Onslow County 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
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
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 204,576.
Its county seat is
Jacksonville
Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
.
The county was created in 1734 as Onslow Precinct and gained county status in 1739. Onslow County comprises the Jacksonville, NC
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The southern border of the county is the coast of the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
.
History
European
European, or Europeans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...
, mainly
English, settlers arrived here in 1713 in what was originally part of the colonial precincts of
Carteret and
New Hanover. Onslow County was formed in 1734 and was named for
Arthur Onslow
Arthur Onslow (1 October 169117 February 1768) was an English politician. He set a record for length of service when repeatedly elected to serve as Speaker of the House of Commons, where he was known for his integrity.
Early life and educat ...
, the longest serving
speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings.
Systems that have such a position include:
* Speaker of ...
. After a lethal 1752 hurricane, the county courthouse was relocated from Town Point to Wantland's Ferry; this settlement was eventually incorporated in 1842 and named Jacksonville after President
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...
. Through much of the first half of the 20th century, the county was largely rural, with an economy based on agrarian and maritime communities.
During World War II, Onslow County was dramatically changed in the early 1940s with the establishment of the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
Camp Davis
Marine Corps Outlying Field (MCOLF) Camp Davis is a military airport northeast of the central business district of Holly Ridge, in Onslow County, North Carolina, United States. It is used as a training facility by United States Marine Corps ...
near Holly Ridge (now defunct), and the creation of
Camp Lejeune
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune ( or ) is a United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports ( ...
in 1941. About 2,400 residents were displaced to allow for the acquisition.
This increased county population and generated related growth in housing and businesses.
Onslow County's flat, gently rolling terrain covers and is located in the southeastern coastal plain of North Carolina, about east of
Raleigh
Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...
and north of
Wilmington. The city of Jacksonville is the
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 ...
, and the areas surrounding the city constitute the major population centers and growth areas in the county. The county is home to more than 200,000 people and includes the incorporated towns of
Holly Ridge,
Richlands,
Swansboro,
North Topsail Beach, part of
Surf City and unincorporated
Sneads Ferry. The U.S. Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, comprises roughly ; more than 43,000 marines and sailors are stationed there.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (15.81%) are covered by water. It is bordered by
Jones County,
Carteret County
Carteret County ( or )[Talk Like a Tarheel](_blank)
, from the North Carol ...
,
Pender County
Pender County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,203. Its county seat is Burgaw. Pender County is part of the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The count ...
, and
Duplin County.
Wildlife
The New River and its vicinity is sometimes inhabited by
bald eagle
The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche ...
s, dolphins, and
cownose ray
The cownose ray (''Rhinoptera bonasus'') is a species found throughout a large part of the western Atlantic and Caribbean, from New England to southern Brazil (the East Atlantic are now generally considered a separate species, the Lusitanian ...
s.
State and local protected areas
*
Bear Island Area Outstanding Resource Water
*
Croatan Game Land (part)
*
Hammocks Beach State Park
*
Hofmann Forest (part)
*
North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve
*
Onslow Beach
*
Permuda Island
*
Primary Nursery Areas
*
Rocky Run Game Land
*
Sandy Run Savannas State Natural Area (part)
*
Sea Turtle Sanctuary
*
Stones Creek Game Land
*
Stump Sound Area Outstanding Resource Water
*
White Oak River Game Land
*
White Oak River Mechanical Harvesting of Oysters Prohibited Area (part)
*
White Oak River Impoundment Game Land (part)
Major water bodies
*
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
(North Atlantic Ocean)
*
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 ...
*
New River
*
Onslow Bay
Onslow Bay is an indentation of the North Carolina coast, between Cape Fear in the south and Cape Lookout in the north. Thirteen barrier islands form the shore of the bay. It is part of the open Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the s ...
*
Queen Creek
*
Stones Bay
*
White Oak River
The White Oak River is a blackwater river, close to 48 mi (77 km) long, on the coastal plain of southeast North Carolina in the United States. It empties in the Atlantic Ocean.
Course
It rises in the White Oak Pocosin in northern Onsl ...
Major highways
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Major infrastructure
*
Albert J. Ellis Airport, located in Richlands and is served by two commercial airlines.
*
Amtrak Thruway
Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by Amtrak trains. In most cases these are dedicated motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated intercity bus services, transi ...
(Jacksonville)
*
Marine Corps Air Station New River
Marine Corps Air Station New River is a United States Marine Corps helicopter and tilt-rotor base in Jacksonville, North Carolina, in the eastern part of the state. In 1972, the airfield was named McCutcheon Field for General Keith B. McCut ...
, military base in Jacksonville
*
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune ( or ) is a United States Armed Forces, United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for Amphibious warfare, amphibious assault training, an ...
, military training facility in Jacksonville
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 census, there were 204,576 people, 63,604 households, and 46,202 families residing in the county.
2000 census
At the
2000 census,
150,355 people, 48,122 households, and 36,572 families resided 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 . The 55,726 housing units averaged . The
racial makeup of the county was 72.06% White, 18.48% African American, 0.74% Native American, 1.68% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 3.62% from other races, and 3.22% from two or more races. About 7.25% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 48,122 households, 42.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.00% were married couples living together, 11.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.00% were not families. About 18.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the county, the population was distributed as 26.20% under the age of 18, 23.80% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 14.40% from 45 to 64, and 6.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 123.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 131.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $33,756, and for a family was $36,692. Males had a median income of $22,061 versus $20,094 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 $14,853. About 10.80% of families and 12.90% 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 16.70% of those under age 18 and 14.70% of those age 65 or over.
