Hertford County, North Carolina

Hertford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,552. It is classified within the region known in the 21st century as the Inner Banks.

History

Hertford County is home of the Meherrin Indian Tribe, descendants of indigenous people who had inhabited the region for many centuries. After decades of encroachment by English colonists, the Tribe moved south from Virginia, where they settled in 1706 on a reservation abandoned by the Chowanoke. This six-square-mile reservation was at Parker's Ferry near the mouth of the Meherrin River. It was confirmed by a treaty of 1726. However, they were not able to keep the reservation lands.

European explorers and surveyors visited the land in the late 1500s and 1600s. The first land grant to a European settler dates to 1703. Early settlers were of English, Scottish, Scotch-Irish, Irish, and French descent. They introduced a plantation system of agriculture. Representative Benjamin Wynns introduced another bill in 1759 following the presentation of a second petition and it was passed and ratified as law on December 19, 1759, In 1764, the border between Hertford and Northampton was slightly altered.

Hertford's economy prospered in the Antebellum period, underpinned by slavery-supported agriculture and the use of the Meherrin and Chowan rivers as trade routes to southern Virginia. Murfreesboro developed with the construction of several large homes funded by the prosperity. The Chowan Baptist Female Institute was also created in the county in 1841. The 1860 U.S. census recorded the county's population at 9,504 people, of whom 47 percent were enslaved and about 12 percent were free people of color.

thumb|left|Ruins of Winton c. 1863

During the American Civil War, North Carolina seceded from the United States and joined the Confederate States of America. exposing territory along the Chowan River vulnerable to further penetration. Federal gunboats were subsequently dispatched up the river to destroy rail bridges north of Winton but were repulsed in an ambush by Confederate artillery. The following day federal troops landed at Winton and set most of its buildings ablaze, The local lumber and fishing industries grew in importance in the latter portion of the 19th century. In 1877, a small portion of Bertie was annexed to Hertford. The railroad fueled growth in Ahoskie, drawing industry and leading it to surpass Winton as the county's most economically significant town.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.01%) is water.

State and local protected area

Chowan Swamp Game Land (part)

Major water bodies

Ahoskie River
Cutawhiskie Creek
Chowan River
Indian Creek
Meherrin River
Panther Creek
Potecasi Creek
Tukey Creek
Wiccacon River

Adjacent counties

Southampton County, Virginia – north
Gates County – east
Chowan County – southeast
Bertie County – south
Northampton County – west

Major highways

Major infrastructure

Parker's Ferry, river ferry across the Meherrin River

Demographics

thumb|2020 population density of Hertford County NC by census block

2020 census

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Hertford County, North Carolina – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 1980

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|10,248

|9,172

|8,374

|8,479

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6,721

|43.85%

|40.72%

|37.05%

|34.37%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |31.19%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|12,646

|12,952

|13,375

|14,845

|style='background: #ffffe6; |12,215

|54.12%

|57.51%

|59.18%

|60.18%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |56.68%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|148

|219

|264

|271

|style='background: #ffffe6; |188

|0.63%

|0.97%

|1.17%

|1.10%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.87%

|Asian alone (NH)

|35

|94

|69

|127

|style='background: #ffffe6; |113

|0.15%

|0.42%

|0.31%

|0.51%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.52%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3

|0.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.01%

|Other race alone (NH)

|54

|19

|46

|style='background: #ffffe6; |99

|0.23%

|0.02%

|0.08%

|0.19%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.46%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|145

|256

|style='background: #ffffe6; |634

|0.64%

|1.04%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.94%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|237

|81

|354

|644

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,579

|1.01%

|0.36%

|1.57%

|2.61%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |7.33%

|Total

|23,368

|22,523

|22,601

|24,669

|style='background: #ffffe6; |21,552

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

As of the 2020 census, there were 21,552 people, 8,351 households, and 5,419 families living in the county. The median age was 43.1 years, with 18.2% of residents under the age of 18 and 21.3% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 96.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.8 males.

22.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 77.4% lived in rural areas.

There were 8,351 households in the county, of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.3% were married-couple households, 19.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 39.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. there were 24,669 people, 8,953 households, and 6,240 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 9,724 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 60.5% Black or African American, 35.6% White, 1.1% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. 1.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,953 households, out of which 30.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.80% were married couples living together, 19.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.30% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.30% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 85.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,422, and the median income for a family was $32,002. Males had a median income of $26,730 versus $20,144 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,641. About 15.90% of families and 18.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.30% of those under age 18 and 21.00% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Hertford County is a member of the Mid-East Commission regional council of governments.

As of October 2022, 66 percent of registered voters in Hertford County are Democrats—the highest Democratic registration rate statewide—while Republicans have their lowest county registration rate.

Rivers Correctional Institution, a private prison operated by the GEO Group which operates under contract from the Federal Bureau of Prisons and houses many felons who committed crimes in Washington, DC, is from Winton.

Economy

Hertford County benefits from a larger industrial presence than some of its neighboring counties. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction rated the county school system as "low-performing" for the 2021–2022 school year.

Media

Hertford County is served by the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald newspaper. There are five radio stations in Hertford County: WDLZ FM 98.3, an Adult Contemporary radio station and WWDR AM 1080, an Adult Urban Contemporary radio station, are located in Murfreesboro. WQDK FM 99.3, a Country Music radio station and WRCS AM 970, an Urban Gospel radio station, are located in Ahoskie. WBKU FM 91.7, a non-commercial, Contemporary Christian Music radio station which also broadcasts programming from the American Family Radio network, is located in Ahoskie.

Communities

thumb|300px|Map of Hertford County with municipal and township labels

Towns

Ahoskie (largest community)
Como
Harrellsville
Murfreesboro
Winton (county seat)

Village

Cofield

Unincorporated communities

Menola
Millennium

Townships

Ahoskie
Harrellsville
Maneys Neck
Murfreesboro
St. John's
Winton