Surry

Formed June 4, 1771 (30^th county)

Surry County (71,367), Dobson (1,463), Mount Airy (10,672)

The Modern red and tan brick 2002 Courthouse replaced the 1917 Neo-Classical courthouse.  It is located on Kapp Street between White and Woltz streets..  United States Highway 601 Business travels one block to the west of the location.  Martin, Boal, Anthony & Johnson designed the courthouse.  Surry County was created on June 4, 1771 from Rowan County as the 30^th county.  There was an 1855 courthouse previously.  Richmond and Rockford were the county seats until 1853 when Dobson took over.  The county is named for Surrey County, England.  The county seat is named for Judge James Dobson. 

Surry County government consists of a manager, a register, a sheriff, an attorney, and a clerk (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Twenty-one Superior Court Judges serve Surry, Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Cabarrus, Caswell, Chatham, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Iredell, Orange, Rockingham, Rowan, Stokes, Wilkes, and Yadkin counties, Seven District Court Judges serve Surry and Stokes counties and a court clerk serves Surry County (judicial.)  The county is on the northern border with Virginia.  Greensboro, North Carolina is southeast and Asheville, North Carolina is southwest of the county.  The center of the county is 6.1 miles Northeast of Dobson.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Virginia and Stokes, Forsyth, Yadkin, Wilkes, and Alleghany counties. 

The area of the county is 537 square miles.  It is 42 out of 100 in the state.  It ranks 37 out of 100 in population in the state.  It has a density of 132.9 persons per square mile making it 42 out of 100 in the state.  Surry County has 24.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 74 originates in the county and heads southeast into Stokes County.  Interstate Highway 77 crosses north to south from Virginia to Yadkin County.  United States Highway 21 clips the southwest corner from Wilkes County, west, to Yadkin County, south.  United States Highway 52 enters from Virginia, north, and joins Interstate Highway 74 into Stokes County.  United States Highway 601 originates and heads south into Yadkin County.  The county is shaped like a shopping cart.  Dobson is located slightly south of center in the county.  Mount Airy is in the northeast corner of the county.  Dobson is the county seat and Mount Airy is the largest city.  Dobson is 2.1% of the county population while Mount Airy is 15.0% of the county population.  This county is in the Mount Airy Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Elkin