Rutherford

Formed November 2, 1779 (45^th county)

Rutherford County (64,444), Rutherfordton (3,641), Forest City (7,375)

The 1926 masonry Renaissance courthouse is at Main, 2^nd, Washington, and 3^rd streets.  United States Highway 221 is Main Street.  Louis H. Ashbury is the building designer.  An Annex supports the courthouse.  The courthouse features columns and veteran memorials on the grounds.  There have been 1834 and 1908 courthouses earlier.  Rutherford County was founded on November 2, 1779 from Mecklenburg County as the 45^th county.  Joseph Walker (1779), Gilbertown (1784), and Rutherfordton (1787) all have the county seat.  The county and county seat are named for Revolutionary War General Griffith Rutherford. 

Rutherford 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 Rutherford, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey counties, Eight District Court Judges serve Rutherford and McDowell counties and a court clerk serves Rutherford County (judicial.)  The county is on the southern border of South Carolina.  Charlotte, North Carolina is located east and Asheville, North Carolina is northwest of the county.  The center of the county is 5.3 miles Northeast of Rutherfordton nearer Logan.  The county is surrounded clockwise by McDowell, Burke, and Cleveland counties and South Carolina and Polk, Henderson, and Buncombe counties. 

The area of the county is 567 square miles.  It is 32 out of 100 in the state.  It ranks 41 out of 100 in population in the state.  It has a density of 113.7 persons per square mile making it 47 out of 100 in the state.  Rutherford County has 28.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 64 enters the county from McDowell County, northeast, and exits to Henderson County, northwest.  United States Highway 74 crosses east to west from Cleveland County to Polk County.  United States Highway 221 goes north to south from McDowell County to South Carolina.  United States Highway 221 Alternate splits away from United States Highway 221 and heads south into South Carolina.  Rutherford County resembles a watering can.  Rutherfordton is located slightly west of center in the county.  Forest City is in the southeast quarter of the county.  Rutherfordton is the county seat and Forest City is the largest city.  Rutherfordton is 5.7% of the county population while Forest City is 11.4% of the county population.  This county is in the Forest City Micropolitan Statistical Area.