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Carteret County, North Carolina
Carteret County Courthouse
Carteret County Courthouse
Seal of Carteret County, North Carolina
Seal
Map of North Carolina highlighting Carteret County
Location in the state of North Carolina
Map of the U.S
North Carolina's location in the U.S.
Founded 1739
Named for Sir George Carteret
Seat Beaufort
Largest town Morehead City
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

1,341 sq mi (3,473 km²)
506 sq mi (1,311 km²)
834 sq mi (2,160 km²), 62
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

67,686
131/sq mi (51/km²)
Congressional district 3rd
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.co.carteret.nc.us

Carteret County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,686.[1] Its county seat is Beaufort.[2] The county was created in 1722 as Carteret Precinct and gained county status in 1739.[3] It was named for Sir George Carteret, one of the 17th century English Lords Proprietor, or for his descendant and heir John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville.

Carteret County comprises the Morehead City, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the New Bern-Morehead City, NC Combined Statistical Area. Most of the county is part of the Crystal Coast.

History[]

The first male of English parents born in the current area of North Carolina was John Fulford. He was born in 1629 in what is now Carteret County. He settled in this area and died in 1729. An article dated Sept. 18, 1893, in The New Bern Daily Journal, identified Fulford's grave in a cemetery outside the county seat of Beaufort, in an area called the Straits. It was described as "bricked up with English brick." In 1971 a survey by the Carteret County Historical Society found such a grave in the Fulford Cemetery off Piper Lane in Gloucester. The unmarked, bricked-up grave matching this description survives today.[4]

One of the more prominent families from Carteret County was the Dennis family. William Dennis Sr. (b.1720 - d.1800) was an extremely colorful landowner, Revolutionary War officer, and defender of the county. In 1747, he assisted with the successful defense of the county during the War of Jenkins' Ear (fighting against Spanish pirates). During the Revolutionary War he served as a 2nd Major in the Carteret County Regiment of the North Carolina militia. In 1782, he fought alongside Lieutenant Colonel John Easton to drive the British from Carteret County. Dennis once owned the Hammock House, which became well known as the house owned by the pirate Blackbeard. His son, William Dennis Junior was a Captain in the 8th North Carolina Regiment (1777-1778), was present at Valley Forge and also fought in the Carteret County Regiment (1781-1782). In the 1790 US Census, Dennis was one of the largest land owners in the county. Branches of the Dennis family include the Bells, Watsons and Pelletiers, many of whom continued to live in the area for many years. In a typical pattern of following the availability of new lands in the Deep South, some branches of this family later migrated to Mississippi and Texas in the 19th century.[5][6]

Law and government[]

Carteret County is a member of the regional Eastern Carolina Council of Governments. It includes 16 of North Carolina's townships.

Carteret County operates under the Council-Manager form of Government in North Carolina. The County Manager is Tommy Burns.

A voting machine malfunction in the county resulted in the loss of 4,438 ballots cast during early voting for the November 2, 2004 general election.[7] Since the number of lost ballots exceeded the lead held (by Steve Troxler over Britt Cobb) in the statewide race for agriculture commissioner, the State Board of Elections decided to hold a special election on January 11, 2005, open only to the 18,500 voters in the county who either failed to vote or whose votes were lost.[8][9] Both candidates filed legal challenges contesting the format of the new election.[10] On February 4, 2005, Cobb conceded the race.[11]

