Scotland County | |
|---|---|
_5_(cropped).jpg) Scotland County Courthouse | |
 Flag  Seal  Logo | |
| Motto: "Future Focused" | |
 Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina | |
 North Carolina's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 34°50′N 79°29′W / 34.84°N 79.48°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  North Carolina |
| Founded | February 20, 1899 |
| Named for | Scotland |
| Seat | Laurinburg |
| Largest community | Laurinburg |
| Area | |
• Total | 320.62 sq mi (830.4 km2) |
| • Land | 319.14 sq mi (826.6 km2) |
| • Water | 1.48 sq mi (3.8 km2) 0.46% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 34,174 |
• Estimate (2023) | 34,376 |
| • Density | 107.08/sq mi (41.34/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 9th |
| Website | www |
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.