Government and politics
Onslow is a typical
Solid South
The Solid South was the electoral voting bloc for the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the Southern United States between the end of the Reconstruction era in 1877 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In the aftermath of the Co ...
county in its voting patterns. Except for the 1928 election, when anti-Catholic sentiment allowed
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...
to carry the county over
Al Smith
Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was the 42nd governor of New York, serving from 1919 to 1920 and again from 1923 to 1928. He was the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party's presidential nominee in the 1 ...
, it was solidly Democratic until 1968, during the
FDR years by margins of as much as 13 to one in 1936. However, the 1960s onwards had Onslow turn to
George Wallace
George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who was the 45th and longest-serving governor of Alabama (1963–1967; 1971–1979; 1983–1987), and the List of longest-serving governors of U.S. s ...
in 1968 and then overwhelmingly to
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
over
George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern (July 19, 1922 – October 21, 2012) was an American politician, diplomat, and historian who was a U.S. representative and three-term U.S. senator from South Dakota, and the Democratic Party (United States), Democ ...
in 1972. Since then, Onslow has become a strongly Republican county; the last Democrat to carry it was
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
in 1976, and Carter in 1980 remains the last of his party to top 40%.
Kamala Harris
Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...
received only 31 percent of the county vote in
2024
The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
.
Onslow County is a member of the regional
Eastern Carolina Council of Governments.
The structure of local government in Onslow County was changed in 2016 to have seven commissioners in 2018
board of commissioners
A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States. A county usually has three to five ...
, all elected
at-large
At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...
for four-year terms. In contrast to electing members from districts, this structure means that candidates are elected by the majority population in the county, which gives a more accurate view of the entire electorate. On November 8, 2016, citizens voted in favor to alter the number of commissioners from five commissioners with concurrent terms to seven with staggered terms. In 2018, citizens elected two more county commissioners in the general election on November 6, 2018, to four-year terms. The citizens of the county will elect five commissioners in 2020, but the four candidates who receive the highest number of votes in the general election of 2020 will receive a four-year term and the candidate who receives the fifth-highest number of votes in the general election of 2020 to a two-year term. Thereafter, all county commissioners would be elected to serve four-year terms. The board establishes policies and ordinances implemented by the
county manager and his staff. Commissioners are Jack Bright (chair), Royce Bennett (vice chair), Paul Buchanan, Robin Knapp, Mark Price, Tim Foster, and William Shanahan.
In the
North Carolina Senate
The North Carolina Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The Senate ...
, Onslow County is located in the
6th Senate district, which is represented by
Republican Michael Lazzara. 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 ...
, Onslow County is split into three House districts with the
14th and
15th house districts completely in Onslow County and the
16th House district in part of Onslow County and all of neighboring Pender County. The 14th district is represented by Republican
George Cleveland
Grover "George" Alan Cleveland (September 17, 1885 – July 15, 1957) was a Canadian film actor. He appeared in more than 180 films between 1930 and 1954.
Career
Cleveland was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. His first appearance on ...
, the 15th district is represented by Republican
Phil Shepard, and the 16th district is represented by Republican
Carson Smith.
The main law enforcement agency for Onslow County is the County Sheriff's Department. The elected sheriff is Chris Thomas.
Education
Onslow County Schools serves the county, except for
Camp Lejeune
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune ( or ) is a United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports ( ...
and
Marine Corps Air Station New River
Marine Corps Air Station New River is a United States Marine Corps helicopter and tilt-rotor base in Jacksonville, North Carolina, in the eastern part of the state. In 1972, the airfield was named McCutcheon Field for General Keith B. McCut ...
, which are served by
Department of Defense Education Activity
The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a federal school system headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on beh ...
(DoDEA) schools.
Communities
Incorporated communities
*
Jacksonville
Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
(county seat and largest community)
*
Holly Ridge
*
North Topsail Beach
*
Richlands
*
Surf City
*
Swansboro
Unincorporated communities
*
Hubert
Hubert is a Germanic masculine given name, from ''hug'' "mind" and '' beraht'' "bright". It also occurs as a surname.
Saint Hubert of Liège (or Hubertus) (c. 656 – 30 May 727) is the patron saint of hunters, mathematicians, opticians, and m ...
*
Verona
Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...
*
Haws Run
*
Back Swamp
Census-designated places
*
Half Moon
*
Piney Green
*
Pumpkin Center
*
Sneads Ferry
Townships
* Camp Lejeune UT
* Hofmann Forest UT
* Jacksonville
* Richlands
* Stump Sound
*
Swansboro
* White Oak
Camp Lejeune and Hofmann Forest are classified as unorganized territories instead of townships.
See also
*
List of counties in North Carolina
The U.S. state of North Carolina is divided into 100 County (United States), counties. North Carolina ranks 28th in size by area, but has the seventh-highest number of counties in the United States, country.
Following the Stuart Restoration, ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Onslow County, North Carolina
*
Camp Lejeune water contamination
The Camp Lejeune water contamination problem occurred at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina, from 1953 to 1987. During that time, United States Marine Corps (USMC) personnel and families at the base — as well as many ...
, water contamination event from 1953 to 1987
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
*
*
Onslow County MuseumOnslow County SchoolsNCGenWeb Onslow County free genealogy resources for the county
{{Authority control
1739 establishments in North Carolina
Populated places established in 1739