GIS Results

About GIS

ArcGIS is a geographic information system that allows for creation and use of maps, compilation of data, analysis of geographic data, and sharing information. We used ArgGIS features to compile arial images of the town limits of Davidson in 1938, 1957, 1978, 1993, and 2005 and track the open land in each year. We were then able to calculate the percent of land use change from 1938 to 2005. 

The following images were produced using ArcGIS and all agricultural area is highlighted.

Overall Land Use Trends in Davidson, North Carolina 

In 1938, 53.97% of land in Davidson, NC was agricultural and by 2005 only 4.5% was used for agriculture.

Change in Agricultural Land 1938-2005

This video shows a progression of images of Davidson

from 1938 to 2005 with agricultural land highlighted

Breakdown By Year

1938

1938: 636.47 hectares, 53.97% open land

1930-1940- 
Rates of Population Growth in the US  

                    7.2 million people in the US

                    7.9 million Urban

                    6.4 million Rural
                    (Jaffe, 1945)

1945
Land use in North Carolina
                   Cropland Idle 906,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Crops 6,170,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Pastures 526,000 acres
                   Total Cropland 7,602,000 acres

                   Urban Land 341,000 acres
                   (Economic Research Service, 2012)

1949

Land use in North Carolina

                   Cropland Used for Crops 6,966,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Pastures 733,000 acres
                   Total Cropland 7,699,000 acres 

                   Urban Land 360,000 acres
                   (Economic Research Service, 2012)

1954
Land use in North Carolina 

                   Cropland Idle 694,000 acres
                   Cropland Used For Crops 5,868,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Pastures 702,000 acres
                   Total Cropland 7,264,000 acres 

                   Urban Land 410,000 acres
                   (Economic Research Service, 2012)

1957

1957: 396.65 hectares, 33.43% open land

1959

Land use in North Carolina 

                   Cropland Idle 1,583,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Crops  5,101,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Pastures 674,000 acres
                   Total Cropland 7,358,000 acres

                   Urban Land 596,000 acres
                   (Economic Research Service, 2012)

 1960-1970 
According to census of population date urban area increased by 9 million acres 

1964

Land use change in the South Central

                    Cropland 45,902 acres

                    Pasture 14,011 acres

                    Urban 3,462 acres
                    (Ahn, et. al, 2002) 

Land use in North Carolina 
                   Cropland Idle 1,291,000 acres
                   Cropland Used 4,262,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Pastures  601,000 acres
                   Total Cropland 6,154,000 acres

                   Urban Land 631,000 acres
                   (Economic Research Service, 2012)

1969

Land use in North Carolina 
                   Cropland Idle 1,335,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Crops 4, 032,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Pastures 1,113,000 acres
                   Total Cropland 6,480,000 acres

                   Urban Land 683,000 acres
                   (Economic Research Service, 2012)

1970-1980
According to census of population date urban area increased by 13 million acres.

1974 & 1977

The Resource Planning Act (RPA) of 1974 and the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act of 1977 requires the US Department of Agriculture to develop programs to conserve, protect, and enhance forest, soil, and water resources for sustained uses (Ahn et al, 2002)

1974
Land use in North Carolina

                   Cropland Idle 628,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Crops 4,849,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Pastures 1,099,000 acres
                   Total Cropland 6,576,000 acres

                   Urban Land 832,000 acres
                   (Economic Research Service, 2012)

Land use change in the South Central US  

                                    Cropland 49,680,000 acres 

                                     Pasture 13,580,000 acres

                                    Urban 5,128,000 acres
                  (Ahn et. al, 2002)

1978

1978: 166.27 hectares, 14.05% open land

1978
Land use in North Carolina

                   Cropland Idle 629,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Crops 4,952,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Pastures 990,000 acres
                   Total Cropland 6,571,000 acres

                   Urban Land 1,078,000 acres
                   (Economic Research Service, 2012)


1980

      Census Bureau  

                        46.9 million acres in the 49 contiguous states

                        33.1 million were in urbanized area

                       13.8 million were other urban land.

     Urbanized area population density was an average of 2,765 persons per square mile.
     (Alig et al, 1987). 

1981

The Farmland Protection Policy Act of 1981 required Federal agencies to conduct reviews for the purpose of minimizing the extent to which Federal programs continue to the unnecessary and irreversible conversion of farmland to nonagricultural use (Urbanization).

