| Ex Image: | Old Stokes County Courthouse, Historic District of Danbury.jpg |
| Ex Image Cap: | Stokes County Courthouse in Danbury |
| County: | Stokes County |
| State: | North Carolina |
| Seal: | Stokes County seal.png |
| Founded: | 1789 |
| Seat Wl: | Danbury |
| Largest City Wl: | King |
| City Type: | community |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 456.14 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 449.35 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 6.79 |
| Area Percentage: | 1.49 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 44520 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2024 |
| Population Est: | 45857 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 99.08 |
| Coordinates: | 36.39°N -80.27°W |
| Web: | www.co.stokes.nc.us |
| District: | 5th |
| Time Zone: | Eastern |
| Flag: | Stokes County Flag.gif |
Stokes County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,520.[1] Its county seat is Danbury.[2]
Stokes County is included in the Winston-Salem, NC, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point, NC, Combined Statistical Area.
The county was formed in 1789 from Surry County, and before 1770, it was part of Rowan County. It was named for John Stokes, an American Revolutionary War captain severely wounded when British Colonel Banastre Tarleton's cavalry practically destroyed Col. Abraham Buford's Virginia regiment in the Waxhaws region in 1780. After the war, Captain Stokes was appointed a judge of the United States district court for North Carolina. In 1849 the southern half of Stokes County became Forsyth County.[3]
Stokes was most heavily settled from 1750 to 1775.[4] The Great Wagon Road passed through the eastern portion of the county, and this influenced the pattern of European settlement so that most settlers came from the Virginia Piedmont, and some came from further away in Pennsylvania and other colonies.[5]
As North Carolina held their Secession Convention in May 1861, John Hill represented Stokes County. Unfortunately, while attending the convention in Raleigh, Hill had a stroke and died. He is buried in the Old Hill Burying Ground near Germanton.[6]
During the American Civil War, Moratock Iron Furnace located near Danbury served as a foundry for the Confederate Army. It was destroyed in April 1865 when Union cavalry under the command of General George Stoneman conducted extensive raiding through the region.
Hanging Rock State Park was formed primarily from blocks of land donated in 1936 and contained 6921acres in 2005. Many of the facilities in the park were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps between 1935 and 1942. The park is located atop the Sauratown Mountains, and contains a visitor center, a manmade lake, and plenty of hiking trails, climbing trails, picnic areas, and primitive campgrounds.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (1.49%) is water.[7]
The county lies within the Piedmont region of western North Carolina, and most of the terrain consists of gently rolling countryside. The county is part of Appalachia and the Sauratown Mountains run across the center of the county. The Sauras are named after the Saura Native American tribe which lived in the county before European settlement. A chain of jagged ridges, the Sauratown Mountains are an isolated remnant of the Blue Ridge Mountains far to the west. Although the Sauratown Mountains occupy only 5% of Stokes County, they dominate the scenery from almost any direction, abruptly rising from 800 to 1700feet above the surrounding terrain. Moore's Knob, the highest point in the chain, rises to 2579feet. Most of the county is less than 1000feet above sea level. The Dan River runs from the northwest corner to the southeastern section of Stokes County (covering over 56 miles of river recreation). Stokes County is home to Hanging Rock State Park and also has the vast majority of Belews Lake (located in the southeast corner).
The climate in Stokes County can be described as mixed-humid, with the Köppen Climate Classification subtype being Cfa.[8] In the county seat of Danbury an average of 39.73" of rain and 9.0" of snow falls per year. Temperatures normally range between a low of in January to a high of 89 °F in July. Record extremes include: A maximum temperature reading of on August 21, 1983. A minimum temperature reading of on January 21, 1985. A three-day accumulated snowfall record of 34.0" was set during the Blizzard of 1996.[9]