United States presidential election results for Carteret County, North Carolina[12]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 30,028 70.33% 12,093 28.32% 574 1.34%
2016 26,569 70.32% 9,939 26.31% 1,273 3.37%
2012 24,775 69.76% 10,301 29.00% 441 1.24%
2008 23,131 66.86% 11,130 32.17% 336 0.97%
2004 17,716 69.27% 7,732 30.23% 127 0.50%
2000 17,381 65.69% 8,839 33.40% 241 0.91%
1996 11,721 56.15% 7,566 36.24% 1,589 7.61%
1992 10,334 47.36% 8,028 36.79% 3,457 15.84%
1988 11,076 61.55% 6,859 38.12% 59 0.33%
1984 11,637 66.28% 5,882 33.50% 38 0.22%
1980 7,733 52.37% 6,485 43.92% 549 3.72%
1976 5,786 44.72% 7,080 54.72% 73 0.56%
1972 8,463 74.14% 2,805 24.57% 147 1.29%
1968 4,593 40.23% 3,762 32.95% 3,061 26.81%
1964 4,289 40.77% 6,231 59.23% 0 0.00%
1960 4,493 46.05% 5,264 53.95% 0 0.00%
1956 3,804 49.54% 3,875 50.46% 0 0.00%
1952 2,967 40.94% 4,280 59.06% 0 0.00%
1948 1,520 29.46% 3,491 67.66% 149 2.89%
1944 1,566 30.98% 3,489 69.02% 0 0.00%
1940 1,789 31.47% 3,896 68.53% 0 0.00%
1936 1,889 33.32% 3,780 66.68% 0 0.00%
1932 1,765 33.46% 3,455 65.50% 55 1.04%
1928 3,133 60.51% 2,045 39.49% 0 0.00%
1924 1,854 44.89% 2,261 54.75% 15 0.36%
1920 2,315 52.79% 2,070 47.21% 0 0.00%
1916 1,246 51.68% 1,165 48.32% 0 0.00%
1912 218 11.43% 1,153 60.43% 537 28.14%
1908 1,060 47.92% 1,152 52.08% 0 0.00%
1904 656 39.33% 1,012 60.67% 0 0.00%
1900 767 42.21% 1,046 57.57% 4 0.22%
1896 943 41.78% 1,308 57.95% 6 0.27%
1892 613 30.11% 1,211 59.48% 212 10.41%
1888 714 39.04% 1,082 59.16% 33 1.80%
1884 612 34.42% 1,166 65.58% 0 0.00%
1880 701 40.57% 1,026 59.38% 1 0.06%



Military[]

Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue is located in the western section of Carteret County along Bogue Sound. It comprises an 875 acres (3.541 km2) landing field located on Bogue Sound that serves as the Marine Corps’ only East Coast site for Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP).[13]

Marine Corps Outlying Field Atlantic is a training field in Atlantic. The USMC manages the Navy's Dumpling Creek Transmission Station in Merrimon. BT-11 Piney Island in Davis[14] and Cat Island in Bogue Sound are former Marine Corps bombing ranges.[15]

The Marine Corps also has a facility in Beaufort, at the southern tip of Radio Island[16] (between the NC State Port in Morehead City, and the marine science laboratories on Pivers Island in Beaufort). It is military property, but is only manned during military port operations.

The US Navy has a Port Control Office and the US Army has a Reserve Center, both in the eastern part of Morehead City. The NC National Guard has an Armory in Morehead City.

The US Coast Guard operates a Sector Office at Fort Macon, as well as a USCG Station at Emerald Isle and Morehead City.

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,341 square miles (3,470 km2), of which 506 square miles (1,310 km2) is land and 834 square miles (2,160 km2) (62%) is water.[17] It is the third-largest county in North Carolina by total area.

National protected areas[]

  • Cape Lookout National Seashore
  • Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge
  • Croatan National Forest (part)

Adjacent counties[]

Major highways[]

  • US 70 US 70
  • NC 12 NC 12
  • NC 24 NC 24
  • NC 58 NC 58
  • NC 101 NC 101

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1790 3,734
1800 4,399 17.8%
1810 4,823 9.6%
1820 5,609 16.3%
1830 6,597 17.6%
1840 6,591 −0.1%
1850 6,939 5.3%
1860 8,186 18.0%
1870 9,010 10.1%
1880 9,784 8.6%
1890 10,825 10.6%
1900 11,811 9.1%
1910 13,776 16.6%
1920 15,384 11.7%
1930 16,900 9.9%
1940 18,284 8.2%
1950 23,059 26.1%
1960 30,940 34.2%
1970 31,603 2.1%
1980 41,092 30.0%
1990 52,556 27.9%
2000 59,383 13.0%
2010 66,469 11.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[18]
1790-1960[19] 1900-1990[20]
1990-2000[21] 2010-2020[1]

