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| Craven County, North Carolina | ||
 New Bern City Hall
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 Location in the state of North Carolina | ||
 North Carolina's location in the U.S. | ||
| Founded | 1739 | |
|---|---|---|
| Named for | William, Earl of Craven | |
| Seat | New Bern | |
| Largest city | New Bern | |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
774 sq mi (2,005 km²) 709 sq mi (1,836 km²) 65 sq mi (168 km²), 8.4% | |
| PopulationEst. - (2020) - Density |
100,720 146/sq mi (56/km²) | |
| Congressional district | 3rd | |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website | www.cravencounty.com | |
Craven County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 100,720.[1] Its county seat is New Bern.[2] The county was created in 1705 as Archdale Precinct from the now-extinct Bath County. It was renamed Craven Precinct in 1712 and gained county status in 1739.[3][4] It is named for William, Earl of Craven, who lived from 1606 to 1697. Craven County is part of the New Bern, NC, Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Colonial history[]
On August 4, 1661, George Durant purchased land from Cisketando, king of the Yeopim Indian tribe. On March 13, 1662, a second purchase was made from Kilcocanen, another Yeopim. By 1662 Durant was living in Virginia on a tract of land along the Perquimans River which flows into Albemarle Sound, which became part of the Carolina colony in 1665.[5]
Craven County was established in 1712, as a precinct of Bath County and was named after William, Lord Craven, one of the Lords Proprietors. That year Christopher Gale became the first chief justice of North Carolina.[6][7] During the initial years of colonization, the population of Craven County was sparse and grew slowly. By 1740, however, the town of New Bern began growing rapidly and became the seat for the Governorship.[8] John Carter served as the first sheriff of Craven County, but died in 1740 in the line of duty, when ambushed by an outlaw he was trying to apprehend. In 1746 an act was passed establishing New Bern as the capital of the province and, although the act was later repealed, the General Court met at New Bern in Craven County after 1747.[6]
In 1749 James Davis, the colony's first printer, arrived at New Bern and became the official printer for the North Carolina Assembly.[9] In 1751, Davis established and began printing the North-Carolina Gazette, North Carolina's first newspaper.[10] In 1754 he was elected Sheriff of Craven County.[11]
Geography[]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 774 square miles (2,000 km2), of which 709 square miles (1,840 km2) is land and 65 square miles (170 km2) (8.4%) is water.[12]
National protected area[]
- Croatan National Forest (part)
Adjacent counties[]
- Pitt County - north
- Beaufort County - north
- Pamlico County - east
- Carteret County - south
- Jones County - west
- Lenoir County - west
Major highways[]
US 17- US 70
- NC 41
- NC 43
- NC 55
- NC 101
- NC 118
- NC 306
Demographics[]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 10,474 | ||
| 1800 | 10,245 | −2.2% | |
| 1810 | 12,676 | 23.7% | |
| 1820 | 13,394 | 5.7% | |
| 1830 | 13,734 | 2.5% | |
| 1840 | 13,438 | −2.2% | |
| 1850 | 14,709 | 9.5% | |
| 1860 | 16,268 | 10.6% | |
| 1870 | 20,516 | 26.1% | |
| 1880 | 19,729 | −3.8% | |
| 1890 | 20,533 | 4.1% | |
| 1900 | 24,160 | 17.7% | |
| 1910 | 25,594 | 5.9% | |
| 1920 | 29,048 | 13.5% | |
| 1930 | 30,665 | 5.6% | |
| 1940 | 31,298 | 2.1% | |
| 1950 | 48,823 | 56.0% | |
| 1960 | 58,773 | 20.4% | |
| 1970 | 62,554 | 6.4% | |
| 1980 | 71,043 | 13.6% | |
| 1990 | 81,613 | 14.9% | |
| 2000 | 91,436 | 12.0% | |
| 2010 | 103,505 | 13.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[13] 1790-1960[14] 1900-1990[15] 1990-2000[16] 2010-2020[1] | |||
2020 census[]
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 64,933 | 64.47% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 19,903 | 19.76% |
| Native American | 318 | 0.32% |
| Asian | 3,059 | 3.04% |
| Pacific Islander | 150 | 0.15% |
| Other/Mixed | 5,162 | 5.13% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 7,195 | 7.14% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 100,720 people, 42,221 households, and 28,502 families residing in the county.
