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Tyrrell County, North Carolina
Tyrrell County Historic Courthouse
The Tyrrell County Courthouse in Columbia
Flag of Tyrrell County, North Carolina
Flag
Seal of Tyrrell County, North Carolina
Seal
Logo of Tyrrell County, North Carolina
Logo
Motto: "Nature's buffer zone, sprawled between the urban mainland and the popular stretch of North Carolina's Outer Banks."
Map of North Carolina highlighting Tyrrell County
Location in the state of North Carolina
Map of the U.S
North Carolina's location in the U.S.
Founded 1729
Named for Sir John Tyrrell[1]
Seat Columbia
Largest town Columbia
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

594 sq mi (1,538 km²)
389 sq mi (1,008 km²)
205 sq mi (531 km²), 35
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

3,245
8.4/sq mi (3/km²)
Congressional district 1st
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website tyrrellcounty.org/index.php/en/

Tyrrell County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 3,245,[2] making it the least populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Columbia.[3] The county was created in 1729 as Tyrrell Precinct and gained county status in 1739.[4] Tyrrell 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.

History[]

The county was formed in 1729 as Tyrrell Precinct of Albemarle County, from parts of Bertie Precinct, Chowan Precinct, Currituck Precinct, and Pasquotank Precinct. It was named for Sir John Tyrrell, one of the Lords Proprietors of Carolina.

With the abolition of Albemarle County in 1739, all of its constituent precincts became counties. In 1774, the western part of Tyrrell County was combined with part of Halifax County to form Martin County. In 1799, the western third of what remained of Tyrrell County became Washington County. In 1870, the half of Tyrrell County east of the Alligator River was combined with parts of Currituck County and Hyde County to form Dare County.

Geography[]

Script error: No such module "Mapframe". According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 594 square miles (1,540 km2), of which 389 square miles (1,010 km2) is land and 205 square miles (530 km2) (35%) is water.[5]

National protected area[]

  • Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (part)

State and local protected areas[]

  • Alligator River Game Land
  • Alligator River Area Outstanding Resource Water (part)
  • Buckridge Coastal Reserve Dedicated Nature Preserve
  • Emily and Richardson Preyer Buckridge Coastal Reserve
  • Emily and Richardson Preyer Buckridge Reserve (part)
  • New Lake Game Land (part)
  • Palmetto-Peartree Preserve
  • Pettigrew State Park (part)

Major water bodies[]

  • Albemarle Sound
  • Alligator River
  • Intracoastal Waterway
  • Lake Phelps
  • Scuppernong River
  • The Frying Pan

Adjacent counties[]

Major highways[]

  • US 64 US 64
  • Business plate
    US 64 US 64 Bus.
  • NC 94 NC 94

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1790 4,826
1800 3,395 −29.7%
1810 3,364 −0.9%
1820 4,319 28.4%
1830 4,732 9.6%
1840 4,657 −1.6%
1850 5,133 10.2%
1860 4,944 −3.7%
1870 4,173 −15.6%
1880 4,545 8.9%
1890 4,225 −7.0%
1900 4,980 17.9%
1910 5,219 4.8%
1920 4,849 −7.1%
1930 5,164 6.5%
1940 5,556 7.6%
1950 5,048 −9.1%
1960 4,520 −10.5%
1970 3,806 −15.8%
1980 3,975 4.4%
1990 3,856 −3.0%
2000 4,149 7.6%
2010 4,407 6.2%
Est. 2021 3,254 [6] −21.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2020[11]

2020 census[]

Tyrrell County racial composition[12]
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 1,879 57.9%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 934 28.78%
Native American 5 0.15%
Asian 43 1.33%
Other/Mixed 112 3.45%
Hispanic or Latino 272 8.38%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,245 people, 1,594 households, and 1,035 families residing in the county.

2000 census[]

As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 4,149 people, 1,537 households, and 1,055 families residing in the county. However, the North Carolina Department of Commerce 2015 County Economic Development Tier Rankings place the current population at 3,653. The population density was 11 people per square mile (4/km2). There were 2,032 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile (2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 56.47% White, 39.43% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 2.05% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.62% of the population.

There were 1,537 households, of which 28.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.40% were married couples living together, 16.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.30% were non-families. 28.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.70% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 30.30% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 114.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,684, and the median income for a family was $32,468. Males had a median income of $26,227 versus $18,403 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,326. About 19.10% of families and 23.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.50% of those under age 18 and 20.80% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics[]

Tyrrell County is a member of the Albemarle Commission regional council of governments.

