The county was formed from parts ofSurry County and Washington District (nowWashington County, Tennessee) on April 20, 1778, by an act of theNorth Carolina General Assembly of 1778. The first session of the county court was held in John Brown's house near what is today Brown's Ford. The act creating the county became effective on February 15, 1778, and the county celebrates its anniversary on February 15. Wilkes County was named for the English political radicalJohn Wilkes, who wasLord Mayor of the City of London and gave support for the rebels during the American Revolution.[4]
In 1799, the northern and western parts of Wilkes County becameAshe County. In 1841, parts of Wilkes County andBurke County were combined to formCaldwell County. In 1847, another part of Wilkes County was combined with parts of Caldwell County andIredell County to becomeAlexander County. In 1849, additional parts of Wilkes County and Caldwell County were combined with parts of Ashe County andYancey County to formWatauga County. Numerous boundary adjustments were made thereafter, but none resulted in new counties.
Wilkes County was once known as the "Moonshine Capital of the World", and was a leading producer of illegal homemade liquor. From the 1920s to the 1950s some young Wilkes County males made their living by delivering moonshine to North Carolina's larger towns and cities. Wilkes County natives also used bootleg liquor as a means for barter far beyond the borders of North Carolina. Many Wilkes County distillers ran white liquor as far asDetroit,New Jersey, andSouth Florida. Since this often involved outrunning local police and federal agents in auto chases, the county became one of the birthplaces of the sport ofstock-car racing.
TheNorth Wilkesboro Speedway was the firstNASCAR (National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing) track; it held its first race on May 18, 1947,[5] and the first NASCAR-sanctioned race on October 16, 1949.[6] Wilkes County native and residentJunior Johnson was one of the early superstars of NASCAR, as well as a legendary moonshiner. Johnson was featured by the writerTom Wolfe in a 1965Esquire magazine article titled "The Last American Hero Is Junior Johnson. Yes!", which gave him national exposure. Wolfe's vivid article was later adapted as the movieThe Last American Hero (1973), starringJeff Bridges andValerie Perrine.Benny Parsons andJimmy Pardue were two other notable NASCAR drivers from Wilkes.
The North Wilkesboro Speedway was closed following the 1996 NASCAR season. Two new owners, Bob Bahre andBruton Smith, moved North Wilkesboro's NASCAR races to their tracks inTexas andNew Hampshire. In 2009, Speedway Associates, Inc., obtained a three-year lease and started running races and other events at the speedway. However, in May 2011, the group announced that funding had fallen through and they were ending their lease prematurely.[7] Following the track's closure in 1996, numerous news media stories and articles were written about the rich history of the speedway, the physical decay of the track and grandstands, and efforts to renovate and save the speedway.[8][9][10][11] In November 2021, the North Carolina state legislature and North Carolina GovernorRoy Cooper approved giving $18 million to the North Wilkesboro Speedway for extensive renovations and repairs in an effort to return auto racing to the track.[12] Following the renovation, the Speedway held its first races in a decade in August 2022, drawing a sellout crowd to the CARS Tour's Window World 125.[13][14] In September 2022 it was announced that the 2023NASCAR All-Star Race would be held at the North Wilkesboro Speedway in May 2023, marking the first NASCAR race to be held at the track since 1996.[15] The All-Star race was held on May 21, 2023, before a sellout crowd at the Speedway,Kyle Larson won the race.[16] TheNASCAR Craftsman Truck Series also held a race at the Speedway on May 20, 2023; it was also won byKyle Larson.[17] The 2024 NASCAR All-Star race was also held at the North Wilkesboro Speedway in May 2024,[18] and the 2025 NASCAR All-Star race was held at the Speedway in May 2025.[19][20]
In August 2025, NASCAR announced that the North Wilkesboro Speedway will lose the NASCAR All-Star race, but will add a points race for the first time in thirty years in July 2026. The Speedway will host a NASCAR Cup series race on July 19, 2026; NASCAR officials stated that the success of the three All-Star races at the track justified returning a points race to the speedway.[21][22]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 756.33 square miles (1,958.9 km2), of which 753.68 square miles (1,952.0 km2) is land and 2.65 square miles (6.9 km2) (0.35%) is water.[23]
Wilkes County is located on the eastern slope of theBlue Ridge Mountains, a part of theAppalachian Mountains chain. The county's elevation ranges from 900 feet (270 meters) in the east to over 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) in the west. The Blue Ridge Mountains run from the southwest to the northeast, and dominate the county's western and northern horizons.Tomkins Knob, the highest point in the county, rises to 4,079 feet (1,243 meters).[24][25] TheBlue Ridge Parkway runs along the crest of the Blue Ridge on the county's northern and western borders. The foothills and valleys of the Blue Ridge form most of the county's midsection, with some elevations exceeding 2,000 feet (610 meters).Stone Mountain State Park, located in the foothills of northern Wilkes County, is one of the most popular state parks in North Carolina, and is noted for its excellentrock climbing andtrout fishing. TheBrushy Mountains, an isolated spur of the Blue Ridge, form the county's southern border. Wilkes County's terrain gradually becomes more level and less hilly as one moves to the east; the far eastern section of the county lies within thePiedmont region of North Carolina. The largest river in Wilkes is theYadkin River, which flows through the central part of the county. The county's three other major streams, all of which flow into the Yadkin, are theReddies River,Roaring River, and Mulberry Creek. Following the devastating floods of 1916 and 1940, the US Army's Corps of Engineers constructed theW. Kerr Scott Dam and Reservoir on the Yadkin River four miles west of Wilkesboro. Opened in 1962, the dam created a lake with a shoreline of 56 miles. The lake is used for boating, swimming, fishing, andwaterskiing; it is especially noted for its excellentbass fishing.[26]The W. Kerr Scott lake is the largest body of water in Wilkes.