2020 census[]

Carteret County racial composition[22]
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 57,538 85.01%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 3,208 4.74%
Native American 252 0.37%
Asian 584 0.86%
Pacific Islander 63 0.09%
Other/Mixed 2,922 4.32%
Hispanic or Latino 3,119 4.61%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 67,686 people, 28,962 households, and 18,292 families residing in the county.

2000 census[]

As of the census[23] of 2000, there were 59,383 people, 25,204 households, and 17,365 families residing in the county. The population density was 114 people per square mile (44/km2). There were 40,947 housing units at an average density of 79 per square mile (30/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.28% White, 6.99% Black or African American, 0.54% Asian, 0.43% Native American, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.60% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. 1.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 25,204 households, out of which 26.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.00% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.10% were non-families. 26.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.76.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.70% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 28.40% from 45 to 64, and 17.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 96 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94 males.

The median income for a household in Carteret County in 2009 was $49,711, and the median income for a family was $45,499. Males had a median income of $31,365 versus $22,126 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,260. About 8.00% of families and 10.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.40% of those under age 18 and 9.40% of those age 65 or over.


Education[]

Primary and secondary education[]

The county is served by the Carteret County Public Schools. Carteret County Public Schools has 16 schools ranging from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade. Those 16 schools are separated into three high schools, four middle schools, and nine elementary schools.[24]

In addition the county is home to a public charter school and three private schools:

  • Tiller School is a grade K-5 public charter school[25] in Beaufort, NC.
  • Saint Egbert School is a grade K-5 Catholic school[26] in Morehead City, NC.
  • Grace Christian School is a grade K-8 school[27] in Newport, NC.
  • Gramercy Christian School is a grade K-12 school[28] in Newport, NC.

Higher learning[]

  • Carteret Community College (CCC)
  • UNC-Chapel Hill Institute of Marine Sciences (UNC-IMS)
  • NCSU Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST)
  • Duke University Marine Laboratory

Economy[]

Media[]

The Carteret County News-Times is a community newspaper based in Morehead City that serves Carteret County and nearby areas.[29] Its predecessors were The Beaufort News, a newspaper founded in 1912, and the Twin City Daily Times, a newspaper founded in 1936.[30] The Phillips family purchased and merged the two newspapers together to form Carteret County News-Times.[31] The Carteret County News-Times's earliest printing was on May 18, 1948.[29] Beginning in 1981, the newspaper has published three editions a week: Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.[29] According to the 2010 book North Carolina's Central Coast and New Bern, the newspaper is "a good source of information for vacationers who want to know the schedules of tours, festivals, kids' programs, seminars, exhibits and events of all types within the county and the surrounding area".[32]

Communities[]

Map of Carteret County North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

Map of Carteret County, North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

Towns[]

  • Atlantic Beach
  • Beaufort
  • Bogue
  • Cape Carteret
  • Cedar Point
  • Emerald Isle
  • Indian Beach
  • Morehead City
  • Newport
  • Peletier
  • Pine Knoll Shores

Census-designated places[]

  • Atlantic
  • Brandywine Bay
  • Broad Creek
  • Davis
  • Gloucester
  • Harkers Island
  • Marshallberg

Unincorporated communities[]

  • Bettie
  • Cedar Island
  • Gales Creek
  • Harlowe
  • Lola
  • Merrimon
  • Mill Creek
  • North River
  • Ocean
  • Otway
  • Salter Path
  • Sea Gate
  • Sea Level
  • Stacy
  • Stella
  • Straits
  • Smyrna
  • Wildwood
  • Williston
  • Wiregrass

See also[]

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Carteret County, North Carolina
  • List of townships in North Carolina

