1760Government
== History ==
The area was originally inhabited by Catawba and Cherokee peoples and was later settled around 1760.
1841Crime
Nevertheless, the Ku Klux Klan did have a significant presence in Shelby in the 1870s and its crimes were the subject of depositions and affidavits collected by Captain Albion H...
1843Military
The city was chartered in 1843 and named after Colonel Isaac Shelby, a hero of the battle of Kings Mountain (1780) during the American Revolution.
1916History
In 1916, Thomas Dixon, Jr., the author of The Clansman: A Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan, planned to erect a statue of his uncle Leroy McAfee on the courthouse square.
1947Economy
By 1947, Shelby was a true thriving town with the mills paying among the highest wages in the South.
1948History
Cotton production peaked in 1948 with Cleveland County producing 83,549 bales, making it North Carolina's premier cotton county.
1952History
The hottest temperature recorded in Shelby was 107 °F (41.7 °C) on July 30, 1952, while the coldest temperature recorded was −11 °F (−23.9 °C) on January 31, 1966.
2000History
=== 2000 census ===
As of the 2000 United States census, there were 19,477 people, 7,927 households, and 5,144 families residing in the city.
2004Education
Prior to January 2004, the city was in Shelby City Schools, a separate school district.
2007Crime
On November 11, 2007, the Oxygen Network's "Captured" aired a profile of The Brenda Sue Brown murder mystery that took place in Shelby in 1966.
2009Culture
The TV show Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern visited the 2009 Livermush festival in Shelby.
2011Sports
In 2011, Shelby was named the permanent home of the American Legion Baseball World Series after decades of rotating venues for the event.
2020History
== Demographics ==
=== 2020 census ===
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 21,918 people, 8,013 households, and 4,887 families residing in the city.
2022Education
Graham and Marion elementary schools closed in 2022, and the former Shelby Intermediate School was to be converted into an elementary school including the former Graham and Mari...