Due to its wide range of elevation, Wilkes County's climate varies considerably. In winter, it is not unusual for it to be sunny with the temperature in the forties in the county's eastern section, while at the same time it is snowing or sleeting with the temperature below freezing in the county's mountainous north, west, and south. Generally speaking, Wilkes receives ample amounts of precipitation, with frequentthunderstorms in the spring and summer months; and rain, snow,sleet, andfreezing rain all occur at times during the winter, with the frequency increasing with the altitude. Wilkesboro, thecounty seat, receives an average of 50 inches of rain per year and an average of 10 inches of snow.[27] Severe weather is not common in Wilkes but does occur. Tornadoes are rare, but severe thunderstorms can bring strong winds which can down trees and power lines, as well as causehail. On October 23, 2017, a rareEF 1 tornado touched down in the community of Moravian Falls, before moving into the towns of Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro, and then through the Mulberry, Fairplains, and Hays communities, causing significant damage.[28] Wilkes County is far enough inland thathurricanes rarely cause problems, but a strong hurricane which moves inland quickly enough may cause damage, as withHurricane Hugo in 1989 andHurricane Helene in 2024.[29] Due to the numerous creeks and streams which run through its valleys, Wilkes is especially prone to devastatingflash floods. The two most memorable floods occurred in 1916 and 1940, killing a number of residents and causing millions of dollars in damages. After the opening of the W. Kerr Scott Dam in 1962, the Yadkin River did not flood again in Wilkes County until heavy rainfalls from Hurricane Helene led to flooding in 2024.[30] Although Wilkes County has never had a severe earthquake, afault runs through theBrushy Mountains, and mild earthtremors are not uncommon. On August 31, 1861, an earthquake estimated at 5.0 on theRichter magnitude scale hit the southern part of the county and caused minor damage.[31]
Wilkes County is home to several NC and US highways, as well as an airport and public transportation. Wilkes is also one of 27 North Carolina counties in which theBlue Ridge Parkway runs through.
At the2010 census,[42] there were 69,340 people, 28,360 households, and 19,683 families residing in the county. The population density was 91.91 people per square mile (35.49 people/km2). There were 33,065 housing units at an average density of 43.84 units per square mile (16.93 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.60% White or European American, 4.08% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.33% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. Of all races, 5.44% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.
There were 28,360 households, out of which 26.76% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.03% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.60% were non-families. Of all households, 26.69% were made up of individuals, and 11.59% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the county, the population breakdown by age is: 22.41% under the age of 18, 7.16% from 18 to 24, 23.96% from 25 to 44, 29.49% from 45 to 64, and 16.99% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.4 years. For every 100 females there were 97.69 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.42 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,668, and the median income for a family was $39,670. Males had a median income of $30,917 versus $26,182 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,319. About 17.60% of families and 21.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.60% of those under age 18 and 13.40% of those age 65 or over.