References[]

  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37/37031.html. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ "North Carolina: Individual County Chronologies". North Carolina Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2009. http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/NC_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm. 
  4. ^ North Carolina, Division of Archives and History, The Correspondence of William Tryon and Other Selected Papers, Volume II, 1768-1818, p. 549
  5. ^ Lewis, J.D.. "Captain William Dennis, Jr.". http://www.carolana.com/NC/Revolution/patriots_nc_capt_william_dennis_jr.html. 
  6. ^ Lewis, J.D.. "Carteret County Regiment". http://www.carolana.com/NC/Revolution/nc_carteret_county_regiment.html. 
  7. ^ "More than 4,500 North Carolina votes lost because of mistake in voting machine capacity". USA Today. 2004-11-05. https://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/vote2004/2004-11-04-votes-lost_x.htm. 
  8. ^ "E-voting Woes Force New Election in N.C. County". ComputerWorld. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/98054/E_voting_Woes_Force_New_Election_in_N.C._County. 
  9. ^ "New Ag Commissioner Election To Be Held In Carteret County". WRAL-TV. http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1090736/. 
  10. ^ "Lawyers For Both State Ag Candidates Head To Court Over Special Election". WRAL-TV. http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/114521/. 
  11. ^ "Cobb Concedes Ag Commissioner Race To Troxler". WRAL-TV. http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/115340/. 
  12. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 
  13. ^ Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue
  14. ^ Jimenez, Lance Cpl. Jason (9 July 2015). "PINEY ISLAND REPLENISHES LIVE-FIRE TARGETS". https://www.cherrypoint.marines.mil/News/Article/607736/piney-island-replenishes-live-fire-targets/. 
  15. ^ Anne V. Stokes, Travis Fulk, Brenda Swann, Bryan Harrell, Debra J. Wells, Bruce J. Larson, & Carmen Lombardo (Oct 2008). "Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point - Integrated Cultural Resources Management Plan - FY 2008 – 2013". https://www.cherrypoint.marines.mil/portals/86/docs/gamewarden/Final%20Cherry%20Point%20ICRMP%202008_Copy%20for%20public%20distribution.pdf#page=10. 
  16. ^ "Morehead City". https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/morehead-city.htm. 
  17. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_37.txt. 
  18. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  19. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  20. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/nc190090.txt. 
  21. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  22. ^ "Explore Census Data". https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US37031&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2. 
  23. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov. 
  24. ^ "Carteret County Public Schools". NC School Report Cards. North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. http://www.ncreportcards.org/src/search.jsp?pYear=2011-2012&pList=1&pListVal=160%3ACarteret+County+Public+Schools&GO2=GO. 
  25. ^ Tiller School, Home Page.
  26. ^ St. Egbert Catholic School Archived 2016-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, Home Page.
  27. ^ Grace Christian School, Home Page.
  28. ^ Gramercy Christian School, Home Page.
  29. ^ a b c Starkey, Jackie (June 15, 2019). "News-Times moves print production to Greenville". Carteret County News-Times. http://www.carolinacoastonline.com/news_times/article_fd44ef1a-8fb1-11e9-bdd5-9b177d7784a9.html. 
  30. ^ (1959) "The ESC Quarterly, Volumes 14-17". 
  31. ^ Smith, J.J. (June 18, 2019). "Support local journalism or find yourself in a news desert". The Carteret County News-Times. http://www.carolinacoastonline.com/news_times/sports/article_ddbbb6f4-921f-11e9-8e77-374e6617b882.html. 
  32. ^ Bridges, Neva Dail; Weigand, Janice (2010). North Carolina's Central Coast and New Bern (19 ed.). Wilmington, North Carolina: Globe Pequot Press. p. 210. ISBN 978-0-7627-5991-0. https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780762759910/page/210. 

External links[]

Template:Crystal Coast Coordinates: 34°44′N 76°46′W / 34.733, -76.767


This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Carteret County, North Carolina. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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