ALLEGHANY COUNTY

Alleghany was formed in 1859 from Ashe. It was named for an Indian tribe, and the name is derived from a corruption of the Delaware Indian name for the Alleghany and Ohio Rivers and is said to have meant "a fine stream." It is in the northwestern section of the State and is bounded by the state of Virginia and Surry, Wilkes and Ashe counties. The present land area is 234.65 square miles. The population from the 2010 Census was 11,155. Of that population, 10,288 were white, 140 were black or African American, 27 were American Indian, 54 were Asian, 3 were Pacific Islander and 515 were of a different race. Another 128 were reported to be of two or more races and 1,004 were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The act creating the county ordered the court to be held at Shiloah Church until the public buildings were erected unless otherwise directed by the justices of the peace. Commissioners were named to locate a site for the county seat at the geographical center of the county, acquire the land, establish the town of Sparta, and erect the courthouse. Sparta is the county seat.

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Alleghany County is in the New River Basin and is often considered a part of the mountain region.

References:

"American Factfinder." 2011. U. S. Census Bureau. Online at http://factfinder2.census.gov/. Accessed 3/3/2011.

Corbitt, David L. 2000. The Formation of the North Carolina Counties, 1663-1943. Sixth printing. Raleigh: State Department of Archives and History.

Powell, William Stevens, and Michael R. Hill. 2010. The North Carolina gazetteer: a dictionary of Tar Heel places and their history. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Additional resources:

North Carolina Digital Collections. (Government & Heritage Library & NC State Archives)

NC LIVE resources

NC Natural Heritage Program database

WorldCat (Searches numerous library catalogs)