Since colonial times Wilkes County has been overwhelminglyProtestant Christian. The two earliest churches to be established in Wilkes were theEpiscopalian andPresbyterian. However, by the 1850s theSouthern Baptists had eclipsed them, and the Baptists have remained the dominant church in Wilkes.[43] The county also contains a significant number ofMethodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, and non-denominationalEvangelical Protestant congregations.[43] Historically, fewRoman Catholics lived in Wilkes, but recent immigration from other U.S. States and especially by people ofHispanic descent has increased their numbers. Wilkes County has a single Catholic parish, Saint John Baptist de LaSalle Catholic Church in North Wilkesboro, which serves all the Catholics of Wilkes County.[44] In contrast, relatively fewJews or members of other non-Christian faiths have settled in the county.[44]
Since theAmerican Civil War, Wilkes County has been heavily Republican, owing to its strongUnionist sentiment during the war,[46] which partly stemmed from its rocky and infertile soil unsuited for plantation farming.[47] The last Democratic presidential candidate to carry Wilkes County wasAndrew Jackson in 1832. TheWhig Party dominated politics in the county from 1836 until its dissolution in the middle 1850s. Since the formation of the Republican Party in 1854, Wilkes County has voted Republican in every election bar three: in 1856 it voted for"Know-Nothing"Millard Fillmore, in 1860 forConstitutional UnionistJohn Bell, and in 1912 for ProgressiveTheodore Roosevelt.
The primary governing body of Wilkes County follows acouncil–manager government format with a five-memberboard of commissioners andcounty manager. The current county manager is John Yates.[48] As of 2024, the current commissioners are: Casey Joe Johnson (chairman), Bill Sexton (vice chairman), Giddeon Keith Elmore, Stoney Greene, and Greg Minton.[49]
Wilkes County's economic struggles since 2000, and the county's strong support forDonald Trump in the 2016 presidential election and after, has led to Wilkes being prominently featured in numerous stories and articles by national news media outlets such asThe New York Times,NBC News,PBS NewsHour,U.S. News & World Report, andMSNBC.[55][56][57][58][59] In 2024, Wilkes County failed to give at least 20% to the Democratic candidate for the first time in history.
Despite its rural character and relatively small population, Wilkes County has been the birthplace of numerous large industries.Lowe's, the second-largest chain of home-improvement stores in the nation (afterThe Home Depot) was started in Wilkes County in 1946. Until 2003, Lowe's had its corporate headquarters in Wilkes County, but the company has since relocated most of its corporate functions toMooresville, North Carolina, a fast-growing suburb ofCharlotte. However, Lowe's large office in Wilkesboro still houses many corporate departments, and Lowe's remains the county's second-largest employer.[60] A telecommunications firm, Carolina West Wireless, was started in Wilkesboro in 1991 and is also headquartered in the county.
Other industries which started in Wilkes County areLowes Foods (now headquartered inWinston-Salem) and The Northwestern Bank, which was once North Carolina's fourth-largest banking chain until it was merged withFirst Union Bank in 1986. The Carolina Mirror Company in North Wilkesboro, founded in the 1930s, was for many years the largest mirror factory in America. Today Gardner Glass Products Inc. still produces mirrors in North Wilkesboro. Holly Farms, in Wilkesboro, was the largest poultry producer in the Southeastern United States until it was bought byTyson Foods in 1989. Wilkes County remains one of the largest producers of poultry in the Eastern United States, and many of the county's farmers are poultry farmers for Tyson Foods. Tyson is the largest employer in Wilkes.[60]
Like many rural areas in North Carolina, Wilkes County has suffered since 2000 from the closing of nearly all of its textile and furniture factories, which formed a major part of its economic base.[61] Most of these factories have moved to low-wage locations in Latin America and Asia, especially China and Vietnam. According toStateline, the number of Wilkes County residents employed in manufacturing dropped from 8,548 in 2000 to approximately 4,000 as of 2015, a reduction of over 53%.[62] From 2000 to 2014, the median household income in Wilkes declined by over 30%.[62] However, from 2014 to 2017 the median household income increased by nearly 22%, and in 2017 Wilkes was ranked 47th out of 100 counties for "economic distress" by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.[63]
Wilkes County is part of theYadkin Valley AVA, anAmerican Viticultural Area. Wines made from grapes grown in Wilkes County may use theappellation Yadkin Valley on their labels. With the decline of tobacco farming, some Wilkes County farmers have switched to wine-making, and have hired experts from Europe and California for assistance. As a result, wine-making is growing in popularity in both Wilkes and surrounding counties.
In May of each year, Wilkes county celebrates the new wine industry with theShine to Wine Festival, held in downtown North Wilkesboro.
WWWC (AM) (1240 AM & 100.1 FM) –Southern Gospel music and local news and high school sports broadcasts.