Tyrrell County is governed by a five-member Board of County Commissioners. The elections for County Commissioners are partisan and at large. In 2013, the County became the last county in North Carolina to adopt the County Manager form of government.

In 2022, Tyrell County is represented by Edward Goodwin Burnham in the 1st district in the North Carolina House of Representatives and Bob Steinburg in the 1st district in the North Carolina State Senate.

Tyrrell County is well known as a "speed trap" to vacationers heading for the Outer Banks. The Tyrrell County Sheriffs Department takes advantage of a bottleneck in U.S. Highway 64 combined with a low imposed speed limit to generate revenue for the county. Numerous law firms in the region and state cater to victims of this predatory behavior.[14]

United States presidential election results for Tyrrell County, North Carolina[15]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 1,044 57.46% 758 41.72% 15 0.83%
2016 975 56.07% 720 41.40% 44 2.53%
2012 930 52.16% 837 46.94% 16 0.90%
2008 960 50.26% 933 48.85% 17 0.89%
2004 855 53.77% 731 45.97% 4 0.25%
2000 706 45.08% 849 54.21% 11 0.70%
1996 488 32.25% 908 60.01% 117 7.73%
1992 553 33.03% 928 55.44% 193 11.53%
1988 637 44.70% 785 55.09% 3 0.21%
1984 774 48.89% 807 50.98% 2 0.13%
1980 466 34.01% 887 64.74% 17 1.24%
1976 403 30.88% 900 68.97% 2 0.15%
1972 676 59.30% 459 40.26% 5 0.44%
1968 291 22.61% 581 45.14% 415 32.25%
1964 374 27.30% 996 72.70% 0 0.00%
1960 349 27.37% 926 72.63% 0 0.00%
1956 420 40.58% 615 59.42% 0 0.00%
1952 385 29.59% 916 70.41% 0 0.00%
1948 336 30.19% 732 65.77% 45 4.04%
1944 281 31.50% 611 68.50% 0 0.00%
1940 415 26.69% 1,140 73.31% 0 0.00%
1936 304 22.47% 1,049 77.53% 0 0.00%
1932 258 22.69% 873 76.78% 6 0.53%
1928 505 51.53% 475 48.47% 0 0.00%
1924 442 40.89% 638 59.02% 1 0.09%
1920 532 42.56% 718 57.44% 0 0.00%
1916 392 48.51% 416 51.49% 0 0.00%
1912 224 35.84% 297 47.52% 104 16.64%
1908 395 55.87% 312 44.13% 0 0.00%
1904 367 51.69% 343 48.31% 0 0.00%
1900 383 45.11% 466 54.89% 0 0.00%
1896 491 54.43% 411 45.57% 0 0.00%
1892 295 37.58% 242 30.83% 248 31.59%
1888 374 44.16% 472 55.73% 1 0.12%
1884 340 40.28% 504 59.72% 0 0.00%
1880 354 45.04% 432 54.96% 0 0.00%



Economy[]

Tyrrell County, due to its proximity to the Outer Banks, has been designated [1] as part of the IBX-Inner Banks.

The North Carolina State University (NCSU) Tyrrell County Extension Center provides the county residents easy access to the resources and expertise of NCSU and NC A&T State University.[2]

The community is serviced by the Inner Banks Hotline, a non-profit women's community shelter.

Communities[]

Map of Tyrrell County North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

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

Town[]

Unincorporated communities[]

  • Fort Landing
  • Frying Pan
  • Jerry
  • Pleasant View
  • Kilkenny

Townships[]

  • Alligator
  • Columbia
  • Gum Neck
  • Scuppernong
  • South Fork

See also[]

  • List of counties in North Carolina
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Tyrrell County, North Carolina
  • Roanoke Colony, infamous first colony in the Americas located in Dare county.

References[]

  1. ^ "Tyrrell County". www.ncpedia.org. https://www.ncpedia.org/geography/tyrrell#:~:text=Tyrrell%20County%20is%20located%20on,Bertie%2C%20Currituck%20and%20Pasquotank%20Counties.. 
  2. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Tyrrell County, North Carolina" (in en). https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/tyrrellcountynorthcarolina. 
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  4. ^ "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. 
  5. ^ "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. 
  6. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Tyrrell County, North Carolina.". www.census.gov.. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/tyrrellcountynorthcarolina. 
  7. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  8. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  9. ^ 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. 
  10. ^ "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. 
  11. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37/37177.html. 
  12. ^ "Explore Census Data". https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US37177&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2. 
  13. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov. 
  14. ^ "City" (in en-US). https://www.speedtrap.org/city/. 
  15. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 

External links[]

Coordinates: 35°52′N 76°10′W / 35.87, -76.17

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