Familypedia
Register
Advertisement
This article is based on the corresponding article in another wiki. For Familypedia purposes, it requires significantly more historical detail on phases of this location's development. The ideal article for a place will give the reader a feel for what it was like to live at that location at the time their relatives were alive there. Also desirable are links to organizations that may be repositories of genealogical information..
Please help to improve this page yourself if you can.


Dare County, North Carolina
Dare County Courthouse
Dare County Administration Building in Manteo
Flag of Dare County, North Carolina
Flag
Seal of Dare County, North Carolina
Seal
Logo of Dare County, North Carolina
Logo
Motto: "Land of Beginnings"
Map of North Carolina highlighting Dare County
Location in the state of North Carolina
Map of the U.S
North Carolina's location in the U.S.
Founded 1870
Named for Virginia Dare
Seat Manteo
Largest town Kill Devil Hills
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

1,563 sq mi (4,048 km²)
383 sq mi (992 km²)
1,179 sq mi (3,054 km²), 75
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

36,915
98.8/sq mi (38/km²)
Congressional district 3rd
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.darenc.com

Dare County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 36,915.[1] Its county seat is Manteo.[2] Dare County is named after Virginia Dare, the first child born in the Americas to English parents, who was born within the county's current borders.[3] Founded in 1870 from parts of Tyrrell, Currituck and Hyde counties, it consists of a large segment of the Outer Banks of North Carolina,[4] along with Roanoke Island and a peninsula of land attached to the mainland. Most of the county consists of a string of resort communities along the Outer Banks. While lightly populated by year-round residents, the population swells during the summer with vacationers.[5]

Dare County is included in the Kill Devil Hills, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC Combined Statistical Area.

At one time, the now-abandoned town of Buffalo City was the largest community in the county.[6] Because it includes much of Pamlico Sound, Dare County is the largest county in North Carolina by total area, although if one were to consider land area only, it drops down to 68th in size among the state's 100 counties.[7]

Geography[]

Welcome to Dare County marlin - Stierch

Dare County welcome center

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,563 square miles (4,050 km2), of which 383 square miles (990 km2) is land and 1,179 square miles (3,050 km2) (75%) is water.[8] It is the largest county in North Carolina by area.[7]

Dare County includes the middle part of the Outer Banks and contains Roanoke Island.

National protected areas[]

  • Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge (part)
  • Cape Hatteras National Seashore (part)
  • Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
  • Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
  • Wright Brothers National Memorial

State and local protected areas/sites[]

  • Bodie Island Lighthouse
  • Buxton Woods Coastal Reserve Dedicated Nature Preserve
  • Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
  • Dare Game Lands (part)
  • Hatteras Inlet Crab Spawning Sanctuary (part)
  • Jockey's Ridge State Park
  • Kitty Hawk Woods Coastal Reserve
  • Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve
  • Nags Head Woods Preserve Dedicated Nature Preserve
  • Oregon Inlet Crab Spawning Sanctuary
  • Pamlico Sound Mechanical Harvesting of Oysters Prohibited Area
  • Roanoke Island Festival Park
  • Roanoke Island Marshes Dedicated Nature Preserve
  • Run Hill State Natural Area
  • Run Hill State Natural Area Dedicated Nature Preserve
  • Sandy Run Park

Adjacent counties[]

Major water-bodies[]

  • Albemarle Sound
  • Alligator River
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Broad Creek
  • Croatan Sound
  • Currituck Sound
  • East lake
  • Intracoastal Waterway
  • Long Shoal River
  • Pamlico Sound
  • Roanoke Sound
  • Shallowbag Bay
  • South Lake

Major highways[]

  • US 64 US 64
  • By-pass plate
    US 64 US 64 Byp.
  • US 158 US 158
  • US 264 US 264
  • NC 12 NC 12
  • NC 345 NC 345
  • NC 400 NC 400

Other Major Infrastructure[]

  • Dare County Bombing Range, within Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.
  • Dare County Regional Airport, a general aviation airport, is located in Dare County.
  • First Flight Airport, inside Wright Brothers National Memorial
  • Hatteras - Ocracoke Ferry, to Hyde County
  • Stumpy Point - Rodanthe Ferry, emergency route to the mainland during evacuations.