Most of the county can pick up the Television Stations broadcasting fromWinston-Salem
Wilkes County is also home toGoWilkes.com, an internet media source that allows residents to discuss current events and local happenings in real time. GoWilkes.com was voted the 2004 Small Business of the Year by theNorth Carolina Chamber of Commerce.[69]
Wilkes Medical Center was opened in 1952 as Wilkes General Hospital.[70] In 2017,Wake Forest Baptist Health brought the hospital, at the time known as Wilkes Regional Medical Center, into their system. WMC is the largest hospital in northwestern North Carolina[71] and is Wilkes County's fourth largest employer.[72] West Park, formerly a large shopping center built in the 1970s, was, starting in 2000, transformed into a large medical park with numerous offices for physicians, medical specialists, pharmacies, physical therapists, and other medical and health-related fields.
Wilkes County has strong musical roots, and those roots are displayed at:
It hosts the annualShine to Wine Festival, in downtown North Wilkesboro. Held on the first Saturday of May, the Shine to Wine festival pays tribute to the county's heritage of growing from the Moonshine Capital of the World to what is now recognized as a strong viticultural industry.
Wilkes County is also home to the annualBrushy Mountain Apple Festival, which is held in downtown North Wilkesboro the first weekend in October. The festival, which attracts over 160,000 visitors each year, is one of the largest single-day arts and crafts fairs in the Southern United States.
Carolina in the Fall is another music festival each September in the Historic Downtown Wilkesboro and is hosted by the Heart of Folk and the Kruger Brothers. The festival and venue won an award at the IBMA and features music, wine and beer garden and food truck competition. It continues to grow in popularity.
The Carolina West Wireless Community Commons and Wilkes Communications Pavilion has "Concerts on the Commons," a live music concert series held from May through October annually.
In 1988 legendary,Grammy-winning folk music guitaristDoc Watson and Bill Young started the Doc Watson Festival (later renamed theMerleFest music festival) in Wilkesboro. Held on the campus of Wilkes Community College, and named in honor of Doc's late son Merle Watson, MerleFest has grown into one of the largest folk and bluegrass music festivals in the United States, drawing an average of over 75,000 music fans each year.[73] The festival has become the main fundraiser for the college, and brings over $10 million in estimated business and tourist revenues to Wilkes County and surrounding areas each year.[74]
Daniel Boone (1734–1820), explorer and pioneer, lived in Wilkes County for several years and married a Wilkes County native before moving west toKentucky.
Chang and Eng Bunker (1811–1874),Siamese twins, who were a popular attraction in Asia, Europe, and North America in the nineteenth century, settled in Wilkes County in the 1850s, married two local sisters, and between them fathered 21 children.
Robert Byrd (1917–2010),U.S. Senator from West Virginia 1959–2010; longest-serving Senator in American history.
Lady Sarah Lou Harris Carter (1923-2019), Pioneering African-American model who also became known as an entertainer, educator and humanitarian.
Tom Dula (Dooley) (1844–1868), Confederate veteran who was tried and hanged for the murder of his fiancée, Laura Foster; subject of the folk ballad "Tom Dooley".[75]
Junior Johnson (1931–2019), in the 1950s, Johnson became a legend in the rural South by consistently outrunning law-enforcement officials in auto chases while delivering homemade liquor (moonshine) to his customers. Johnson then became a championNASCAR racer, winning 50 NASCAR races before his retirement and also winning 6 Winston Cup championships as a car owner.[76]
Wilkes County nativeTom Dula (Dooley), a Confederate veteran of the American Civil War who was tried and hanged shortly after the war for the murder of his fiancée, Laura Foster. To this day many people believe that one of Dula's jealous ex-girlfriends murdered Laura Foster, that Dula was innocent of the crime, and that he accepted blame only to protect his former lover.[75]
The case was given nationwide publicity by newspapers such asThe New York Times and theNew York Herald, and thus became a folk legend in the rural South. Dula's legend was popularized in 1958 by the top-sellingKingston Trio song "Hang Down Your Head, Tom Dooley." Dula's story was also turned into a 1959 movie starringMichael Landon as Dula, and each summer Bleu Moon Productions presents an outdoor drama based on the story.
In 2001, Tom Dula was ceremonially acquitted of all charges by the county.[75]
^Nash, Steven E.;Reconstruction's Ragged Edge: The Politics of Postwar Life in the Southern Mountains pp. 22, 64ISBN146962625X
^Auman, William T.;Civil War in the North Carolina Quaker Belt: The Confederate Campaign Against Peace Agitators, Deserters and Draft Dodgers, p. 30ISBN078647663X
