Davidson County is known for…

  • Our Lexington Style Barbecue which was developed over 150 years ago
  • The manufacture of handcrafted furniture (among them are Lexington Home Brands - formerly Dixie, Young Hinkle, Henry Link; Council Craftsmen, and Thomasville Furniture)
  • The world’s largest Duncan Phyfe chair which is located in Thomasville
  • Daniel Boone whom legend says hid from Indians in a cave along the Yadkin River when he was a teen which is now appropriately called Boone’s Cave Park
  • Our water.  Davidson County is located on both High Rock Lake and the Yadkin River.  High Rock Lake has 365 miles of shoreline and covers 15,000 acres!  It has been host to the BASS Masters Classic Fishing Championship.
  • The Barbecue Festival which attracts over 100,000 people each October.
  • And these attractions:  Childress Vineyards, located at the gateway to the Yadkin Valley Appellation or wine region, the Richard Childress Racing Museum, the NC Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial and the Bob Timberlake Gallery, just to name a few! 

Some of Davidson County’s current and former residents, and natives:

  • Artists Bob Timberlake, Dempsey Essick, Stephen Sebestian, Mike Helsabeck and Greg Farrell
  • NASCAR personalities including Richard Childress, owner of NASCAR teams for driver Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Clint Boyer, and the late Dale Earnhardt and Nationwide drivers Brandon Miller and Kerry Earnhardt; and Driver Brian Vickers, a native of Thomasville
  • Pro football players - Madison Hedgecock currently plays for the NY Giants and was a member of the 2008 Super Bowl Championship team, Brad Hoover currently plays for the Carolina Panthers, Danny Medlin played with the 1977 Super Bowl Champion Oakland Raiders team, Deems May played for the Seattle Seahawks, and Perry Tuttle played for Clemson and later the Canadian League 
  • Former pro basketball player, Eric Montross, who played for UNC and in the NBA  and Henry Etta Walls who played professional women’s basketball in Europe for many years
  • Fishing - Eddie Smith, Jr., owner of Grady White Boat Company in Greenville which produces world renown deep water fishing boats and BASS Masters Classic Fishing Champion, David Fritts.
  • Former baseball players - Johnny Temple played in both the American and National Baseball Leagues, the Father and Son team of Max and Hal Lanier were both major league players
  • Tennis standout, Camey Timberlake Dillon who was the first female at UNC to receive a sports scholarship
  • Recording artists Donna Beck Rhodes, who currently lives in Nashville, and Lee Spears who also hand crafts hammered dulcimers
    Concert pianists, William Chapman Nyaho who currently lives in Seattle, Washington and Barbara Lister-Sink who is currently on the faculty of Salem College
  • Writers include author and columnist, Jerry Bledsoe whose novels include “Bitter Blood” and “Angel Doll”, Richard Walser and Gerald Johnson.

Other information about Davidson County…

  • For hundreds of years the Trading Path which extends along the east coast brought Native Americans to this area to hunt, and Europeans soon followed.
  • Prior to the 1700’s, the Sapona Indians lived on the banks of what is now the Yadkin River
  • Davidson County was settled by Germans, English and Scotch Irish.  Among the Germans were Moravians, who settled in great numbers in the Wachovia settlement of Salem
  • Early settlers migrated South through Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley to North Carolina….and to Davidson County. These settlers were attracted by abundant land, thick forests, many streams and the mighty Yadkin River, which now forms the county’s western boundary.
  • Davidson County is named for Revolutionary War General William Lee Davidson.
  • Davidson County was established in 1822 when Rowan County was divided.  It was considered the backcountry of North Carolina.
  • Lexington was established in 1828 and was named in honor of the Revolutionary War events in Lexington, Massachusetts.
  • Thomasville was established in 1852 when the exact path of the railroad was determined and is named for railroad pioneer John Thomas.  A statue of Mr. Thomas was designed by the world famous artist, Dick Idol.
  • Denton was established in 1907.
  • Gold and silver were mined in the county in the mid 1800’s.
  • Our 1858 courthouse was used as a barracks for Yankee soldiers during the Civil War
  • Our population is 154,796, making us the 10th most populous county in North Carolina
  • Davidson County covers 552 square miles!
  • Our largest employer is the Davidson County School system.
  • Our major employers include:  PPG, Kimberly Clark, Unilin Flooring, and racing related businesses.
  • We are unique in that we have THREE school systems - Davidson County, the City of Lexington and the City of Thomasville.
  • Davidson County has lost over 5,500 jobs over the last six years in furniture manufacturing and textile industries.
  • Davidson County is located in the middle of North Carolina and is close to Winston Salem, Greensboro and Charlotte!