History
The county was formed in 1792 from Mecklenburg County. It was named after Stephen Cabarrus of Chowan County, speaker of the North Carolina House of Commons.

Gold was first discovered here by Conrad Reed in an unincorporated part of southeast Cabarrus county. Conrad Reed was the son of a Hessian Soldier brought over by British troops to fight in the Revolution. His father deserted and found a farm which later became the gold mine known as Reed's Gold Mine.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 131,063 people, 49,519 households, and 36,545 families residing in the county. The populationdensity was 139/km² (360/sq mi). There were 52,848 housing units at an average density of 56/km² (145/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 83.26% White, 12.18% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.91% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.30% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. 5.05% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 49,519 households out of which 34.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.20% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.20% were non-families. 21.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.80% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 32.50% from 25 to 44, 22.10% from 45 to 64, and 11.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $46,140, and the median income for a family was $53,692. Males had a median income of $36,714 versus $26,010 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,121. About 4.80% of families and 7.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.30% of those under age 18 and 9.60% of those age 65 or over.

Agriculture has played an important part in the economic life of the county for over 200 years. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, textiles became a vital part of the local economy, especially in the northern portion of the county. Today, the local economy has a more varied base.

Communication is via an Interstate highway, Interstate 85, which travels southwest to northeast across the county's northern portion, and several U.S. and state highways. These principal highways include U.S. highways 52, 29, 601, and NC highways 73, 24/27, 200, 49, and 3. A regional airport (airport code JQF) is located seven miles west of Concord. Commercial flights to the area are accessed through the airports at Charlotte, or at Greensboro, North Carolina. Passenger rail service to Kannapolis is available via Amtrak. Both wired and wireless telephone services are nearly universally available in the county. Cable television is available in much of the county. Cabarrus County is within the Greater Charlotte area for broadcast communications.

Most residents of Cabarrus County are Caucasian of Scots-Irish, German, or English-Welsh extraction. A minority population of African American residents inhabit the county, and in recent years, a remarkable influx of Hispanic residents, mostly Mexican, has arrived in the area, largely in support of the area's agriculture.

Attractions
The county is home to Lowe's Motor Speedway, which hosts three NASCAR events a year (the NASCAR All-Star Challenge, the Coca-Cola 600, and the Bank of America 500). The county is also home to several race shops, including Hendrick Motorsports (home to drivers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson) and Roush Fenway Racing (home to Matt Kenseth). Darrell Waltrip also has a racing shop in Concord.

The state's largest tourist attraction, Concord Mills Mall, is located in Cabarrus County.

The county is home to Reed Gold Mine, site of the first gold discovery in the United States in 1799.

Education
The Cabarrus County Schools system services all of the county with the exception of parts of Kannapolis, which operates its own school district. The system is generally regarded as one of the better school districts in the state with high student achievement and low instances of violence and other problems.

The county is also home to the much-maligned Barber-Scotia College, the Cabarrus College of Health Sciences (a four year college), and a branch of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. UNC Charlotte, although in Mecklenburg County, is actually located near Harrisburg and is easily accessible to Cabarrus residents via Interstate 85.

Cities and Towns

• Concord
• Harrisburg
• Kannapolis
• Mount Pleasant
• Midland