McDowell

Formed January 1, 1842 (74^th county)

McDowell County (44,577), Marion (7,711)

A 1921 yellow brick Neo-Classical building is the county courthouse in Marion.  It is located on Main and Court streets.  United States Highway 70 is Court Street in the town.  Eric Gulick Stillwell provided the designs.  History and veteran tablets are displayed on the grounds.  An 1844 courthouse preceded this one also in Marion, the only county seat.  McDowell County was established on January 1, 1842 from Rutherford and Burke counties as the 74^th county.  It is named for Congressman Joseph McDowell.  The county seat is named for Revolutionary War General Francis Marion. 

McDowell 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 McDowell, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey counties, Four District Court Judges serve McDowell and Rutherford counties and a court clerk serves McDowell County (judicial.)  McDowell County is in western North Carolina.  Asheville, North Carolina is directly west and Charlotte, North Carolina is southeast of the county.  The county center is 5.6 miles West of Marion nearer Pleasant Gardens.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Mitchell, Avery, Burke, Rutherford, Buncombe, and Yancey counties. 

The area of the county is 445 square miles.  It is 59 out of 100 in the state.  It ranks 56 out of 100 in population in the state.  It has a density of 100.2 persons per square mile making it 53 out of 100 in the state.  McDowell County has 19.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 40 crosses the county east to west from Burke County to Buncombe County.  United States Highway 64 clips the southeast corner from Burke County, east, to Rutherford County, south.  United States Highway 70 parallels Interstate Highway 40 from Burke to Buncombe counties.  United States Highway 221 enters from the northeast, Avery County, and exits to the south, Rutherford County.  McDowell County looks like a kiss candy drop.  Marion is located in the southeast quarter of the county.  Marion is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 17.3% of the county population.