passes northeast to southwest from Caldwell County to McDowell County.  United States Highway 70 parallels Interstate Highway 40 from Catawba to McDowell counties.  The county resembles a spaceship travelling toward the northwest.  Morganton is located in the western third of the county.  Morganton is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 20.0% of the county population.  This county is in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area.

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