Pitt County is a county located in the

inner banks The Inner Banks is a neologism made up by developers and tourism promoters to describe the inland coastal region of eastern North Carolina. Without historical precedent, the term "Inner Banks" is an early 21st-century construct that is part of a ...

(northeastern part) of the U.S. state of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 170,243, making it the fourteenth-most 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 ...

is Greenville. Pitt County comprises the Greenville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. As one of the fastest-growing centers in the state, the county has seen a population boom since 1990.

History

The county was formed in 1760 from Beaufort County, though the legislative act that created it did not become effective until January 1, 1761. It was named for

William Pitt the Elder William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, (15 November 170811 May 1778) was a British statesman of the Whig group who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768. Historians call him Chatham or William Pitt the Elder to distinguish ...

, who was then

Secretary of State for the Southern Department The Secretary of State for the Southern Department was a position in the cabinet of the government of the Kingdom of Great Britain up to 1782, when the Southern Department became the Home Office. History Before 1782, the responsibilities of ...

and

Leader of the House of Commons The leader of the House of Commons is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom whose main role is organising government business in the House of Commons. The leader is generally a member or attendee of the cabinet of t ...

. William Pitt was an English statesman and orator, born in London, England. He studied at Oxford University and in 1731 joined the army. Pitt led the young "Patriot" Whigs and in 1756 became secretary of state, where he was a pro-freedom speaker in British Colonial government. He served as

Prime Minister of Great Britain The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...

in 1766–68.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the total area of Pitt County is , of which (0.4%) is water.

State and local protected areas

* North Carolina Museum of Natural Science Contentnea Creek * North Carolina Museum of Natural Science Greenvillle

Major water bodies

Contentnea Creek Contentnea Creek is a major tributary of the Neuse River in North Carolina, USA. It is part of the Neuse River Basin, and flows for 91 miles between the Buckhorn Reservoir (confluence of Moccasin and Turkey Creeks), where it begins, and Grifton ...

* Creeping Swamp * Fork Creek * Middle River *

Neuse River The Neuse River ( , Tuscarora: Neyuherú·kęʔkì·nęʔ) is a river rising in the Piedmont of North Carolina and emptying into Pamlico Sound below New Bern. Its total length is approximately , making it the longest river entirely contained in ...

* Swift Creek *

Tar River The Tar River is a river that is approximately long, in northeast North Carolina flowing generally southeast to an estuary of Pamlico Sound. The Tar River becomes the tidal Pamlico River once it underpasses the U.S. Highway 17 Bridge in Wash ...

* Tranters Creek

Adjacent counties

* Martin County – northeast * Beaufort County – east * Craven County – south-southeast *

Lenoir County Lenoir County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 55,122. Its county seat is Kinston, located on the Neuse River, across which the county has its territory. Lenoir County comprises t ...

– south-southwest * Greene County – southwest * Wilson County – west * Edgecombe County – northwest

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Major infrastructure

G.K. Butterfield Transportation Center The G.K. Butterfield Transportation Center is a bus station located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named after U.S. Representative George Kenneth Butterfield Jr., it serves as a bus terminus for the Greenville Area Transit (GREAT) ...

* Pitt-Greenville Airport

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 off ...

, there were 170,243 people, 70,926 households, and 41,427 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 133,798 people, 52,539 households, and 32,258 families residing in the county. The population density was 205 people per square mile (79/km²). There were 58,408 housing units at an average density of 90 per square mile (35/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 62.08%

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 ...

, 33.65%

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 ha ...

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 ...

, 0.27% Native American, 1.08% 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 ...

, 1.80% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. 3.15% 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 for ...

or Latino of any race. There were 52,539 households, out of which 29.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.40% were married couples living together, 14.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.60% were non-families. 28.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.02. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.60% under the age of 18, 17.50% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 19.40% from 45 to 64, and 9.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 90.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,868, and the median income for a family was $43,971. Males had a median income of $31,962 versus $25,290 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,243. About 13.50% of families and 20.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.60% of those under age 18 and 20.20% of those age 65 or over. As of the census of 2010, there were 168,148 people residing in Pitt County, a 25.7% increase since 2000. Females made up 52.8% of the population. Caucasians make up 58.9% of the population, followed by African-Americans at 34.1%, Asian persons at 1.6%, American Indian or Alaskan at 0.3%, Hispanic at 5.5%, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander at 0.1%. From the period of 2005 to 2009, the number of foreign-born people living in the county was at 4%. The high school graduation rate in the county among citizens over the age of twenty-five from 2005 to 2009 was steady at 85%, while the percentage of those aged twenty-five and up with a bachelor's degree in the county was only 28.7% in the county during the same period of time. In 2009, the median household income in Pitt County was $36,339, over $7,000 less than the North Carolina number and about 25.5% of Pitt County residents were at or below the poverty level. The per capita money income, in terms of 2009 dollars, in the past twelve months from 2005 to 2009 in Pitt County was $21,622, about $3,000 less than the North Carolina average.

Government and politics

In the early twentieth century Pitt was a typical Democratic "

Solid South The Solid South or Southern bloc was the electoral voting bloc of the states of the Southern United States for issues that were regarded as particularly important to the interests of Democrats in those states. The Southern bloc existed especial ...

