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2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Cities and towns 5 External links |
History
The county was formed in 1871 from parts of Jackson County and Macon County. It was named for David L. Swain, Governor of North Carolina from 1832 to 1835 and President of the University of North Carolina from 1835 to 1868.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,400 km² (541 mi²). 1,368 km² (528 mi²) of it is land and 32 km² (13 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.32% water.
Townships
The county is divided into three townships: Charleston, Forneys Creek, and Nantahala.
Adjacent Counties
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 12,968 people, 5,137 households, and 3,631 families residing in the county. The population density is 9/km² (25/mi²). There are 7,105 housing units at an average density of 5/km² (14/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 66.33% White, 1.70% Black or African American, 29.03% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.49% from other races, and 2.28% from two or more races. 1.47% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 5,137 households out of which 30.00% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.30% are married couples living together, 13.90% have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% are non-families. 25.80% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.10% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.44 and the average family size is 2.91.
In the county the population is spread out with 24.30% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.30% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 94.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $28,608, and the median income for a family is $33,786. Males have a median income of $26,570 versus $20,722 for females. The per capita income for the county is $14,647. 18.30% of the population and 13.30% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 25.60% are under the age of 18 and 19.10% are 65 or older.
Cities and towns
External links
See also: List of North Carolina counties