2000 census[]
As of the census[18] of 2000, there were 91,436 people, 34,582 households, and 25,071 families residing in the county. The population density was 129 people per square mile (50/km2). There were 38,150 housing units at an average density of 54 per square mile (21/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 69.94% White, 25.12% Black or African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.78% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races. 4.02% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 34,582 households, out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.80% were married couples living together, 12.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were non-families. 23.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.60% under the age of 18, 12.80% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 13.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 101.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,966, and the median income for a family was $42,574. Males had a median income of $28,163 versus $21,412 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,423. About 9.90% of families and 13.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.50% of those under age 18 and 11.00% of those age 65 or over.
Communities[]
Map of Craven County, North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels
Cities[]
Towns[]
- Bridgeton
- Cove City
- Dover
- River Bend
- Trent Woods
- Vanceboro
Census-designated places[]
- Brices Creek
- Cherry Branch
- Fairfield Harbour
- James City
- Neuse Forest
Other unincorporated communities[]
- Adams Creek
- Ernul
- Fort Barnwell
- Harlowe
Politics, law and government[]
Craven is a typical “Solid South” county in its presidential voting patterns. It was solidly Democratic until the 1960s: in five elections from 1932 to 1948 the Republican Party did not reach fifteen percent of the vote, and only in 1928 when a large anti-Catholic vote was cast against Al Smith did the GOP reach twenty percent between at least 1900 and 1948. The national Democratic party's support for the Civil Rights Movement caused its white electorate to defect to George Wallace’s American Independent campaign in 1968. Since that time, Craven has become a strongly Republican county. The last Democrat to carry Craven County was Jimmy Carter in 1976.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 31,032 | 58.48% | 21,148 | 39.85% | 885 | 1.67% |
| 2016 | 27,731 | 59.00% | 17,630 | 37.51% | 1,640 | 3.49% |
| 2012 | 26,928 | 58.32% | 18,763 | 40.64% | 479 | 1.04% |
| 2008 | 24,901 | 55.83% | 19,352 | 43.39% | 345 | 0.77% |
| 2004 | 23,575 | 62.44% | 14,019 | 37.13% | 162 | 0.43% |
| 2000 | 19,494 | 60.95% | 12,213 | 38.18% | 278 | 0.87% |
| 1996 | 13,264 | 52.65% | 10,317 | 40.96% | 1,610 | 6.39% |
| 1992 | 11,575 | 45.77% | 9,998 | 39.54% | 3,714 | 14.69% |
| 1988 | 12,057 | 62.10% | 7,313 | 37.66% | 47 | 0.24% |
| 1984 | 12,893 | 64.04% | 7,186 | 35.69% | 55 | 0.27% |
| 1980 | 8,554 | 50.97% | 7,781 | 46.36% | 448 | 2.67% |
| 1976 | 5,881 | 43.42% | 7,553 | 55.77% | 109 | 0.80% |
| 1972 | 9,372 | 78.74% | 2,384 | 20.03% | 147 | 1.23% |
| 1968 | 2,991 | 21.77% | 4,240 | 30.86% | 6,509 | 47.37% |
| 1964 | 4,691 | 38.73% | 7,422 | 61.27% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 3,680 | 33.95% | 7,158 | 66.05% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 2,956 | 31.88% | 6,317 | 68.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 2,822 | 31.66% | 6,092 | 68.34% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 745 | 11.87% | 5,039 | 80.26% | 494 | 7.87% |
| 1944 | 826 | 14.50% | 4,872 | 85.50% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 626 | 11.30% | 4,916 | 88.70% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 453 | 7.56% | 5,543 | 92.44% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 466 | 9.59% | 4,375 | 90.02% | 19 | 0.39% |
| 1928 | 2,237 | 47.28% | 2,494 | 52.72% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 325 | 9.82% | 2,942 | 88.86% | 44 | 1.33% |
| 1920 | 731 | 17.64% | 3,413 | 82.36% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 542 | 23.34% | 1,780 | 76.66% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1912 | 79 | 3.78% | 1,819 | 87.12% | 190 | 9.10% |
| 1908 | 449 | 24.30% | 1,399 | 75.70% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1904 | 268 | 14.70% | 1,555 | 85.30% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1900 | 1,502 | 42.55% | 2,028 | 57.45% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1896 | 2,921 | 60.50% | 1,810 | 37.49% | 97 | 2.01% |
| 1892 | 1,648 | 50.49% | 1,305 | 39.98% | 311 | 9.53% |
| 1888 | 2,618 | 65.73% | 1,359 | 34.12% | 6 | 0.15% |
| 1884 | 2,539 | 65.62% | 1,330 | 34.38% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1880 | 2,809 | 69.00% | 1,180 | 28.99% | 82 | 2.01% |
Craven County is a member of the regional Eastern Carolina Council of Governments.
