Tyrrell County, North Carolina

Infobox U.S. County
county = Tyrrell County
state = North Carolina


map size = 250
founded = 1729
seat = Columbia| area_water_sq_mi =210
area percentage = 35.05%
census yr = 2000
pop = 4149
density_km2 =4
|

Tyrrell County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population is 4,149, making it the least populous county in the stateGR|2 [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US37&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-PH1&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-redoLog=false&-format=ST-2&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1_ST2] . Its county seat is ColumbiaGR|6.

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 was left 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.

Law and government

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

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 600 square miles (1,555 km²), of which, 390 square miles (1,010 km²) of it is land and 210 square miles (545 km²) of it (35.05%) is water.

Townships

The county is divided into five townships: Alligator, Columbia, Gum Neck, Scuppernong, and South Fork - which are all part of the IBX - Inner Banks.

Adjacent counties

*Washington County, North Carolina - west
*Dare County, North Carolina - east
*Hyde County, North Carolina - south

Demographics

Tyrrell County was as of 2000 the least populous county in North Carolina.

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 4,149 people, 1,537 households, and 1,055 families residing in the county. 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 out 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.

Due to Columbia's proximity to the Outer Banks, land and property value have increased dramatically since 2000 and with that the local demographics have also changed.fact|date=December 2007

Tyrrell County for Visitors

The Tyrrell County Chamber of Commerce [http://www.visittyrrellcounty.com/] is located in the town of Columbia.

Economic Development

Tyrrell County due its close proximity to the Outer Banks has been designated [http://www.newsobserver.com/1233/] as part of the IBX -Inner Banks

NCSU Tyrrell County Center gives the county's residents easy access to the resources and expertise of NC State University and NC A&T State University. [http://tyrrell.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=home]

Cities and towns

*Columbia
*Jerry
*Pleasant View

References