North Carolina's 5th congressional district

North Carolina's 5th congressional district covers the central western portion of North Carolina from the Appalachian Mountains to the Metrolina western suburbs. the district borders Tennessee, Virginia and South Carolina While the bulk of its territory is in the mountains it stretches south into the Piedmont where its largest city, Gastonia, can be found. The district is overwhelmingly Republican. Large portions were controlled by Republicans even during the “Solid South” era as much of northwestern North Carolina was Quaker or mountaineer and therefore resisted secession. Two counties in the district – Avery and Yadkin – have never voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since their creation, and Wilkes County has never done so since before the Second Party System. For the 2020 election the district has been updated per House Bill 1029 enacted by the NC General Assembly on November 15, 2019, becoming Session Law 2019–249. District boundaries are based on 2010 census tabulation blocks. On February 23, 2022, the North Carolina Supreme Court approved a new map which changed the 5th district boundaries to include Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Davie, Mitchell, Stokes, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes County and Yadkin Counties, most of Caldwell and part of Forsyth. The fifth district is currently represented by Virginia Foxx, a Republican.