{{Infobox U.S. County|
 county  = Alamance County|
 state = North Carolina |
 seal =  Alamancecountyseal.PNG|
 map size = 250|
 founded = 1849|
 seat = Graham | 
 area_total_sq_mi =435 |
 area_land_sq_mi =430 |
 area_water_sq_mi =5 |
 area percentage = 1.10% |
 census yr = 2007|
 pop = 145360 |
 density_km2 =117|
 web = www.alamance-nc.com|
|}}
'''Alamance County''' is a Orange County to the east, Alamance County has been the site of significant historical events, textiles, manufacturing, and agriculture in North Carolina.

As of 2006, the estimated population of the county and MSA was 145,360<ref name="US Census Bureau">Population Data found on [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-context=gct&-ds_name=PEP_2007_EST&-CONTEXT=gct&-mt_name=PEP_2007_EST_GCTT1_US25&-tree_id=807&-redoLog=true&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=04000US37&-format=ST-2|ST-2S&-_lang=en]</ref>.  Its Graham.

== History ==
thumb|left|Re-enacting the [[Battle of Alamance.]]
Before being formed as a county, the region had at least one known small Southeastern tribe of Native American in the 1700s - the Sissipahaw who lived in the area bound by modern Orange County.  It was named after Great Alamance Creek, site of the Battle of Alamance (May 16, 1771), in which militia under the command of Governor William Tryon crushed the Regulator movement.  The Great Alamance Creek, and in turn the Little Alamance Creek, according to legend, were named after a local Native American word to describe the blue mud that was found at the bottom of the creeks.

Several other small battles occurred during the American Revolution in the Alamance County area during the lead-up to the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, including Pyle's Massacre and the Battle of Lindley's Mill<ref name="Battle of Lindley's Mill">[http://www.hadleysociety.org/photo_gallery/signs_gallery/index602.html Battle of Lindley's Mill]</ref>, and the Battle of Clapp's Mill.

===Civil War and aftermath===
In 1861, the United States began to fragment due to growing questions of states' rights concerning issues of money, agriculture, representation, and slavery.  In February of that year, a peace conference was held in Washington, DC.  North Carolina sent five delegates to this conference, including Chief Justice Thomas Ruffin of Haw River, an Alamance County community.  Justice Ruffin was opposed to secession, but was voted down.  Later on, President Buchanan said that if Ruffin had persisted, the war might have been averted.  In March, 1861, Alamance County residents voted against North Carolina's secession from the Union, 1,114 to 254.  Hostilities would later prove that vote moot.

Alamance County joined the rest of North Carolina as the state split off from the Union and joined the Confederate States.  Although no battles took place in the county itself, Alamance County did send its share of sons and brothers to the front lines.  Only in the last months of the war did the residents of the county see a significant number of troops.  Most important of these events was when President Jefferson Davis dictated a note to General Johnston for Union General Sherman.  General Johnston delivered that note, stopping in Company Shops to drop off some of the last of his men.

thumb|right|<center>Alamance County Courthouse in [[Graham, NC.]]

Some of the most  significant effects of the Civil War were seen after the war.  Alamance County briefly became a center of natioanl attention when, in 1870, a confrontation between local residents and an apparently corrupt Army colonel led to several people being wrongfully accused and arrested for various crimes.  Only after involvement by a U. S. District Judge were these men and women freed and cleared of crimes.  This event came to be known as the [http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncccha/memoranda/kirkholdenwar.html Kirk-Holden War], and it lead to the impeachment and removal of Governor William Holden by the North Carolina Legislature in 1871.

=== Textiles ===
The Holt family began the textile industry in the county in the 1800s. Textiles became the county's largest source of industry and nearly every community in the county contained a textile mill by the early 1900s. Most of the mills were located along the Glencoe, Saxapahaw, Swepsonville, Bellemont, Alamance, Haw River and Burlington all contained textile mills and all these communities were located on the Haw River or tributaries of the river. The Holt's became famous for producing "Alamance Plaids" used mainly in tablecloths. Most of the plants have now gone out of business. Burlington was, also, home to Burlington Industries.

=== Dairy industry ===
The county was once the state leader in dairy production. Several dairies including Melville Dairy in Burlington were headquartered in the county. With increasing real estate prices and a slump in milk prices, most dairy farms have been sold and many of them developed for real estate purposes.

=== Airplanes and radars ===
During Fairchild built airplanes at a plant on the eastern side of Burlington. Among the planes built at the plant were the AT-21 gunner used to train bomber pilots. Near the Fairchild plant was the Titan missile was built there. The plant was closed in 1992 and sat abandoned until 2005, when it was purchased by a local businessman for manufacturing.

=== Politics ===
Alamance County has provided North Carolina with three of its governors and two U. S. Senators: Governor Thomas Holt, Governor and U. S. Senator Kerr Scott, Governor Robert W. (Bob) Scott (Kerr Scott's son), and U. S. Senator B. Everett Jordan.

== Law and government ==
Alamance County is a member of the regional Piedmont Triad Council of Governments.  The county is led by the [http://www.alamance-nc.com/Alamance-NC/Departments/Commissioners/ Alamance County Board of Commissioners] and the [http://www.alamance-nc.com/Alamance-NC/Departments/County+Manager/ County Manager], who is appointed by the Board of Commissioners.  County residents also elect 2 other county government offices: the Sheriff and Register of Deeds.

