Snow Hill is a town in
Greene County, North Carolina
Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,451. Its county seat is Snow Hill.
History
Greene County, being a part of land grant by King Charles II of England in 1663, ...
, United States. The population was 1,481 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 Greene County
and is part of the
Greenville Metropolitan Area. Snow Hill hosts numerous tennis tournaments during the year. Snow Hill is home to the Green Ridge Racquet Club. Many junior players and adults travel to Snow Hill in order to play in the USTA (United States Tennis Association) Sanctioned tournaments.
History
In its early history, Snow Hill was near the location of the final major battle of the
Tuscarora War
The Tuscarora War was fought in North Carolina from September 10, 1711, until February 11, 1715, between the Tuscarora people and their allies on one side and European American settlers, the Yamasee, and other allies on the other. This was con ...
at
Fort Neoheroka
Fort Neoheroka (or just Neoheroka, Neyuherú·kęʼRudes, B. ''Tuscarora English Dictionary'' Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999 in Tuscarora), or Nooherooka, is the name of a stronghold constructed in what is now Greene County, North C ...
in 1713. There are several theories for the derivation of the town's name. One theory is that the town derived its name from the
Contentnea Creek on whose banks
Native Americans camped and called them "snowy white," which was translated into "snowy hills." It snows rarely, however, so the snowy white is more likely a reference to the white sands along the creek. Another theory was described by McLoud in the
Goldsboro newspaper as being "
loblolly pine
''Pinus taeda'', commonly known as loblolly pine, is one of several pines native to the Southeastern United States, from East Texas to Florida, and north to southern New Jersey. The wood industry classifies the species as a southern yellow pi ...
is in water," and the most recent translation from the Tuscarora language offered was "as fish go by."
Originally a community in central Greene County, the town of Snow Hill was chartered in 1828. The town almost became the capital of North Carolina and was originally a major trading depot on Contentnea Creek. At the time, Contentnea Creek was a main
Wilson-to-
New Bern
New Bern, formerly Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 31,291 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located at the confluence of the Neuse River, Neuse a ...
trading artery. Contentnea Creek connects with 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 ...
at
Kinston.
It is believed Snow Hill is the smallest town in the United States to ever field a professional baseball team. From 1937-40, the
Snow Hill Billies played in the Class D
Coastal Plain League
The Coastal Plain League (CPL) is a wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league, featuring college players recruited from throughout the nation. The league takes its name from the Class D level Coastal Plain League which operated in the area f ...
and won the league pennant in 1937. Future New York Yankees
Aaron Robinson and
Al Gettel began their careers with the Billies, as did Walter Rabb, who would serve as head baseball coach 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 ...
for nearly thirty years.
In April 2011, a tornado struck the town and caused massive damage.
The
Greene County Courthouse,
Neoheroka Fort Site,
Snow Hill Colored High School,
Snow Hill Historic District, and
St. Barnabas Episcopal Church 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
Snow Hill is located south of the center of Greene County on a low bluff on the south side of Contentnea Creek.
U.S. Route 13
U.S. Route 13 or U.S. Highway 13 (US 13) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway established in 1926 that runs for from Interstate 95 (I-95) just north of Fayetteville, North Carolina, to US 1 in the northeast ...
passes through the north side of town, leading northeast to
Greenville and southwest to
Goldsboro.
U.S. Route 258 passes through the center of town, leading north to
Farmville
''FarmVille'' is a series of agriculture-simulation social network games developed and published by Zynga in 2009. It is similar to '' Happy Farm'' and ''Farm Town''. Its gameplay involves various aspects of farmland management, such as plo ...
and south to
Kinston.
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 ...
, Snow Hill has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 1,481 people, 760 households, and 480 families residing in the town.
2010 census
As of the
2010 United States Census, there were 1,595 people living in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 52.6% Black, 36.3% White, 0.2% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.1% from some other race and 1.1% from two or more races. 8.7% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
2000 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 2000, there were 1,514 people, 627 households, and 381 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 683 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 48.81%
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 ...
, 47.03%
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 ...
, 0.40%
Native American, 0.07%
Asian, 2.97% from
other races, and 0.73% 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 were 3.30% of the population.
There were 627 households, out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% 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, 18.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% had someone living alone, who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.9% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 24.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $25,795, and the median income for a family was $29,213. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $20,556 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 town was $15,904. About 15.3% of families and 20.5% 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 24.1% of those under age 18 and 26.5% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Schools in Snow Hill are administered by the Greene County
Public School system. The six schools include Greene Central High School, Greene Early College High School, Greene County Middle School, Greene County Intermediate School, Snow Hill Primary School and West Greene Elementary School. Higher education is provided through nearby
East Carolina University
East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of universities in North Carolina by enrollment, fourth largest university in North Carolina and the only one in the state with s ...
or community colleges located in
Goldsboro,
Greenville and
Kinston.
Transportation
The closest airport to Snow Hill is
Pitt-Greenville Airport with service to
Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Charlotte Douglas International Airport is an international airport serving Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, located roughly west of the city's central business district. Charlotte Douglas is the primary airport for commercial and m ...
, although most residents use
Raleigh-Durham International Airport
The Research Triangle, or simply The Triangle, are both common nicknames for a metropolitan area in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Anchored by the cities of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh an ...
for domestic and international travel.
Highways that run through the city include
US 13,
US 258
U.S. Route 258 (US 258) is a spur of U.S. Route 58, US 58 in the U.S. states of North Carolina and Virginia. The United States Numbered Highways, U.S. Highway runs from U.S. Route 17 Business (Jacksonville, North Carolina), US 17 Business and ...
,
NC 903,
NC 58 and
NC 91. The closest Interstate Highway is
I-795, located to the west in
Fremont.
Notable people
*
Don Davis, current member of the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
representing
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 ...
and former member of 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 ...
Meet , Don Davis
Retrieved July 25, 2020.
*Ray E. Eubanks
Ray E. Eubanks (February 6, 1922 – July 23, 1944) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his actions in World War II.
Biography
Eubanks joined the ...
, US Army paratrooper and Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
recipient in World War II
* Cliff Godwin, former American baseball player and current head coach at East Carolina University
East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of universities in North Carolina by enrollment, fourth largest university in North Carolina and the only one in the state with s ...
*Petey Pablo
Moses Barrett III (born July 22, 1973), better known by his stage name Petey Pablo, is an American rapper and record producer from Greenville, North Carolina. He is best known for his 2003 crunk single " Freek-a-Leek," which peaked at number seve ...
, rapper
Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...
*Rapsody
Marlanna Evans (born January 21, 1983), better known by her stage name Rapsody, is an American rapper. After signing with music producer 9th Wonder's music label It's a Wonderful World Music Group, she released a series of mixtapes and collab ...
, rapper
*Mule Shirley
Ernest Raeford "Mule" Shirley (May 24, 1901 – August 4, 1955) was a Major League Baseball player who played first base during parts of the and seasons. He batted and threw left-handed. For the 1924 Washington Senators, he logged 100 regula ...
, Major League Baseball
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 ...
first baseman
References
;Notes
External links
Town of Snow Hill official website
Contentnea Development Partnership - Non Profit Economic Development Company Serving Snow Hill and Greene County NC
{{authority control
Towns in Greene County, North Carolina
Towns in North Carolina
County seats in North Carolina
Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area
Populated places established in 1811