Pamlico County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,276. Pamlico County is part of the New Bern, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The area eventually comprising Pamlico County was first settled by European colonists in the early 1700s. As its swampy land proved hostile to agriculture, population in the land grew slowly and early residents relied heavily on the naval stores trade. The first communities coalesced in the early 1800s. Portions of Beaufort County were annexed by Pamlico in 1874, 1875, and 1891, while a portion of Craven was annexed in 1875. The county court met in rented facilities in Bayboro until the county's first purpose built courthouse was constructed in 1893. The present courthouse was built by the Works Progress Administration in 1939. The unincorporated community of Olympia is in the western portion of the county.

Geography

thumb|A section of the [[Intracoastal Waterway in Pamlico County crossed by the Hobucken Bridge.]]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (40.08%) is water. Pamlico County is the only County in North Carolina to not have any U.S highways or Interstates that pass through it.

State and local protected areas

  • Goose Creek Game Land (part)
  • Neuse River Game Land (part)

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| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<br />1790–1960 1900–1990<br />1990–2000 2010 2020

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Census reports show a marked drop of nearly 10 percent in county population from 1910 to 1920, the period of the Great Migration of African Americans from rural areas of the South to northern and midwestern industrial cities offering more economic and social opportunities. Workers were recruited by northern industries, including the Pennsylvania Railroad, which was rapidly expanding at the time.

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

Racial and ethnic composition

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

|+Pamlico County, North Carolina – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>

!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>

!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)

|7,074

|8,317

|9,384

|9,828

|style='background: #ffffe6; |9,104

|68.03%

|73.14%

|72.55%

|74.77%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |74.16%

|-

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|3,215

|2,940

|3,167

|2,618

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,055

|30.92%

|25.85%

|24.49%

|19.92%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |16.74%

|-

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|35

|33

|66

|72

|style='background: #ffffe6; |58

|0.34%

|0.29%

|0.51%

|0.55%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.47%

|-

|Asian alone (NH)

|10

|20

|49

|48

|style='background: #ffffe6; |50

|0.10%

|0.18%

|0.38%

|0.37%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.41%

|-

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|x

|x

|2

|10

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5

|x

|x

|0.02%

|0.08%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.04%

|-

|Other race alone (NH)

|10

|1

|9

|6

|style='background: #ffffe6; |51

|0.10%

|0.01%

|0.07%

|0.05%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.42%

|-

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|x

|x

|86

|150

|style='background: #ffffe6; |457

|x

|x

|0.66%

|1.14%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.72%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|54

|61

|171

|412

|style='background: #ffffe6; |496

|0.52%

|0.54%

|1.32%

|3.13%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.04%

|-

|Total

|10,398

|11,372

|12,934

|13,144

|style='background: #ffffe6; |12,276

|100.00%

|100.00%

|100.00%

|100.00%

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

|}

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 12,276 people, 5,193 households, and 3,589 families residing in the county.

Less than 0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 7,118 housing units, of which 27.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 80.5% were owner-occupied and 19.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.6%.

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Communities

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

Towns

  • Alliance
  • Arapahoe
  • Bayboro (county seat and largest community)
  • Grantsboro
  • Mesic
  • Minnesott Beach
  • Oriental
  • Stonewall
  • Vandemere

Census-designated place

  • Hobucken

Unincorporated communities

  • Florence
  • Janerio
  • Lowland
  • Maribel
  • Merritt
  • Olympia
  • Reelsboro
  • Whortonsville

Townships

By the requirements of the North Carolina Constitution of 1868, the county was divided into 5 townships, which are only numbered:

  • Township 1
  • Township 2
  • Township 3
  • Township 4
  • Township 5

Notable people

  • David B. Mintz, Methodist circuit rider minister for Pamlico in 1804

See also

  • List of counties in North Carolina
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Pamlico County, North Carolina

References

Works cited

  • Pamlico County Chamber of Commerce
  • NCGenWeb Pamlico County, genealogy resources for the county
  • The County Compass, weekly newspaper serving Pamlico County
  • The Pamlico News, weekly newspaper serving Pamlico County