===County commissioners===
*Larry W. Sharpe, Chairman (current term ends in 2008)
*Dan Ingle, Vice-Chairman (current term ends in 2008)
*William H. Lashley (current term ends in 2008)
*Tim D. Sutton (current term ends in 2010)
*Ann Vaughan (current term ends in 2010)

===County manager===
David Smith (since 2005), serving dual role as County Manager and County Attorney

===Sheriff===
Terry Johnson (current term ends in 2010)

===Register of deeds===
David Barber (current term ends in 2008)

==Education==
Alamance County is home to a local public education system, several private elementary and secondary schools, a community college, and a private university.

==Geography==
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 435&nbsp;square miles (1,126&nbsp;km²), of which, 430&nbsp;square miles (1,114&nbsp;km²) of it is land and 5&nbsp;square miles (12&nbsp;km²) of it (1.10%) is water.

The county is in the Piedmont physiographical region. The county has a general rolling terrain with the Cane Creek Mountains rising to over 970 ft.<ref name="Alamance County GIS">GIS System Contours found on the [http://www.alamance-nc.com Alamance County Website]</ref> in the south central part of the county just north of Snow Camp. Bass Mountain one of the prominent hills in the range is home to a world renowned Bluegrass music festival every year.  There are also isolated monadnocks in the northern part of the county that rise to near or over 900 ft. above sea level.

The largest river that flows through Alamance County is the Chatham County, eventually leading to the Cape Fear River.  The county is also home to numerous creeks, streams, and ponds, including the Great Alamance Creek, where a portion of the Battle of Alamance was fought.  There are 3 large municipal reservoirs: Lake Cammack, Lake Mackintosh, and Graham-Mebane Lake (formerly Quaker Lake).

===Major highways===
Alamance County has several state and federal highways running through it.

====Interstates and U.S. highways====
300px|right|thumb|[[I-85|Interstates 85 and 40 run concurrently as seen from Exit 141 in Burlington, facing east.  The Interstates run east to west through the central part of the county.]]
Going east-west in the county:
*20px 20px Interstate 85 / Interstate 40 (Concurrent), also known as the Sam Hunt Freeway, named after a former North Carolina Secretary of Transportation.  Interstates 85/40 run east-to-west through the central part of the county.
*20px U.S. Highway 70.  Highway 70 nearly parallels 85/40 a few miles north of the interstates as it passes through the downtown sections of Burlington, Haw River, and Mebane.

====N.C. state highways====
*20px N.C. Highway 49 runs southwest to northeast from the Liberty area, through Burlington, Graham, and Haw River, to the Pleasant Grove Community area before turning northeast and continuing into Orange County.
*20px N.C. Highway 54 runs from its northern hub at the intersection of Highway 54 U.S. Highway 70 in Burlington southeast to the Orange County line in the southeast part of the county. 
*20px N.C. Highway 62 runs southwest to northeast from the Kimesville Community area, through Burlington, to the Pleasant Grove Community area.  It then turns North and heads to Caswell County.
*20px N.C. Highway 87 runs from southeast to northwest through the county, from the Eli Whitney Community area through Graham, Burlington, and a small part of Elon, before turning northeast and heading through the Altamahaw-Ossipee area, finally moving into Caswell County.
*20px  N.C. Highway 100 forms a loop through downtown Burlington, starting at the intersection of Maple Avenue and Chapel Hill Road before moving north, then northwest, before going through Elon and moving on to Gibsonville and Guilford County.
*20px  N.C. Highway 119 runs roughly north from its southern hub at an intersection with N.C. Highway 54, moving through Mebane and heading north into Caswell County.

{{Infobox County (Vereinigte Staaten)
|BUNDESSTAAT=North Carolina
|BUNDESSTAAT-LINK=North Carolina
|COUNTY=Alamance County
|SITZ=Graham
|GRUENDUNG=29. Januar 1849
|GEBILDET_AUS=Orange County
|EINWOHNER=130800
|STAND_EINWOHNER=2000
|FLAECHE=1126
|WASSER_FLAECHE=<!--TM_WF-->

|VORWAHL=001 336
|ADRESSE=County Office Building<br/ >124 West Elm St<br/ >Graham, NC 27253-2802 
|WEBSITE=www.alamance-nc.com
}}
'''Alamance County''' ist ein County im US-Bundesstaat Vereinigten Staaten. Der Sitz der County-Verwaltung (Graham, das nach dem Gouverneur William A. Graham benannt wurde.

== Geografie ==
Das County liegt nördlich des geographischen Zentrums von North Carolina, ist im Norden etwa 40&nbsp;km von Orange County, Chatham County, Randolph County und Guilford County.

Alamance County ist in 13 Townships aufgeteilt: 1 (Patterson), 2 (Coble), 3 (Boone Station), 4 (Morton), 5 (Faucette), 6 (Graham), 7 (Albright), 8 (Newlin), 9 (Thompson), 10 (Melville), 11 (Pleasant Grove), 12 (Burlington) und 13 (Haw River).

== Geschichte ==
Alamance County wurde am 29. Januar 1849 aus Teilen des Orange County gebildet. Benannt wurde es nach dem Alamance River.

== Bevölkerungsentwicklung ==
<div style="float:left;text-align:left;padding-right:15px">
{| style="border-style:solid;border-width:1px;border-color:#808080;background-color:#EFEFEF" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="200px"
|- bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
! 1980
! 1990
! 2000
|- align="center" valign="top" bgcolor="#BFEFFF"
| align="left" | 95.923
| align="left" | 108.213
| align="left" | 130.800
|}
</div><br style="clear:left" />