Pender 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 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 60,203. 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 Burgaw. Pender County is part of the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The county was formed in 1875 from New Hanover County. It was named for William Dorsey Pender of Edgecombe County, a Confederate general mortally wounded at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

. Pender County is located in the southeastern portion of the state and shares borders with Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, New Hanover, Onslow, and Sampson counties. The county's eastern border is 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 ...

. The present land area is and the 2020 population was 60,203, doubling since 1990. The estimated county population in 2023 had increased to 68,521. The county commissioners were ordered to hold their first meeting at Rocky Point. The act provided for the establishment of the town of Cowan as the county seat. In 1877, an act was passed repealing that section of the law relative to the town, and another law was enacted, whereby the qualified voters were to vote on the question of moving the county seat to South Washington or any other place which the majority of the voters designated. Whatever place was selected, the town should be called Stanford. In 1879, Stanford was changed to Burgaw, which was by that law incorporated. It is the county seat. A slave cemetery that was used by the community of Cardinal Acres up until was disturbed by a developer grading a site in 2021.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (6.73%) is water. It is the fifth-largest county in North Carolina by land area.

National protected area

* Moores Creek National Battlefield

State and local protected areas

* Angola Bay Game Land (part) * Cape Fear River Wetlands Game Land (part) * Holly Shelter Game Land * Lea-Hutaff Island State Natural Area * Sandy Run Savannas State Natural Area (part) * Whitehall Plantation Game Land (part)

Major water bodies

(North Atlantic Ocean) * Black River, home of the oldest documented ''

Taxodium distichum ''Taxodium distichum'' (baldcypress, bald-cypress, bald cypress, swamp cypress; ; ''cipre'' in Louisiana) is a deciduous conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States. Hardy and tough, this tree adapts to a ...

'' (bald cypress) at years old; located in Bladen County * Cape Fear River * Doctor's Creek * Intracoastal Waterway * Island Creek * Northeast Cape Fear River * Onslow Bay

Adjacent counties

* Duplin County – north * Onslow County – northeast * New Hanover County – south * Brunswick County – south * Columbus County – southwest * Bladen County – west * Sampson County – northwest

Major highways

* * * (future Hampstead Bypass) * * * * * * *

Climate

Pender County is located in the

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 ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Cfa'') zone, with mostly moderate temperatures year round. Winters are mild across Pender, with the warmest winter temperatures found in the coastal areas of the county due to the influence of the

. The average high temperature in January is around 55 °F (13 °C) for most of Pender County. Summers are hot and humid, with the hottest summer temperatures found in the northwestern areas of the county. The average high temperature in July is around 90 °F (32 °C). The

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commerc ...

hardiness zones A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

for Pender County are Zone 8A (10 °F to 15 °F or -12 °C to -9 °C) and Zone 8B (15 °F to 20 °F or -9 °C to -6 °C).

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 60,203 people, 21,740 households, and 14,676 families residing in the county.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 41,082 people, 16,054 households, and 11,719 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 20,798 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 72.74%

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 ...

, 23.58%

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 ...

, 0.49% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.03%

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 ...

, 2.03% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 3.64% 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 16,054 households, out of which 29.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.90% 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, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.00% were non-families. 22.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.90. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.20% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 29.50% from 25 to 44, 25.80% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 101.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $35,902, and the median income for a family was $41,633. Males had a median income of $31,424 versus $21,623 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 $17,882. About 9.50% of families and 13.60% 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 18.60% of those under age 18 and 14.40% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Pender County is a member of the regional Cape Fear Council of Governments. The government is run by a board of commissioners with a county manager. Pender County is a strong Republican county, voting with the party since 1996. In the 1992 presidential election, Democratic nominee

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

won the county. In the 2016 presidential election, Republican nominee

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 ...

won the county with 63 percent of the vote, over Democratic nominee

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

's 33 percent. Trump continued to increase his margin of victory in Pender in the

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

and

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 ...

presidential elections.

Education

The county is served by Pender County Schools.

Communities

Towns

* Atkinson * Burgaw (county seat) * Surf City * Topsail Beach * Wallace * Watha

Village

* St. Helena

Townships

* Burgaw * Canetuck * Caswell * Columbia * Grady * Holly * Long Creek * Rocky Point * Topsail * Union

Census-designated places

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

(largest community) * Long Creek * Rocky Point

Other unincorporated communities

Charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...

* Currie * Montague * Register * Scotts Hill * Sloop Point * Willard * Yamacraw

Notable people

John Baptista Ashe John Baptista Ashe (1810December 29, 1857), was an American lawyer and the nephew of the Revolutionary War veteran John Baptista Ashe, who served as a U.S. Congressman for Tennessee for one term (1843–1845). Biography Ashe was born in Rock ...

, born in Rocky Point township, delegate to the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

, born in Rocky Point township, nephew of the above, United States Congressman from

* William Shepperd Ashe, born in Rocky Point township, United States Congressman from North Carolina

References

External links

* *
NCGenWeb Pender County
genealogy resources for the county {{Authority control Cape Fear (region) 1875 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1875