Lenoir County ( )
[Talk Like a Tarheel](_blank)
, 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 ...
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, its population was 55,122.
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
Kinston,
located on the
Neuse River
The Neuse River ( , Tuscarora: Neyuherú·kęʔkì·nęʔ) is a river rising in the Piedmont of North Carolina and emptying into Pamlico Sound below New Bern. Its total length is approximately , making it the longest river entirely contained in N ...
, across which the county has its territory.
Lenoir County comprises the Kinston, NC
Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The county was formed in 1791 from the southern part of
Dobbs County. It was named for
William Lenoir (1751–1839), an officer in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
who took part in the
Battle of Kings Mountain. He was a prominent political leader; when the county was established, he was serving as
Speaker of the North Carolina Senate.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (0.57%) is water.
State and local protected sites
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CSS Neuse
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Neuseway Nature Center and Planetarium
Major water bodies
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Contentnea Creek
*
Neuse River
The Neuse River ( , Tuscarora: Neyuherú·kęʔkì·nęʔ) is a river rising in the Piedmont of North Carolina and emptying into Pamlico Sound below New Bern. Its total length is approximately , making it the longest river entirely contained in N ...
* Southwest Creek
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Wheat Swamp
Adjacent counties
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Greene County – north
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Pitt County – northeast
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Craven County – east
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Jones County – southeast
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Duplin County – southwest
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Wayne County – west
Major highways
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Major infrastructure
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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 ...
(Kinston)
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Kinston Regional Jetport
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Global TransPark
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Greyhound Bus Terminal, with a location in Kinston
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 census, there were 55,122 people, 23,148 households, and 14,863 families residing in the county.
2010 census
At the
2010 census, there were 59,495 residents with 24,327 households and 15,993 families residing within 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 27,184 housing units at an average density of . The county's racial makeup was 56.47%
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 ...
, 40.43%
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 ...
or
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 ...
, 0.18%
Native American, 0.34%
Asian, 0.05%
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 ...
, 1.88% from
other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 3.17% 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 23,862 households, out of which 31.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.40% 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, 17.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.20% were non-families. 28.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.30% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 90.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,191, and the median income for a family was $38,815. Males had a median income of $28,879 versus $21,536 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 $16,744. About 12.60% of families and 16.60% 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 22.00% of those under age 18 and 18.40% of those age 65 or over.
Government and politics
Throughout the first two-thirds of the twentieth century, Lenoir County was a typical overwhelmingly Democratic "
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. It was always carried by the Democratic presidential nominee between at least 1876 and 1964, following upon which "American Independent" candidate
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 ...
obtained a majority of the county's vote in 1968 amidst large-scale opposition to racial desegregation and civil rights for African-Americans. In every election since, Lenoir County has voted for the Republican presidential nominee, although on several occasions the GOP margin has been extremely close and on only five occasions out of twelve has the margin been more than ten percentage points.
Lenoir County is a member of the
Eastern Carolina Council of Governments.
Lenoir County is represented in the
U.S. House of Representatives by
Don Davis, who is the representative for
North Carolina's 1st congressional district
North Carolina's 1st congressional district is located in the northeastern part of the state. It consists of many Black Belt in the American South, Black Belt counties that border Virginia and it extends southward into several counties of the In ...
. The county is also in
North Carolina's 3rd Senate district, represented by
Bob Brinson, and
North Carolina's 12th House district, represented by
Chris Humphrey.
The current Lenoir County Commissioners (as of 2024) are: Roland Best (D), June Cummings (D), J. Mac Daughety (R), Preston Harris (D), Keith King (R), Linda Rouse Sutton (D; chairman), and Eric Rouse (R; vice-chair). The current members of the Lenoir County Board of Education (as of 2024) are: W. D. Anderson (vice chair), Michelle Cash, Bruce Hill (chair), Merwyn K. Smith, Dr. Kimberly Outlaw-Starkey, Elijah Woods, and John Wiggins.
Education
Higher Education
Lenoir County is home to one higher learning institution,
Lenoir Community College – which is located at 231
NC HWY 58 South, Kinston and is part of the
North Carolina Community College System. The college offers associate degrees, diplomas, or certificates for educational programs in college transfer, business, industry, public services, health sciences, and continuing education. Programs and support services are accessible through traditional and distance learning options.
Primary and Secondary Education
Public education in Lenoir County is administered and supported by the Lenoir County Public School Board, which formed from a merge of the City of Kinston and Lenoir County school systems in 1992. There are four
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
high schools in Lenoir County: Lenoir County Early College,
North Lenoir,
South Lenoir, and
Kinston High School. Three public middle schools: E.B. Frink, Rochelle, and Woodington. There are also eight public elementary schools: Banks, La Grange, Moss Hill, Northeast, Northwest, Pink Hill, Southeast and Southwood. Additionally, Contentnea-Savannah is a
K–8 school.
Lenoir County is also home to two private academies –
Arendell Parrott Academy and Bethel Christian Academy – and two charter academies – Kinston Charter Academy and Children's Village Academy.
Libraries
Neuse Regional Library serves the residents of Lenoir, Greene, and Jones counties. With eight different locations, the library system offers services such as 3D printing and an inter-library loan system, as well as an eLibrary.
Health
Lenoir County is home to
UNC Lenoir Healthcare, a 199-bed
non-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
hospital in Kinston.
Communities
City
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Kinston (county seat and largest community)
Towns
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La Grange
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Pink Hill
Townships
* Contentnea Neck
* Falling Creek
* Institute
* Kinston
* Moseley Hall
* Neuse
* Pink Hill
* Sand Hill
* Southwest
* Trent
* Vance
* Woodington
Census-designated places
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Deep Run
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Graingers
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Jackson Heights
Unincorporated community
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Tick Bite
Notable people
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Larry Beck, professional golfer
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Jocelyn Brown
Jocelyn Lorette Brown (born November 25, 1950), sometimes credited as Jocelyn Shaw, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and dance music, dance singer. She has a Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart entry solely in her name. Brown sang ...
, R&B singer
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Reggie Bullock,
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
player
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Dwight Clark,
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
wide receiver
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Quinton Coples,
NFL defensive end
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David Christopher Hatcher,
MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
pitcher
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Malcolm Howard,
Eastern District of North Carolina judge appointed by
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
*
Vivian Howard, American chef
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Brandon Ingram
Brandon Xavier Ingram (born September 2, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the second overall pick in the 2016 N ...
, NBA player
*
Frank Lucas, American mobster
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Susan Owens, seventh woman to serve on
Washington Supreme Court
The Washington Supreme Court is the highest court in the judiciary of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The court is composed of a chief justice and eight associate justices. Members of the court are elected to six-year terms. ...
*
Maceo Parker
Maceo Parker (; born February 14, 1943) is an American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s and Prince in the 2000s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many of ...
, saxophonist
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Melvin Parker
Melvin Parker (June 7, 1944 – December 3, 2021) was an American drummer. He and his brother, saxophonist Maceo Parker, were key members of James Brown (musician), James Brown's band.
Life and career
Parker was born in Kinston, North Carolina on ...
, drummer
*
Jamie Pressley, actor
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Frank Snepp, journalist
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Jerry Stackhouse, NBA player
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Donna Horton White, professional golfer
See also
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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, ...
*
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Down East Wood Ducks, Minor League Baseball team that plays in
Grainger Stadium
References
External links
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NCGenWeb Lenoir County genealogy resources for the county
{{Authority control
1791 establishments in North Carolina
Populated places established in 1791
Majority-minority counties in North Carolina