Camden County is a

consolidated city-county In local government in the United States, United States local government, a consolidated city-county (#Terminology, see below for alternative terms) is formed when one or more city, cities and their surrounding County (United States), county (Lis ...

located in 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 10,355, making it the fourth-least 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 parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Camden. Camden County is included in the

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the List of cities in Virginia, most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeaster ...

- Chesapeake, VA-NC Combined Statistical Area.

History

The county was formed in 1777 from part of Pasquotank County. It was named for Charles Pratt, 1st Lord Camden, a British politician who had opposed the Stamp Act and was sympathetic towards American colonists. The county is the site of the southern terminus of the Dismal Swamp Canal. The first county courthouse was constructed in 1782 and was replaced in 1847. It was the site of the Battle of South Mills in April 1862, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. Shiloh Baptist Church, founded around 1727 by Paul Palmer, is the oldest Baptist church in North Carolina. It is located in the Shiloh township. Though technically there are (or were) no incorporated municipalities in Camden County (with the exception of a small portion of Elizabeth City; most of which is in bordering Pasquotank County), the county became the first

entity in North Carolina on July 1, 2006.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (22.54%) is water.

National protected area

* Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (part)

State and local protected areas

* Dismal Swamp State Park * North River 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 ...

Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a Navigability, inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, the ...

* North River * Pasquotank River

Adjacent counties

* City of Suffolk, Virginia – north * City of Chesapeake, Virginia – north *

Currituck County Currituck County ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Ca ...

– east * Tyrrell County – south * Pasquotank County – southwest * Gates County – northwest

Major highways

* * * * * *

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 10,355 people, 3,933 households, and 3,154 families residing in the county.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 9,980 people, 2,662 households, and 2,023 families residing 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 2,973 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 82.1%

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 ...

, 13.2%

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.1%

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 ...

, 0.7% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. 2.2% 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 2,662 households, out of which 31.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.20% 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, 9.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.00% were non-families. 20.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 2.97. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.50% under the age of 18, 6.30% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $39,493, and the median income for a family was $45,387. Males had a median income of $36,274 versus $24,875 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 $18,681. 10.10% of the population and 7.90% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 12.60% are under the age of 18 and 20.30% are 65 or older.

Demographic change

The county's population changed little between 1830 and 1970, averaging at about 5,500 residents. It grew slightly between 1970 and 1990, and then grew rapidly between 1990 and 2000.

Government and politics

Camden County is a member of the

Albemarle Commission Albemarle may refer to: People * Albemarle (given name) * Duke of Albemarle, includes a list of the dukes * Earl of Albemarle, includes a list of the earls Places United States * Albemarle, North Carolina, a city * Albemarle Sound, an estuary on t ...

regional council of governments. It is represented by Bobby Hanig in the 1st district in the North Carolina State Senate and Edward Charles Goodwin in the 1st district in the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, who holds powers si ...

Education

There are five schools in Camden County: Grandy Primary School, Camden Intermediate School, Camden Middle School, Camden County High School, and Camden Early College. However, one other former school lies in Shiloh. It was a community school for the Shiloh area. The Shiloh School sign is still visible on the top of the facade at the front of the building.

Communities

Map of Camden County North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

City

* Elizabeth City (mostly in Pasquotank County)

Census-designated places

* Camden (county seat and largest community) * South Mills

Unincorporated communities

* Black Swamp * Old Trap * Shiloh

Townships

* Courthouse * Shiloh * South Mills

References

Works cited

* *

External links

* * {{Authority control Elizabeth City, North Carolina micropolitan area 1777 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1777 Consolidated city-counties