Солтүстік Каролина штатының Шотландия округі

County in North Carolina, United States

Scotland County is a county located in the southern part of the U. S. state of North Carolina. Its county seat is and largest community is Laurinburg. The county was formed in 1899 from part of Richmond County and named in honor of the Scottish settlers who occupied the area in the 1700s. As of the 2020 census, its population was 34,174. The area eventually comprising Scotland was originally inhabited by Native Americans and was settled by Europeans as early as the 1720s, though settling heavily increased after the American Revolutionary War. Scotland County was created out of Richmond in 1899 largely for political reasons. The area began to industrialize at the turn of the century but suffered heavily during the Great Depression. Industrialization increased after World War II as agriculture mechanized. In the 2000s, the county's economy suffered a major downturn due to the departure of textile manufacturers and the Great Recession. The economy continues to struggle in the area and the county regularly suffers from one of the state's highest unemployment rates.

The earliest residents of the land which became Scotland County were Cheraw Native Americans. Scottish Highlanders and some English Quakers began colonizing the area as early as the 1720s when it was within the British Province of North Carolina. The land encompassing Scotland County was originally under the jurisdiction of Bladen County. As North Carolina grew, its original counties were subdivided and the future Scotland portion was placed in the new Anson County. The relevant portion was then moved into the new Richmond County in 1779. Richmond County was bisected by the Sandhills, leaving the eastern portion—of future Scotland—geographically separated from the rest of the county. More immigrants came after the American Revolutionary War, especially one large group of Highland Scots which came from the Cape Fear River. The group split and settled two areas in the county, Johns and Laurel Hill, the latter in the vicinity of the Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church, established in 1797. Laurel Hill became the first major community in the region, prospering as a post revolution trading center. More immigrants settled the area at this time, including Germans, Welsh, English, and Ulster Scots. Enslaved Africans were also brought into the area. The Laurel Hill community largely moved south in 1861 after the Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad laid a line through the area. Gaelic was spoken in the area through the 1860s. During the American Civil War, the railroad's shops were moved to Laurinburg in the hope they would be safer from Union Army attack; however, in March 1865, Union forces reached Laurinburg and burned the railroad depot and temporary shops. The shops were rebuilt after the war, though economic recovery was slow. Laurinburg was incorporated in 1877. It continued to develop as a railway town until 1894 when the shops were moved.

By the late 19th century, Richmond County had a majority black population and tended to support the Republican Party in elections, while the state of North Carolina was typically dominated by the Democratic Party. In response to this, white Democrats built up a political base in Laurinburg. Mechanization of agriculture in the 1950s led to depopulation in rural areas, as former farm laborers moved to Laurinburg, Wagram, and outside the county in search of new jobs; from 1950 to 1960, the population decreased by over 1,100 people. Much agricultural land was retired through the Soil Bank Program, and tenant farming and sharecropping rapidly declined. Agriculture continued to mechanize and consolidate into the 1970s. Faced with the decline in agricultural employment, county leaders in the postwar era appealed for state and federal grants to improve local infrastructure and attract outside industry. Funds were acquired to build low income housing, pave roads, and support the creation of a new hospital. The first outsider owned manufacturing plant began operations in Scotland in 1959. A new courthouse was built in 1964. The county and Laurinburg school system were merged and racially integrated in the late 1960s. In the 2000s, the county's economy suffered a major downturn due to the departure of textile manufacturers. The Great Recession led to the closure and shrinking of other manufacturing businesses, leading its employment rate to peak at 18.6 percent in July 2011. In 2018, the county was heavily impacted by Hurricane Florence.

Located within the southeastern portion of the state of North Carolina, Scotland County rests at the border between the Coastal Plain and Piedmont regions. It is bordered by Hoke, Moore, Robeson, and Richmond counties, and Marlboro County in the state of South Carolina. It is the smallest North Carolina county by area. The elevation above sea level is 227 feet (69 m). Scotland is one of the state's ten counties within the Sandhills region. The hills mostly populate the northern section of the county, with rest being largely flat. Geologically, most of the soil in Scotland consists of sand, sandstone, and mudstone, with the sandiest soils in the Sandhills. The extreme western portion of the county is in the Pee Dee River drainage basin, while the rest is in the Lumber River basin. The Lumber forms the eastern boundary of the county. Several smaller tributary watercourses, including Big Shoe Heel Creek, Juniper Creek, Jordan Creek, Leith Creek, Gum Swamp Creek, and Joes Creek, flow across the area and into the Lumber and Little Pee Dee rivers. Most such streams are blackwater and flow southward or southeastward. The county is also populated by several hundred Carolina bays, most of which are concentrated in the northeast, east, and just south of Laurinburg. Some of these form seasonal ponds, and there are several other manmade bodies of water including millponds. The region generally experiences mild winters and hot summers. The average mean temperature in January is while the mean in July is The county on average sees about of rainfall per year. The Sandhills region is also populated by fox squirrels. Other fauna in the county include Carolina gopher frogs, eastern tiger salamanders, and loggerhead shrikes. Portions of the Lumber River State Park are also in the county.

As of the 2020 census, there were 34,174 people residing in the county. Racially, 14,402 county residents identified as white, 13,162 identified as black or African American, 3,745 identified as American Indian, 343 identified as Asian, 15 identified as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 718 identified as other, and 1,789 identified as two or more races. Of the total among the races, 1,106 people identified as Hispanic or Latino. Scotland proportionately has the third largest Native American population of any North Carolina county at 14 percent. Laurinburg recorded 15,024 residents.

Scotland County's economy is largely based in agriculture. Area farmers mostly grow corn, cotton, tobacco, and soybeans, and raise hogs. Forestry products including lumber and paper are also sourced in the county. Following a national trend, manufacturing—especially in textiles—has declined since 2000, damaging the economy of the county. In its 2024 county economic tier ratings, the North Carolina Department of Commerce classified Scotland as the state's second most economically distressed county. It has long suffered from one of North Carolina's highest unemployment rates, with it having the highest rate at 6.3% in December 2023.

Scotland County will be served in the future by the two Interstate Highways of Interstate 73, planned to cross the county border for a short distance in the southwest; and Interstate 74, currently designated in the county as Future I 74. The current highways serving the county are U. S. Route 15 (Bus. ), NC 79, NC 44, and NC 381. County government supports a public transport bus service, the Scotland County Area Transit System. Airplane facilities are provided by the Laurinburg–Maxton Airport. The district was classified by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction as low performing in 2021, but its rank improved past low performing status in 2022. The county hosts a satellite campus of the Richmond Community College and St. Andrews University, a private liberal arts school. According to the 2021 American Community Survey, an estimated 15.3 percent of county residents have attained a bachelor's degree or higher level of education.

Scotland County is served by a single hospital, Scotland Health Care System, based in Laurinburg. According to the 2022 County Health Rankings produced by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, Scotland County ranked 98th in health outcomes of North Carolina's 100 counties. Per the ranking, 28 percent of adults say they are in poor or fair health, the average life expectancy is 73 years, and 14 percent of people under the age of 65 lack health insurance. The Scotland County High School's sports teams are called the Fighting Scots and the school marching band wears traditional Scottish garb, including kilts, sporrans, plaid shawls, and Glengarry bonnets. The county also hosts an annual Kuumba festival to celebrate African American heritage. Several area buildings and sites have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Religion is a key part of local public life. Fishing is a popular recreational activity.