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1870 2,778
1880 3,243 16.7%
1890 3,768 16.2%
1900 4,757 26.2%
1910 4,841 1.8%
1920 5,115 5.7%
1930 5,202 1.7%
1940 6,401 23.0%
1950 5,405 −15.6%
1960 5,935 9.8%
1970 6,995 17.9%
1980 13,377 91.2%
1990 22,746 70.0%
2000 29,959 31.7%
2010 33,920 13.2%
Est. 2021 37,826 [9] 26.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790–1960[11] 1900–1990[12]
1990–2000[13] 2010–2020[14]

2020 census[]

Dare County racial composition[15]
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 31,921 86.47%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 678 1.84%
Native American 99 0.27%
Asian 260 0.7%
Pacific Islander 10 0.03%
Other/Mixed 1,393 3.77%
Hispanic or Latino 2,554 6.92%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 36,915 people, 15,529 households, and 10,281 families residing in the county.

2010 census[]

As of the census[16] of 2010, there were 33,920 people, 12,690 households, and 8,450 families residing in the county. The population density was 78 people per square mile (30/km2). There were 26,671 housing units at an average density of 70 per square mile (27/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 92.3% White, 2.5% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 2.4% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. 6.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 12,690 households, out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.79.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.4% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.2 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,411, and the median income for a family was $49,302. Males had a median income of $31,240 versus $24,318 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,614. About 5.5% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.9% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

Ancestry[]

As of 2010, the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Dare County were:[17]

Largest ancestries (2010) Percent
English 22.0%
German 18.4%
Irish 15.3%
"American" 8.7%
Italian 6.2%
Scottish 4.8%
Scots-Irish 4.0%
Polish 3.0%
Dutch 1.8%
Welsh 1.2%


Communities[]

DuckKill Devil HillsKitty HawkManteoNags HeadSouthern ShoresCape Hatteras LighthouseAlligator River National Wildlife RefugeCape Hatteras National SeashorePea Island National Wildlife RefugeDare County
About this image

Clickable map of the county. interactive map

Towns[]

  • Duck
  • Kill Devil Hills (Largest town)
  • Kitty Hawk
  • Manteo (county seat)
  • Nags Head
  • Southern Shores

Townships[]

  • Atlantic Township
  • Croatan Township
  • East Lake Township
  • Hatteras Township
  • Kinnekeet Township
  • Nags Head Township

Census-designated places[]

  • Avon
  • Buxton
  • Frisco
  • Hatteras
  • Manns Harbor
  • Rodanthe
  • Salvo
  • Wanchese
  • Waves

Unincorporated communities[]

  • Buffalo City (Abandoned)
  • Colington
  • East Lake
  • Little Kinnekeet
  • Martins Point
  • Sanderling
  • Scarborotown
  • Stumpy Point


Ghost Towns[]

  • Burptoe Village (Est: 1892)(Abandoned: 1950) Highest population: 616 (1942)
  • Port Frenz (Est: 1862 as Fort Frent)(Abandoned: 1932) Highest population: 602 (1924)(Named as Fort Frent till 1865)

Politics[]

Dare County is presently a Republican county, having voted Republican since the 1980 election, though the Republican margins of victory are significantly smaller than most Southern largely-white counties. No Democratic presidential nominee has carried Dare County since Jimmy Carter did so in 1976. Before the 1950s, it was mostly a typical “Solid South” Democratic county, that did not vote Republican between 1900 and 1952, albeit by significantly smaller margins than much of the rest of the Solid South.