1982

      Land use change in South Central US 
                        Cropland 50,273,000
                        Pastureland  11,411,000
                        Urban 6,617,000
                        (Ahn et. al, 2002)      
      


      Land use in North Carolina

                   Cropland Idle 476,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Crops 5,154,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Pastures 806,000 acres
                   Total Cropland 6,436,000 acres

                   Urban Land 1,255,000 acres
                   (Economic Research Service, 2012)

1987
Land use in North Carolina

                   Cropland Idle 1,148,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Crops 4,070,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Pastures 783,000 acres
                   Total Cropland 6,001,000 acres

                   Urban Land 1,477,000 acres
                   (Economic Research Service, 2012)

1990
Population of cities that grew by more than 10% 

                        -Charlotte 395,934 (25.5%) 

                        Winston-Salem 143,485 (8.8%)

                        Durham 136,611(35.1%)

                        Raleigh 207,951 (38.4%)

            (Glaeser, Shapiro 2001)

1992
Land use in the South Central US

                        Cropland 47,196,000 acres

                        Pasture 10,788,000 acres

                        Urban 8,069,000 acres
            (Ahn et. al, 2002)

Agricultural/Cultivated Land Use

            Cultivated: 334.6 million acres in US

                        Non-Cultivated: 46.8 million acres in US

                        Total land: 381.4 million acres

Land use in North Carolina

                   Cropland Idle 785,000 acres
                   Cropland Used 4,315,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Pastures 835,000 acres
                   Total Cropland 5,935,000 acres

                   Urban Land 1,562,000 acres
                   (Economic Research Service, 2012)

   

1993

1993: 53.3 hectares, 4.5% open land

                       

1996
Farm Act removed crop insurance from the list of programs subject to conservation compliance (Lubowski et. al, 2006).

Cost of an acre increased by $210 due to urbanization influence (Urbanization)

     1997 - 
     Cultivated and Non-Cultivated Cropland
                       Cultivated 326.5 million acres in US
                       Non-Cultivated 49.5 million acres in US
                       Total land 376.1 million acres 
                       (US Department of Agriculture, 2009)

     Land use in North Carolina

                   Cropland Idle 476,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Crops 4,487,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Pastures 927,000 acres
                   Total Cropland 5,890,000 acres

                   Urban Land1,760,000 acres
                   (Economic Research Service, 2012)

     127 million acres (32%) of cultivate crop land shifted to less intensive purposes (Lubowski et. al, 2006). 
   
     1.5% of cultivated cropland has transitions to urban land since 1987 (Lubowski et. al, 2006). 


    Expansion of crop insurance policies during the mid-1990s led to the introduction of 15 million new
     cropland acres or about 5 percent of cultivated cropland (Lubowski et. al, 2006).

2000
Cities that grew more than10%
               Charlotte 540,818 (36.6%)
               Winston-Salem 185,775 (29.5%)
               Durham 187,035 (36.9%)
               Raleigh 276,093 (32.8%)
               (Glaeser, Shapiro, 2001)

·        2002
     Cultivated Land Use 

            Cultivated Land: 314.4 million acres

                        Non-Cultivated: 52.7 million acres

                        Total 367.1 land million acres
            (US Department of Agriculture, 2009)

      Land use in North Carolina

                   Cropland Idle 292,000 acres
                   Cropland Used 4,239,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Pastures 668,000 acres
                   Total Cropland 5,199,000 acres

                   Urban Land 2,294,000 acres
                   
US crop land used for crops declined by 23 million acres (6%) since 1945 (Lubowski et al, 2006)

     Urban Land has increased by 4.6 million acres since the 1960s to meet increasing demands for residential, commercial, and other developed uses that have accompanied the South Central regions growing population (Ahn et. al, 2002).

·      2004
   US cropland used for crops 340 million acres a 3% increase since 330 million acres were used in 1910. (Lubowski et al, 2006)   

2005

2005: 53.3 hectares, 4.5%

        2007 

    Land use in North Carolina

                   Cropland Idle 247,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Crops 4,258,000 acres
                   Cropland Used for Pastures 339,000 acres
                   Total Cropland 4,843,000 acres

                   Urban Land 2,357,000 acres
                   (Economic Research Service, 2012)

            

    Cultivated and Non-Cultivated Cropland 

 Cultivated 304.9 million acres in US

Non-Cultivated  52.1 million acres in US

Total land 357  million acres
(US Department of Agriculture, 2009)

    Land Use Cover In the US

Cropland (cultivated and non-cultivated) 357 million acres 18%

Pastureland 119 million acres 6%
Rangeland 409 million acres 21%

Water 52 million acres 3%
Total Surface Area 1.938 Million Acres.
(US Department of Agriculture, 2009) 

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