Jones County is a county located in the U.S. state of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,172, making it the fourth-least populous county in North Carolina. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Trenton. Jones County is part of the New Bern, NC

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

History

The county was formed in 1779 from the southwestern part of

Craven County Craven County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 100,720. Its county seat is New Bern. The county was created in 1705 as Archdale Precinct from the now-extinct Bath County. It was rename ...

. It was named for Willie Jones, a planter, slaveholder, Revolutionary leader and president of the North Carolina Committee of Safety during the war. He opposed state ratification of the United States Constitution and refused to vote on it at the

Hillsborough Convention The Hillsborough Convention, was the first of two North Carolina conventions to ratify the United States Constitution. Delegates represented 7 boroughs and 59 counties, including six western counties that became part of Tennessee when it was creat ...

. The rural Low Country county was originally developed for plantations, which were dependent on the labor of enslaved African Americans. The county's has heavily relied on agriculture (mostly

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

) and lumber from its nearby forest. In 2004, the county's population slightly rose above 10,000 in a census estimate but has since decreased to 9,172 in the 2020 Census count.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water.

National protected area

* Catfish Lake South Wilderness (part) *

Croatan National Forest The Croatan National Forest ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

Croatan Game Land (part) * Hofmann Forest (part)

Major water bodies

* Beaverdam Creek (Trent River tributary) * Catfish Lake * Trent River

Adjacent counties

- northeast * Carteret County - southeast *

Onslow County Onslow County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 204,576. Its county seat is Jacksonville. The county was created in 1734 as Onslow Precinct and gained county status in 1739. Onslo ...

- south * Duplin County - west * Lenoir County - northwest

Major highways

* (Concurrency with US 70) * * * * *

Major infrastructure

* Oak Grove OLF, small military base near Pollocksville

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 9,172 people, 4,045 households, and 2,644 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 10,381 people, 4,061 households, and 2,936 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 22 people per square mile (8/km²). There were 4,679 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 60.97%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 35.87%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.36% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 1.70% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.92% from two or more races. 2.72% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race. There were 4,061 households, out of which 31.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.20% were married couples living together, 15.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.99. In the county, the

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

was spread out, with 25.70% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 15.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,882, and the median income for a family was $35,180. Males had a median income of $28,662 versus $19,536 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $15,916. About 14.20% of families and 16.90% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 22.30% of those under age 18 and 16.70% of those age 65 or over.

Law, government and politics

Jones County is a member of the regional Eastern Carolina Council of Governments. The Jones County Government relies entirely upon an all volunteer (non-paid) fire department force segregated by geographic location(s). The Law Enforcement structure consists of one paid Pollocksville Police Chief, one paid Maysville Police Chief, and an elected Sheriff with a small (less than 25 person force) to handle law enforcement, detention, and emergency communications. The county government relies heavily on volunteer deputization. Emergency ambulance services consist of one full-time medical unit dispatched from the town of Trenton and relies heavily on other volunteer EMS personnel geographically scattered around the county to assist with a medical emergency. Additional EMS transportation vehicles are subsidized by EMS services provided by adjacent counties or private enterprises. There is no animal control unit. The County Detention Facility is a 21-bed (3 female) facility located in the basement of the county courthouse and the detention staff double up as the communications/911 emergency communications staff.

Recreation

Jones County lies west of the Atlantic Ocean but the only waterfront areas in the county are along the Trent and White Oak rivers. Part of the Great Dover Swamp also lies within the county lines. Many enjoy boating and fishing activities as well as camping at the 17 Family Campground along Highway 17 north in Maysville. The Croatan National Forest offers hiking trails and wildlife viewing and the wide open spaces of fields and forests are a haven for outdoor enthusiasts.

Communities

Towns

* Maysville (largest town, Split between Jones and Onslow) * Pollocksville * Trenton (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

* Comfort * Oak Grove

Townships

The county is divided into seven

townships A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

, which are both numbered and named: * 1 (White Oak) * 2 (Pollocksville) * 3 (Trenton) * 4 (Cypress Creek) * 5 (Tuckahoe) * 6 (Chinquapin) * 7 (Beaver Creek)

References

External links

Jones County government official website

NCGenWeb Jones County
- free genealogy resources for the county {{authority control New Bern micropolitan area 1779 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1779