Iredell

Formed January 1, 1788 (52^nd county)

Iredell County (186,699), Statesville (28,453), Mooresville (50,240)

A Modern white brick structure, built in 1972, is on Water Street at Constitution Street.  United States Highway 64 is one block southeast of the courthouse.  J. T. Pegram is the architect.  A 1978 Hall of Justice Annex supports the courthouse.  A 2006 County Office Building sits beside the old courthouse.  A bell and veteran memorials are on the grounds.  There was an 1899 version earlier in Statesville the only county seat.  The county came from Rowan County on January 1, 1788 as the 52^nd county.  It is named for United States Supreme Court Justice James Iredell.  Statesville is named for North Carolina’s statehood. 

Iredell County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Commissioners.  Twenty-one Superior Court Judges serve Iredell, Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Cabarrus, Caswell, Chatham, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Orange, Rockingham, Rowan, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes, and Yadkin counties and Ten District Court Judges serve Iredell and Alexander counties.  The county is in west central North Carolina.  Greensboro, North Carolina is east and Charlotte, North Carolina is southeast of the county.  The county center is 5 miles North of Statesville.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Yadkin, Davie, Rowan, Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, Lincoln, Catawba, Alexander, and Wilkes counties. 

The area of the county is 597 square miles.  It is 28 out of 100 in the state.  It ranks 14 out of 100 in population in the state.  It has a density of 312.7 persons per square mile making it 15 out of 100 in the state.  Iredell County has 44.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 40 travels through the county east to west from Davie County to Catawba County.  Interstate Highway 77 goes north to south from Yadkin County to Mecklenburg County.  United States Highway 21 parallels Interstate Highway 77 from Yadkin to Mecklenburg counties.  United States Highway 64 comes from Davie County, east, and goes to Alexander County, west.  United States Highway 70 enters from the southeast, Rowan County, and exits to the southwest, Catawba County.  The county looks like a gobbet.  Statesville is located in the southern third of the county.  Mooresville is in the southern quarter of the county.  Statesville is the county seat and Mooresville is the largest city.  Statesville is 15.2% of the county population while Mooresville is 26.9% of the county population.  The county is pronounced IE-RE-DEL.  This county is in the Statesville-Mooresville Micropolitan Statistical Area.