" county, where there were large numbers of disenfranchised blacks and the small white electorate voted overwhelming majorities for the Democratic Party. Pitt voted for the Democratic Party in every election from at least 1876 until American Independent candidate George Wallace gained a plurality in 1968. Apart from

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

's overwhelming victory over

George McGovern George Stanley McGovern (July 19, 1922 – October 21, 2012) was an American historian and South Dakota politician who was a U.S. representative and three-term U.S. senator, and the Democratic Party presidential nominee in the 1972 pr ...

in 1972, Pitt has since been a closely contested swing county, with no major party candidate post-McGovern falling under forty percent. After 1976, when Jimmy Carter carried it, and aside from a victory in 1992 by Bill Clinton, Pitt County tended to vote for Republicans until 2008. Since 2008 it has voted for the Democratic Party. Pitt County is a member of the Mid-East Commission regional council of governments. Pitt County is represented by

Donald G. Davis Donald Gene Davis (born August 29, 1971) is an American politician serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for North Carolina's 1st congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party (United ...

in the 5th District in the North Carolina State Senate. as well as

Kandie Smith Kandie Diane Smith (born October 20, 1969) is a Democratic member of the North Carolina House of Representatives. Smith has represented the 8th district (including constituents in Pitt County) since 2019. She was previously the interim mayor o ...

in the 8th district and

Brian Farkas Brian Austin Farkas (born August 14, 1987) is an American politician and State Representative who served the District 9 in the North Carolina House of Representatives. Early life and education Farkas was raised in Pitt County, and attended J. ...

in the 9th District in the North Carolina State House of Representatives.

Education

Private

Private schools in Pitt County include: * Brookhaven SDA School * Calvary Christian Academy * Children's Montessori School * Christ Covenant School * Community Christian Academy * Faith Christian Academy * Greenville Christian Academy * Greenville Montessori School * John Paul II Catholic HS * The Oakwood School * Roseleaf Academy * Saint Peter Catholic School * Trinity Christian School

Public

Public schools in Pitt County are managed by

Pitt County Schools Pitt County Schools is a school system located in Pitt County, North Carolina. The central office is located in Greenville. It operates one pre-kindergarten school, 16 elementary schools, six K–8, seven middle schools and six high school ...

Elementary schools

* Ayden Elementary School * Belvoir Elementary School * Creekside Elementary School * Eastern Elementary School * Elmhurst Elementary School * Falkland Elementary School * H. B. Sugg School (K–2) * Lake Forest Elementary School * Northwest Elementary School * Ridgewood Elementary School * Sam D. Bundy School (3–5) * South Greenville Elementary School * W. H. Robinson Elementary School *

Wahl-Coates Elementary School Wahl-Coates Elementary School is an elementary school located in Greenville, North Carolina. It is one of 16 elementary schools located within Pitt County, North Carolina, Pitt County. It is in a unique partnership with Pitt County Schools (PCS) a ...

* Wintergreen Intermediate School (3–5) * Wintergreen Primary School (K–2)

K–8 schools

* Bethel School * Chicod School * G. R. Whitfield School * Grifton School * Pactolus School * Stokes School

Middle schools

* A. G. Cox Middle School * Ayden Middle School * C. M. Eppes Middle School * E. B. Aycock Middle School * Farmville Middle School * Hope Middle School * Wellcome Middle School

High schools

* Ayden-Grifton High School *

D. H. Conley High School D.H. Conley High School is a high school in Greenville, North Carolina. It was founded in 1970 and named for Donald Hayes Conley, an educational leader and former superintendent of Pitt County Schools. Athletics D.H. Conley currently compete ...

* Farmville Central High School *

J. H. Rose High School Junius H. Rose High School (known colloquially as J.H. Rose, Rose High or simply Rose) is a public high school in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Pitt County Schools district. History J.H. Rose High School was e ...

* North Pitt High School * South Central High School

Alternative schools

* Pitt County Schools Early College High School

Post-secondary schools

East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university, public research university in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina. Founded on March 8, 1907, as a Normal school, teacher training school, East ...

Pitt Community College Pitt Community College (PCC) is a public community college in Winterville, North Carolina in Pitt County. The college is part of the North Carolina Community College System. It has an enrollment of over 9,000 undergraduate students with a total ...

* Miller-Motte Technical College

Communities

Cities

* Greenville (county seat and largest city)

Towns

* Ayden *

Bethel Bethel ( he, בֵּית אֵל, translit=Bēṯ 'Ēl, "House of El" or "House of God",Bleeker and Widegren, 1988, p. 257. also transliterated ''Beth El'', ''Beth-El'', ''Beit El''; el, Βαιθήλ; la, Bethel) was an ancient Israelite sanc ...

* Falkland *

Farmville ''FarmVille'' is a series of agriculture-simulation social network game developed and published by Zynga in 2009. It is similar to '' Happy Farm'' and ''Farm Town''. Its gameplay involves various aspects of farmland management, such as plowi ...

Fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were ori ...

* Grifton * Grimesland * Simpson * Winterville

Census-designated places

* Bell Arthur * Belvoir * Stokes

Unincorporated communities

* Bell's Fork * Black Jack * Chicod *

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...

* Pactolus

Townships

* Arthur * Ayden * Belvoir * Bethel * Black Jack * Carolina (Stokes) * Chicod * Falkland * Farmville * Fountain * Greenville * Grifton * Grimesland * Pactolus * Simpson * Swift Creek * Winterville

References

External links

*
Pitt County Development Commission Website
*
NCGenWeb Pitt County
– free genealogy resources for the county {{authority control Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area 1760 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1760