Craven County is 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 So ...
. As of the
2020 census, the population was 100,720. 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
New Bern
New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and t ...
.
The county was created in 1705 as Archdale Precinct from the now-extinct
Bath County. It was renamed Craven Precinct in 1712 and gained county status in 1739. It is named for
William, Earl of Craven, who lived from 1606 to 1697. Craven County is part of the
New Bern, NC, Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
On August 4, 1661,
George Durant
George Durant (October 1, 1632 – February 6, 1692) was an Lawyer, attorney, Attorney General and Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Speaker of the House of Burgesses in the Province of Carolina. He is sometimes called the "fa ...
purchased land from Cisketando, king of the Yeopim Indian tribe. On March 13, 1662, a second purchase was made from Kilcocanen, another Yeopim. By 1662 Durant was living in Virginia on a tract of land along the
Perquimans River
The Perquimans River is a coastal waterway in Northeastern North Carolina in the United States. Located entirely within Perquimans County, the river drains directly to the Albemarle Sound between Durant's Neck on the north and Harvey Neck on th ...
which flows into
Albemarle Sound, which became part of the Carolina colony in 1665.
Craven County was established in 1712 as Craven Precinct, a precinct of
Bath County. It was named after
William, Lord Craven, one of the Lords Proprietors. That year Christopher Gale became the first chief justice of North Carolina.
[ The historical records of North Carolina, Vol. I, p. 58] During the initial years of colonization, the population of Craven County was sparse and grew slowly. By 1740, however, the town of New Bern began growing rapidly and became the seat for the Governorship. John Carter served as the first sheriff of Craven County, but died in 1740 in the line of duty, when ambushed by an outlaw he was trying to apprehend. In 1746 an act was passed establishing New Bern as the capital of the province and, although the act was later repealed, the General Court met at New Bern in Craven County after 1747.
[
In 1749 James Davis, the colony's first printer, arrived at New Bern and became the official printer for the North Carolina Assembly. In 1751, Davis established and began printing the '']North-Carolina Gazette
The ''North Carolina Gazette'' was the first newspaper published in North Carolina, then the Province of North Carolina. It originally published from 1751 and continued to be published for approximately eight years, during which time it was disc ...
'', North Carolina's first newspaper.[ Thomas, 1874, Vol. I, p. 338; Vol. II, p. 166] In 1754 he was elected Sheriff of Craven County.[ Powell, 2000, pp. 34-35]
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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (8.4%) is water.
National protected area
* Catfish Lake South Wilderness
Catfish Lake South Wilderness was designated in 1984, and it covers in the Croatan National Forest in eastern North Carolina. The Wilderness Area is a vast wetland, and it lacks trails and campsites. Travel through this wilderness is difficult.
...
(part)
* Croatan National Forest (part)
State and local protected areas
* Croatan Game Land
The Croatan were a small Native American ethnic group living in the coastal areas of what is now North Carolina. They might have been a branch of the larger Roanoke people or allied with them.
The Croatan lived in current Dare County, an ar ...
(part)
* Great Lake Recreation Site
Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements
* Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size
* Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent
People
* List of people known as "the Great"
*Artel Great (born ...
(part)
* New Bern Battlefield Site
New Bern Battlefield Site is a historic site of the American Civil War Battle of New Bern located near New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina. The battle was fought on 14 March 1862. The New Bern Battlefield Site consists of two discontiguous s ...
* Pine Cliff Recreation Area
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...
* Latham-Whitehurst Nature Park
* Special Secondary Nursery Areas
Special or specials may refer to:
Policing
* Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force
* Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer
Literature
* ''Specia ...
Major water bodies
* Adams Creek
* Alligator Gut
* Catfish Lake
* Clubfoot Creek
* Ellis Simon Lake
* Hancock Creek
* Intracoastal Waterway
* Little Lake
* Long Lake
* Neuse River
* Trent River
* Great Lake
* Upper Broad Creek
Adjacent counties
* Pitt County
Pitt County is a county located in the inner banks (northeastern part) of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 170,243, making it the fourteenth-most populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is ...
- north
* Beaufort County - north
* Pamlico County - east
* Carteret County
Carteret County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,686. Its county seat is Beaufort. The county was created in 1722 as Carteret Precinct and gained county status in 1739. It was named for ...
- south
* Jones County - west
* 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 the K ...