See also[]
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Craven County, North Carolina
Sources[]
- Connor, Robert Digges Wimberly (1919). History of North Carolina. I. Chicago : New York : Lewis Publishing Co.. https://archive.org/details/historyofnorthca01conn.
- The historical records of North Carolina : the county records. I. Raleigh : The North Carolina Historical Commission. 1938. https://archive.org/details/historicalrecord01hist.
- The historical records of North Carolina : the county records. II. Raleigh : The North Carolina Historical Commission. 1938. https://archive.org/details/historicalrecord02hist.
- Dill, Alonzo Thomas, Jr. (January 1946). "Eighteenth Century New Bern". Dill, Eighteenth-Century New Bern 23 (1): 47–48.
- Powell, William S., ed (2000). Dictionary of North Carolina biography. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-8078-67013. https://books.google.com/books?id=BdAGnn0SZX0C&q=%22james+davis%22. - link to Davis biography
- Thomas, Isaiah (1874). The history of printing in America, with a biography of printers. I. New York, B. Franklin. https://archive.org/details/historyofprintin01thom.
- Wroth, Lawrence C. (1938). The Colonial Printer. Portland, Me., The Southworth-Anthoensen press. https://archive.org/details/colonialprinter00wrot.
References[]
- ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37/37049.html.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Craven County". State Library of North Carolina. January 1, 2006. http://ncpedia.org/geography/craven.
- ^ Connor, 1919, Vol. I, pp. 26-27
- ^ a b The historical records of North Carolina, Vol. I, p. 58
- ^ The historical records of North Carolina, Vol. II, p. 2
- ^ dill, 1946, p. 47
- ^ Wroth, 1938, p. 48
- ^ Thomas, 1874, Vol. I, p. 338; Vol. II, p. 166
- ^ Powell, 2000, pp. 34-35
- ^ "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.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US37049&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS.
Further reading[]
- Browning, Judkin. Shifting Loyalties: The Union Occupation of Eastern North Carolina (Univ of North Carolina Press, 2011). focus on Craven County
- Kinsey, Marissa N. "Beyond the Vale: Visualizing Slavery in Craven County, North Carolina." (2017). online
- Farmer, Vina Hutchinson. New Bern (Arcadia Publishing, 2007).
- Todd, Vincent H., ed (1920). Christoph von Graffenried's Account of the Founding of New Bern. Publications of the North Carolina Historical Commission. Raleigh: Edwards & Broughton Printing Co.. OCLC 1107613. https://archive.org/details/christophvongraf00graf.
- Watson, Alan D. A History of New Bern and Craven County (Tryon Palace Commission, 1987).
External links[]
- Official website
- New Bern Sun Journal
- Havelock Chamber of Commerce
- New Bern Chamber of Commerce
- Craven County Economic Development
- Craven County, NCGenWeb
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Pitt County | Beaufort County |
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| Lenoir County | 
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Pamlico County | ||
   Craven County, North Carolina | ||||
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| Jones County | Carteret County |
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