Iredell County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 186,693. Its county seat is Statesville, and its largest community is Mooresville. The county was formed in 1788, subtracted from Rowan County. It is named for James Iredell, one of the first justices of the Supreme Court. Iredell County is included in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget with data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
History
Prior to colonization, three Siouan-speaking tribes associated with a culture group called the Eastern Siouans probably inhabited the area that is now Iredell County. Broken into several smaller tribes, they were the Catawba, the Waccamaw Siouan, the Cheraw, the Winyaw, the Wateree and the Sugaree. The following list shows significant events and firsts in the history of the area that is now called Iredell County, North Carolina.