Bertie County ( )Talk Like a Tarheel
, from the North Carolina Collection website at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

. Retrieved August 16, 2023. is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the northeast area 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. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,934. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Windsor. The county was created in 1722 as Bertie Precinct and gained county status in 1739.

History

The county was formed as Bertie Precinct in 1722 from the part of Chowan Precinct of Albemarle County lying west of the Chowan River. It was named for James Bertie, his brother Henry Bertie, or perhaps both, each having been one of the Lords Proprietors of Carolina. In 1729 parts of Bertie Precinct, Chowan Precinct, Currituck Precinct, and Pasquotank Precinct of Albemarle County were combined to form Tyrrell Precinct. With the abolition of Albemarle County in 1739, all of its constituent precincts became separate counties. As population of settlers increased, in 1741 parts of Bertie County were organized as Edgecombe County and Northampton County. Finally, in 1759 parts of Bertie, Chowan, and Northampton counties were combined to form Hertford County. Bertie's boundaries have remained the same since then. This mostly rural county depended on the agricultural economy well into the 20th century. In the colonial and antebellum eras, tobacco and cotton were the chief commodity crops, worked by Indian and African slaves. After the Civil War, agriculture continued to be important to the county. In the 21st century, developers have referred to it as being within the Inner Banks region, which is increasingly attracting retirees and buyers of second homes, because of its beaches and landscapes.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (5.61%) is water.

National protected area

* Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge

State and local protected areas/sites

* Bachelor Bay Game Land (part) * Bertie County Game Land * Chowan Swamp Game Land (part) * Historic Hope Plantation * Jamesville Wildlife Preserve * Lewiston Woodville Preserve * Lower Roanoke River Wetlands Game Land (part) * Salmon Creek State Natural Area * Upper Roanoke River Wetlands Game Land (part)

Major water bodies

Albemarle Sound Albemarle Sound () is a large estuary on the coast of North Carolina in the United States located at the confluence of a group of rivers, including the Chowan River, Chowan and Roanoke River, Roanoke. It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean b ...

* Beaverdam Swamp * Cashie River * Chowan River * Chinkapin Swamp * Cucklemaker Creek * Cypress Swamp * Falt Swamp Creek * Hoggard Mill Creek * Loosing Swamp * Middle River * Quioccosin Creek *

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 ...

* Stoney Creek * Wahton Swamp * Wildcat Swamp

Adjacent counties

* Hertford County – north * Chowan County – east * Washington County – southeast * Martin County – south * Halifax County – west * Northampton County – northwest

Major highways

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

Major infrastructure

* Sans Souci Ferry, river ferry across the Cashie River

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 17,934 people, 7,909 households, and 4,733 families residing in the county. As of the 2020 census, Bertie County had the highest proportion of black residents among all counties in the state.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 21,282 people living in the county. 62.5% were Black or African American, 35.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.5% Asian, 0.5% Native American, 0.5% of some other race and 0.9% of two or more races. 1.3% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 19,773 people, 7,743 households, and 5,427 families living in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . There were 9,050 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 62.34%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 36.30%

, 0.44% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 0.33% from other races, 0.48% from two or more races. 0.99% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 7,743 households, out of which 29.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.00% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 20.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.90% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.10% 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 3.07. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.10% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 16.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 87.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $25,177, and the median income for a family was $30,186. Males had a median income of $26,866 versus $18,318 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $14,096. About 19.30% of families and 26% 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 ...

, including 30.70% of those under age 18 and 28.30% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Bertie County is a member of the Mid-East Commission regional council of governments. The County Sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer. The 2024 presidential election marked the strongest showing for a Republican candidate in Bertie County since 1984, with

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

winning nearly 42 percent of the county vote.

Education

Public schools in the county are managed by Bertie County Schools. Notable schools in Bertie county include Bertie High School, Lawrence Academy, and Bethel Assembly Christian Academy. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction rated the county school system as "low-performing" for the 2021–2022 school year.

Communities

Towns

* Askewville * Aulander * Colerain * Kelford * Lewiston Woodville * Powellsville * Roxobel * Windsor (county seat and largest community)

Townships

* Colerain * Indian Woods * Merry Hill * Mitchells * Roxobel * Snakebite * Whites * Windsor * Woodville

Unincorporated communities

* Ashland * Avoca * Baker Town * Buena Vista * Elm Grove * Gatlinsville * Grabtown * Greens Cross * Hexlena * Merry Hill * Midway * Perrytown * Pine Ridge * Quitsna * Republican * Rosemead * Sans Souci * Spring Branch * Todds Cross * Trap * Whites Cross * Woodard

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Bertie County. † = ''county seat''

References

External links

* * * , documentary film about an education project in Bertie County * , documentary film about education in Bertie County {{Authority control 1739 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1739 Black Belt (U.S. region) Majority-minority counties in North Carolina