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Welcome to Rutherford County ...

Time Zone: Rutherford County lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time.

The community of Rutherfordton is the Seat for Rutherford County.

Rutherford County was founded in 1779 and was created by taking area from Tryon County.

From the Census Estimates for 2019, <1> Rutherford had a population of 67,029 people. This is a decrease of 1.05% since the last Census (which gave a population of 67,740 people in 2010).

At the time of the 2010 Census, Rutherford represented 0.71% of the total population of North Carolina.

Below are some of the communities located in Rutherford County:

  • Bostic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bostic have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bostic
    • Bostic is located in Rutherford County (NC)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 379 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bostic <3>
  • Chimney Rock
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Ellenboro
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellenboro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellenboro
    • Ellenboro is located in Rutherford County (NC)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 830 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ellenboro <3>
  • Forest City
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Lake Lure
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Lure have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Lure
    • Lake Lure is located in Rutherford County (NC)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,153 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Lure <3>
  • Ruth
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ruth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
    • Ruth is located in Rutherford County (NC)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 400 people
  • Rutherfordton
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Spindale
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spindale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spindale
    • Spindale is located in Rutherford County (NC)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,175 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spindale <3>

Websites of Interest ...

Footnotes ...

<1>On a yearly basis, the US Census Bureau creates an estimate of the county's population. Keep in mind that this is an estimate and not an actual count. The last physical count was the 2010 Census and the next count will be for the 2020 Census.
<2>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
 

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This page was last modified/updated: 14 Jul 2025