Manteo ( ) is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States, located on Roanoke Island. The population was 1,602 at the 2020 census. It 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 ...

of Dare County.

History

The town is named for an American Indian named Manteo, a

Croatan The Croatan were a small Native Americans in the United States, Native American ethnic group living in the coastal areas of what is now North Carolina. They might have been a branch of the larger Roanoke (tribe), Roanoke people or allied with t ...

. Manteo traveled with the English to London in 1584 where he and another Indian, Wanchese, learned to become the liaisons between the

Roanoke Colony The Roanoke Colony ( ) refers to two attempts by Sir Walter Raleigh to found the first permanent English settlement in North America. The first colony was established at Roanoke Island in 1585 as a military outpost, and was evacuated in 1586. ...

settlers and the Indians. He also had favorable interaction with British colonist John White. In fact, Manteo was christened and given the name Lord of Roanoke, making him the first American Indian to receive a title of nobility. Eventually, John White's daughter Eleanor married Ananias Dare, and they had the first American-born English child, Virginia Dare. In 1587, Manteo was friendly to White when he returned to find what the final stage of the

became. When the colonists disappeared after supplies from England were delayed for three years, the ongoing mystery of " The Lost Colony" began. Manteo was named the seat of government for Dare County in 1870, and was incorporated in 1899. Dare County is named for Virginia Dare. In 1999, North Carolina public radio ( NPR), WUNC, began broadcasting in Manteo as part of an effort to bring public radio to one of the largest areas on the

East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the region encompassing the coast, coastline where the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean; it has always pla ...

without such service. In 2005, Manteo restored its coastal warning display tower, and it is now operated by the Manteo branch of the

North Carolina Maritime Museum The North Carolina Maritime Museum is a system of regional museums within the North Carolina Museum of History, which in turn part of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. There are several branches of the Maritime Muse ...

. The George Washington Creef House, John T. Daniels House, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Theodore S. Meekins House are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Geography

Manteo is located at (35.904595, -75.669385), on the north central area of Roanoke Island. It is located off the exit at the South 16 mile post on US Hwy 158 at Whalebone Junction, the junction of NC Highways 158, 64, and 12, known as the Beach Road. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 3.09%, is water.

Climate

Manteo has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

( Cfa) like most of North Carolina with long, hot summers and short, cool winters. Precipitation is very heavy year round and falls on 96 days. Snow is a rare sight.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,600 people, 865 households, and 491 families residing in the town.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 1,434 people, 681 households, and 373 families residing in the town. 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 843.5 people per square mile (318.7/km2˜). There were 1,353 housing units at an average density of 795.9 per square mile (300.7/km2˜). The racial makeup of the town was 84.7%

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 ...

, 8.4%

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 ...

, 0.8% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 2.6% from other races, and 3% from two or more races.

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 was 9% of the population. There were 681 households, out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.8% 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, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.2% were non-families. 39.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.77. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.5% aged 19 or younger, 4.5% from 20 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 30.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $29,803, and the median income for a family was $40,625. 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 town was $23,803. About 26.5% of families and 32% of the population were below the poverty level, including 63.7% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over. Manteo is part of

North Carolina's 3rd congressional district North Carolina's 3rd congressional district is located on the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic coast of North Carolina. It covers the Outer Banks and the counties adjacent to the Pamlico Sound. The district is currently represented by ...

, represented by Republican Walt Jones, elected in 1994, until his death on February 10, 2019, where he was succeeded by Greg Murphy.

Festivals and events

Dare Day — An annual celebration for the people of Dare County. The festival is free and open to all residents and visitors. There is a variety of entertainment, food, and shopping with all activities in walking distance. This festival is held on the first Saturday of June. The New World Festival of the Arts — Held on the Manteo waterfront a great exhibition that features over 80 selected artists displaying and selling their work. It is a two-day outdoor art show that has been held for over 23 years running. Pirate's Cove Billfish Tournament — This fishing tournament takes place annually in mid-August. Teams and boats come from around the world to participate. In the 2014 tournament, the boat with the highest cash prize was the Waste Knot (Captain Barry Sawyer) and angler of the winning fish (Denise LaCour). The team took home a cash prize of over $60,000.

Education

Dare County Schools is the area school district. The local schools are Manteo Elementary School, Manteo Middle School, and Manteo High School. Dare County Library has a branch in Manteo.

Twin towns

The town claimed it is twinned with

Bideford Bideford ( ) is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, South West England. It is the main town of the Torridge District, Torridge Districts of England, local government district. Toponymy In ancient records Bi ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

in England, based on a long-forgotten informal meeting. In April 2008, members of Bideford's town council visited Manteo in preparation to formalize the twinning in 2009. Manteo has been twinned with Youghal, County Cork, Ireland since July 4, 2006.

Notable people

* George Ackles, professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player * Marc Basnight, served as a Democratic member of the North Carolina State Senate * Emanuel Davis, defensive back in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

* Andy Griffith, actor, comedian, television producer, Southern gospel singer, and writer was a longtime resident of Manteo prior to his death in 2012 * Mabel Evans Jones, educator * William Ivey Long, costume designer for stage and filmHarris, Amanda. (June 7, 2019)
Top Award-winning costume designer William Ivey Long recalls Rock Hill Influences
''The Herald''. Retrieved June 16, 2019.

References

External links

* {{authority control Towns in Dare County, North Carolina Towns in North Carolina County seats in North Carolina 1685 establishments in North Carolina Roanoke Island