- west
Major highways
* (Concurrency with US 70)
*
* (New Bern)
* (Vanceboro)
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Major infrastructure
* Amtrak Thruway (New Bern and Havelock)
* Cherry Branch - Minnesott Beach Ferry (To Pamlico County)
* Coastal Carolina Regional Airport
Coastal Carolina Regional Airport is a commercial airport located three miles (5 km) southeast of the central business district of New Bern, a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. EWN covers 785 acres (318 ha) of land.
Coa ...
* MCAS Cherry Point, military base located in Havelock
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 100,720 people, 42,221 households, and 28,502 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 incl ...
of 2000, there were 91,436 people, 34,582 households, and 25,071 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 129 people per square mile (50/km2). There were 38,150 housing units at an average density of 54 per square mile (21/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 69.94% 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 on ...
, 25.12% 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 have o ...
or 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 ...
, 0.42% Native American, 0.99% Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.06% Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 1.78% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races. 4.02% of the population were Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...
or Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race.
There were 34,582 households, out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.80% were married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 12.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were non-families. 23.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.60% under the age of 18, 12.80% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 13.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 101.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,966, and the median income for a family was $42,574. Males had a median income of $28,163 versus $21,412 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 $18,423. About 9.90% of families and 13.10% 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 18.50% of those under age 18 and 11.00% of those age 65 or over.
Government and politics
Craven is a typical “ Solid South” county in its presidential voting patterns. It was solidly Democratic until the 1960s: in five elections from 1932 to 1948 the Republican Party did not reach fifteen percent of the vote, and only in 1928 when a large anti-Catholic vote was cast against Al Smith
Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was an American politician who served four terms as Governor of New York and was the Democratic Party's candidate for president in 1928.
The son of an Irish-American mother and a C ...
did the GOP reach twenty percent between at least 1900 and 1948. The national Democratic party's support for the Civil Rights Movement
The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...
caused its white electorate to defect to George Wallace
George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Alabama for four terms. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best remembered for his staunch segregationist and ...
’s American Independent campaign in 1968. Since that time, Craven has become a strongly Republican county. The last Democrat to carry Craven County was Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
in 1976.
Craven County is a member of the regional Eastern Carolina Council of Governments
Eastern may refer to:
Transportation
*China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai
*Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways
*Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991
*Eastern Air Li ...
.
Communities
Cities
* Havelock
* New Bern
New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and t ...
(county seat and largest city)
Towns
* Bridgeton
* Cove City
* Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
* River Bend
* Trent Woods
* Vanceboro
Census-designated places
* Brices Creek
* Cherry Branch
* Fairfield Harbour
* James City
* Neuse Forest
Other unincorporated communities
* Adams Creek
* Ernul
* Fort Barnwell
* Harlowe
* Askin
See also
* List of counties in North Carolina
__NOTOC__
The U.S. state of North Carolina is divided into 100 counties. North Carolina ranks 28th in size by area, but has the seventh-highest number of counties in the country.
Following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, King Charles ...
*
* Tryon Palace, famous palace located in New Bern
* PepsiCo
PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the food and beverage market. It oversees the manuf ...
, birthplace of this drink is located in New Bern
* North Carolina Ferry System
The North Carolina Department of Transportation Ferry Division is a branch of NCDOT that is responsible for the operation of over two dozen ferry services that transport passengers and vehicles to several islands along the Outer Banks of North Ca ...
* List of wilderness areas of the United States
The National Wilderness Preservation System includes 803 wilderness areas protecting of federal land . They are managed by four agencies:
*United States National Park Service (NPS)
*United States Forest Service (USFS)
*United States Fish and Wil ...
* List of future Interstate Highways
In the United States, future Interstate Highways include proposals to establish new mainline (one- and two-digit) routes to the Interstate Highway System. Excluded from this article are auxiliary Interstate Highways (designated by three-digit nu ...
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
link to Davis biography
*
*
*
References
Further reading
* Browning, Judkin. ''Shifting Loyalties: The Union Occupation of Eastern North Carolina'' (Univ of North Carolina Press, 2011). focus on Craven County
* Kinsey, Marissa N. "Beyond the Vale: Visualizing Slavery in Craven County, North Carolina." (2017)
online
* Farmer, Vina Hutchinson. ''New Bern'' (Arcadia Publishing, 2007).
*
* Watson, Alan D. ''A History of New Bern and Craven County'' (Tryon Palace Commission, 1987).
External links
Official website
New Bern ''Sun Journal''
Havelock Chamber of Commerce
New Bern Chamber of Commerce
Craven County Economic Development
Craven County, NCGenWeb
{{authority control
New Bern micropolitan area
1739 establishments in North Carolina
Populated places established in 1739