Oriental is one of nine incorporated municipalities in
Pamlico County,
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 ...
, United States. The population was 880, according to the 2020 census. It is part of the
New Bern Metropolitan Statistical Area
The New Bern Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in the Inner Banks region of eastern North Carolina, anchored by the city of New Bern, North Carolina, New Bern. Th ...
.
History
The area was settled by Native Americans, who fished and farmed in the creeks and river long before Europeans arrived. Today, fewer than one percent of the town's residents are Native American. Land records date grants from the King of England to colonial farmers, although the King didn't actually own the land, and several current residents of the area can trace their family's genealogy to these times. The area was the haunt of pirates in the early days of European dominance. The famous pirate Edward Teach, or
Blackbeard
Edward Teach (alternatively spelled Edward Thatch, – 22 November 1718), better known as Blackbeard, was an English Piracy, pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of Britain's Thirteen Colonies, North American colon ...
made his home in Bath, to the north of Oriental. The Midgettes (also Midyettes) and other old families who still have descendants in the town came much later, in the late 19th century.
The town of Oriental was named after the Sailing Steamer Oriental. Built in Philadelphia in 1861, the ship was used as a Federal transport ship in the Civil War. She met her fate a year after being launched, run aground in May 1862, when she was wrecked off Bodie Island, 33 miles north of
Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras is a cape located at a pronounced bend in Hatteras Island, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina.
Long stretches of beach, sand dunes, marshes, and maritime forests create a unique environment where wind and waves shape ...
. Her passengers and crew were saved.
The United States Post Office Department established a post office in 1886 in what had been called Smith's Creek. Lou Midyette was named postmaster. Postmaster Midyette's wife, Rebecca, thought the village needed a better name. One story says that she had found the nameplate from the wrecked sailing steamer "Oriental" on the beaches of the Outer Banks and thought that name was more suitable. Another version of the story says she just saw the nameplate in a Manteo home. Either way the name "Oriental" made an impression on her. The village became known as Oriental a few years after the post office was established and was incorporated in 1899.
From the early 20th century, Oriental's economy was supported by lumber, fishing and farming. Train service stopped in the 1950s. The last sawmill closed in the early 1960s. Fishing, agriculture, some tourism and marine related businesses now lead the local economy. The town gained national publicity in 2016 when WalMart closed the only food store in town.
[Ali Weatherton, "Walmart Express closes in Oriental leaving no grocery stores in town,]
''9-WNCT'' Jan 16, 2016
/ref> Fishing trawlers still grace the small harbor, bringing in a catch of shrimp, crab or perhaps flounder depending on the season.
Local destinations
The nameplate of the city's namesake Sailing Steamer Oriental has been lost, but a porthole from the ship is in th
Oriental History Museum.
The Oriental History Museum offers enlightening displays of Oriental's early years. The Museum and the Oriental Tourism Board have combined to develop a 1.2-mile historical walking tour covering thirty-seven sites.
Two local festivals attract visitors. The Spirit of Christmas, always held in early December, consists of local businesses holding open houses with hot cider and treats, while the local churches hold Nativity plays and host Christmas music concerts. There is sometimes a boat parade in the harbor, where locals decorate their yachts with Christmas lights. The second large town festival, The Croaker Festival, is an arts and vendor event which benefits the county's nonprofits. It culminates in a fireworks display held during the first weekend each July. In addition, the Oriental Rotary Club sponsors an annual catch-and-release tarpon fishing tournament the last weekend in July (2008 was the 16th year) and, on New Year's Eve, the Oriental dragon makes a run through town twice (at 8 p.m. and at midnight). The Oriental Cup Regatta is held the third Saturday of September, and there are boat races most Saturdays from May through September, and very informal ones most Wednesdays, too. Oriental hosts a Celebration of the Arts festival in mid-September, and has other art festivals throughout the year. The Town sponsors free evening concerts once each summer month which have been well attending by county residents and visitors from neighboring Craven and Carteret counties. The Oriental Tourism Board actively promotes weddings in Oriental and has published a Website that lists venues and service providers.
Geography
Oriental is located at (35.031010, −76.687871).
According to the United States 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 town has a total area of , of which is land and (16.79%) is water.
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 880 people, 522 households, and 284 families residing in the town.
2010 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 2010, there were 900 people in Oriental and 13,074 in Pamlico County. Oriental had 477 households in the last census.
Notable person
* Kevin Williamson – creator of ''Scream
Scream may refer to:
*Screaming, a loud vocalization
Amusement rides
* Scream (Heide Park), a gyro drop tower in Soltau, Germany
* Scream! (ride), a tower ride at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags New England
* Scream! (roller coaster), at ...
'' and ''Dawson's Creek
''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college that ran from 1998 to 2003. T ...
''
See also
* China Grove, a historic plantation home near Oriental
References
External links
Official Website of the Town of Oriental
The County Compass Weekly Newspaper of Pamlico County
The Pamlico News – The Weekly Newspaper for Pamlico County
TownDock.net – News, Views, Weather and HarborCam from Oriental, NC
The Oriental Tourism Board's Weddings Site
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Towns in North Carolina
Towns in Pamlico County, North Carolina
New Bern micropolitan area
Populated places on the Neuse River