Northampton County is a county located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 17,471. 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 ...

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

. Northampton County is part of the Roanoke Rapids, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Rocky Mount- Wilson-Roanoke Rapids, NC

Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...

History

The county was formed in 1741 from Bertie County. It was named for

James Compton, 5th Earl of Northampton James Compton, 5th Earl of Northampton (2 May 1687 – 3 October 1754), known as Lord Compton from 1687 to 1727, was a British peer and politician. Northampton was the eldest son of George Compton, 4th Earl of Northampton, and his wife Jane (né ...

. In 1759 parts of Northampton County, Bertie County, and Chowan County were combined to form Hertford County. In 1959, the county went to the U.S. Supreme Court to defend the use of a literacy test as a requirement to vote. In '' Lassiter v. Northampton County Board of Elections'', the court held that, provided the tests were applied equally to all races and were not "merely a device to make racial discrimination easy," they were allowable. Congress subsequently prohibited use of such tests under the National Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.5%) is water.

State and local protected areas

* Lake Gaston Public Recreation Area (part) * Roanoke Rapids Lake Day Use Area (part) * Tillery Game Land (part)

Major water bodies

* Bull Neck Swamp * Corduroy Swamp * Doolittle Millpond * Gumberry Swamp *

Lake Gaston Lake Gaston is a hydroelectric reservoir in the eastern United States. Part of the lake is in the North Carolina counties of Halifax, Northampton, and Warren. The part extending into Virginia lies in Brunswick and Mecklenburg counties. Lake Ga ...

Meherrin River The Meherrin River is a long 6th order tributary to the Chowan River that joins in Hertford County, North Carolina. A twenty-foot-high dam on the river creates a reservoir in Emporia. For most of its length, the Meherrin is not large enough f ...

* Occoneechee Creek * Paddys Delight Creek * Potecasi Creek * Ramsey Creek * Roanoke Rapids Lake *

Roanoke River The Roanoke River ( ) runs long through southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the Ap ...

* Taylors Millpond * Urahaw Swamp

Adjacent counties

Greensville County, Virginia Greensville County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,391. Its county seat is Emporia. History Greensville County was established in 1781 from Brunswick County. The county is p ...

- north *

Southampton County, Virginia Southampton County is a county located on the southern border of the Commonwealth of Virginia. North Carolina is to the south. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,996. Its county seat is Courtland. History In the early 17th century ...

- northeast * Hertford County - east * Bertie County - southeast * Halifax County - southwest *

Warren County Warren County is the name of fourteen counties in the USA. Some are named after General Joseph Warren, who was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War: * Warren County, Georgia * Warren County, Illinois * Warren County ...

- northwest * Brunswick County, Virginia - north-northwest

Major highways

* * * * * * * (Bypass of Garysburg) * * * * *

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 17,471 people, 8,547 households, and 5,610 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...

, there were 22,099 people living in the county; 58.4% were Black or African American, 39.2%

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 ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.8% of some other race and 1.0% of two or more races. 1.4% were

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, for example, by the United States ...

(of any race).

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 22,086 people, 8,691 households, and 5,953 families living 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 41 people per square mile (16/km²). There were 10,455 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 59.43%

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 ...

, 39.09%

, 0.32% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.05%

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 ...

, 0.39% 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 0.63% from two or more races. 0.73% 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 8,691 households, out of which 27.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.50% were married couples living together, 18.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.50% were non-families. 28.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.99. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.30% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 17.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $26,652, and the median income for a family was $34,648. Males had a median income of $27,970 versus $21,183 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 $15,413. About 17.00% of families and 21.30% 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 29.80% of those under age 18 and 21.50% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Northampton County is a member of the regional Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments. Northampton is a traditionally Democratic county, being one of only two counties in the state won by George McGovern during his 1972 landslide loss. Apart from several contiguous counties in South Texas; Northampton County is the only county in the United States to vote Democratic in every presidential election over the past century; the last Democratic candidate to lose the county was William Jennings Bryan in 1896. Apart from Hubert Humphrey and McGovern who received no more than 51 percent, every Democratic nominee in the past century has received at least 60 percent of the county's vote. Northampton County is part of North Carolina's 1st congressional district, which has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of D+3 and has been represented by a Democratic Congressman since 1899. It is currently represented by Donald G. Davis. In the North Carolina House of Representatives, Northampton County lies within the 27th District, which also covers Halifax County and is represented by Democrat Michael H. Wray. In the North Carolina Senate, Northampton County lies within the 3rd Senate district, represented by Democrat Erica Smith-Ingram.

Education

The

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' i ...

rated the county school system as "low-performing" for the 2021–2022 school year.

Communities

Towns

* Conway * Garysburg * Gaston (largest town) *

(county seat) * Lasker * Rich Square * Seaboard *

Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...

Woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (se ...

Unincorporated communities

* Margarettsville *

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

* Pleasant Hill * Turners Crossroads

Townships

* Gaston * Jackson * Kirby * Occoneechee * Pleasant Hill * Rich Square * Roanoke * Seaboard * Wiccanee

Notes

South Texas counties voting Democrat at every election since before World War I comprise (going clockwise from the north)

Webb Webb most often refers to James Webb Space Telescope which is named after James E. Webb, second Administrator of NASA. It may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Webb Glacier (South Georgia) * Webb Glacier (Victoria Land) * Webb Névé, Victor ...

, Duval, Jim Hogg,

Brooks Brooks may refer to: Places ;Antarctica *Cape Brooks ;Canada *Brooks, Alberta ;United States * Brooks, Alabama * Brooks, Arkansas *Brooks, California *Brooks, Georgia * Brooks, Iowa * Brooks, Kentucky * Brooks, Maine * Brooks Township, Michigan ...

and Starr Counties

References

External links

Official Northampton County Chamber of Commerce

Northampton County government official website

Official Northampton County Health Department

Northampton County Public Schools official website

NCGenWeb Northampton County
- free genealogy resources for the county {{Coord, 36.42, -77.40, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NC_source:UScensus1990 Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina micropolitan area 1741 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1741 Black Belt (U.S. region) Majority-minority counties in North Carolina

History

Geography

State and local protected areas

Major water bodies

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

2000 census

Government and politics

Education

Communities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Townships

See also

Notes

References

External links