United States presidential election results for Dare County, North Carolina[18]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 13,938 57.52% 9,936 41.00% 358 1.48%
2016 11,460 58.44% 7,222 36.83% 927 4.73%
2012 10,248 57.02% 7,393 41.13% 333 1.85%
2008 9,745 53.99% 8,074 44.74% 229 1.27%
2004 9,345 60.10% 6,136 39.46% 67 0.43%
2000 7,301 56.15% 5,589 42.99% 112 0.86%
1996 4,977 46.00% 4,522 41.79% 1,321 12.21%
1992 4,357 40.73% 3,925 36.70% 2,414 22.57%
1988 5,234 64.85% 2,806 34.77% 31 0.38%
1984 4,738 71.83% 1,839 27.88% 19 0.29%
1980 2,794 49.76% 2,497 44.47% 324 5.77%
1976 1,680 43.18% 2,191 56.31% 20 0.51%
1972 1,986 75.20% 634 24.01% 21 0.80%
1968 1,035 40.13% 700 27.14% 844 32.73%
1964 867 37.00% 1,476 63.00% 0 0.00%
1960 1,058 45.90% 1,247 54.10% 0 0.00%
1956 1,028 55.06% 839 44.94% 0 0.00%
1952 767 44.44% 959 55.56% 0 0.00%
1948 373 30.72% 802 66.06% 39 3.21%
1944 259 21.14% 966 78.86% 0 0.00%
1940 315 20.60% 1,214 79.40% 0 0.00%
1936 542 28.07% 1,389 71.93% 0 0.00%
1932 497 28.50% 1,241 71.16% 6 0.34%
1928 814 47.97% 883 52.03% 0 0.00%
1924 629 43.17% 826 56.69% 2 0.14%
1920 632 43.38% 825 56.62% 0 0.00%
1916 363 43.58% 470 56.42% 0 0.00%
1912 238 33.29% 397 55.52% 80 11.19%
1908 370 47.07% 416 52.93% 0 0.00%
1904 350 45.75% 415 54.25% 0 0.00%
1900 331 45.03% 404 54.97% 0 0.00%
1896 471 53.58% 408 46.42% 0 0.00%
1892 356 51.52% 335 48.48% 0 0.00%
1888 337 51.22% 321 48.78% 0 0.00%
1884 291 53.30% 255 46.70% 0 0.00%
1880 274 48.75% 288 51.25% 0 0.00%



Law and government[]

Dare County is governed by the Dare County Board of Commissioners. Dare County is a part of the Albemarle Commission regional council of governments.

Lighthouses[]

Dare County is home to two popular lighthouses: The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and the Bodie Island Lighthouse. There is also a beacon atop the Wright Brothers Memorial. A third lighthouse was built by the Town of Manteo and dedicated on September 25, 2004. The Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse is an exterior recreation of the 1877 screwpile lighthouse of the same name and is located on the Manteo waterfront. It serves as exhibit space for the N.C. Maritime Museum on Roanoke Island.[19]

Education[]

Public education is run by Dare County Schools. There are three public high schools/secondary schools with high school components:

  • Cape Hatteras Secondary School
  • First Flight High School
  • Manteo High School

College of The Albemarle is the local community college, with a Dare campus in Manteo.[20]

Dare County Library has branches in Manteo, Kill Devil Hills, and Hatteras.[21]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Dare County, North Carolina" (in en). https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/darecountynorthcarolina/PST045221. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ "About Dare County". Dare County. http://www.darenc.com/general/mainabout.asp. 
  4. ^ "Dare County | NCpedia". https://www.ncpedia.org/geography/dare. 
  5. ^ "Tourists flock to Outer Banks in record numbers" (in en). https://www.pilotonline.com/news/article_8168ed68-e37f-5449-b4fe-6a80d12f7014.html. 
  6. ^ Degregory, Lane (1994-10-02). "Buffalo City". The Virginian-Pilot. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1994/vp941002/09300159.htm. 
  7. ^ a b "North Carolina Land Area County Rank". http://www.usa.com/rank/north-carolina-state--land-area--county-rank.htm. 
  8. ^ "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. 
  9. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Dare County, North Carolina.". www.census.gov.. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/darecountynorthcarolina/PST045221. 
  10. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  11. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  12. ^ 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. 
  13. ^ "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. 
  14. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37/37055.html. 
  15. ^ "Explore Census Data". https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US37055&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2. 
  16. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov. 
  17. ^ Bureau, U.S. Census. "American FactFinder - Results" (in en). https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US37055. 
  18. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 
  19. ^ "Wright Brothers Monument (U.S. National Park Service)" (in en). https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/wright-brothers-monument.htm. 
  20. ^ "Home". College of The Albemarle. https://www.albemarle.edu. Retrieved 2021-04-12. "COA – Dare 132 Russell Twiford Rd Manteo, NC 27954" 
  21. ^ "Home". Dare County Library. https://www.darenc.com/departments/libraries. Retrieved 2021-04-13. 

This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Dare 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.
Advertisement