Region:Piedmont County Seat:Salisbury (1755) Population:130,3401 Towns & Cities: China Grove, Cleveland, East Spencer, Faith, Granite Quarry, Kannapolis, Landis, Rockwell, Spencer
Rowan county was formed in 1753 from Anson county. It is in the central section of the State and is bounded by Davidson, Stanly, Cabarrus, Iredell and Davie counties.2
From the broad Atlantic Coastal Plain, the land rises to form the Piedmont Crescent that arches its back against the craggy Blue Ridge Mountains. Rowan County lies along the ridge central to the Piedmont and celebrates a diversity of environment that includes the mountains at its back, extensive waterways at its feet, and rolling country between. Salisbury, the county seat, and surrounding municipalities provide the balance between urban and rural lifestyles.3
It not exactly evident where this nickname originated, but it seems to have given birth during the Civil War. North Carolina's troops were said to have tar on their heels, because they would not run in battle even as other states retreated.
Additional County History
