Tyrrell County ( )Talk Like a Tarheel
, 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 ...

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 3,245, making it the least populous county in North Carolina. 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 Columbia. The county was created in 1729 as Tyrrell Precinct and gained county status in 1739.

History

The county was formed in 1729 as Tyrrell Precinct of Albemarle County, from parts of Bertie Precinct, Chowan Precinct, Currituck Precinct, and Pasquotank Precinct. It was named for Sir John Tyrrell, one of the Lords Proprietors of Carolina. With the abolition of Albemarle County in 1739, all of its constituent precincts became counties. In 1774, the western part of Tyrrell County was combined with part of Halifax County to form Martin County. In 1799, the western third of what remained of Tyrrell County became Washington County. In 1870, the half of Tyrrell County east of the Alligator River was combined with parts of Currituck County and Hyde County to form Dare County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (34.56%) is water. Tyrrell County, due to its proximity to the

Outer Banks The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separatin ...

, has been designated as part of the Inner Banks. Wildlife in the county includes bears, red wolves, and

pitcher plant Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants known as pitfall traps—a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid. The traps of pitcher plant are considered to be "true" pitcher plants and are formed by specialized ...

National protected area

* Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (part)

State and local protected areas

* Alligator River Game Land * Alligator River Area Outstanding Resource Water (part) * Buckridge Coastal Reserve Dedicated Nature Preserve * Buckridge Game Land * Emily and Richardson Preyer Buckridge Coastal Reserve * Emily and Richardson Preyer Buckridge Reserve (part) * J. Morgan Futch Game Land * Lantern Acres Game Land (part) * New Lake Game Land * Palmetto-Peartree Preserve * Pettigrew State Park (part) * Texas Plantation Game Land

Major water bodies

Albemarle Sound Albemarle Sound () is a large estuary on the coast of North Carolina in the United States located at the confluence of a group of rivers, including the Chowan River, Chowan and Roanoke River, Roanoke. It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean b ...

* Alligator River * The Frying Pan *

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 ...

* Lake Phelps * Scuppernong River

Adjacent counties

* Perquimans County – north * Pasquotank County – north * Camden County – north *

Currituck County Currituck County ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Ca ...

– northeast * Dare County – east * Hyde County – south * Washington County – west * Chowan County – northwest

Major highways

* * *

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 3,245 people in Tyrrell, making it North Carolina's least-populous county.

Demographic change

Tyrrell County's population peaked in 1940 with 5,556 residents. The population subsequently declined to about 4,000 residents, where it remained for several decades before shrinking further due to outmigration fueled by diminished job opportunities. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Tyrrell's population dropped by 26 percent, the largest population drop by percentage in the state.

Government and politics

Tyrrell County is governed by a five-member Board of County Commissioners. The elections for County Commissioners are partisan and at large. To save money, some of Tyrrell's government services are consolidated with other neighboring rural counties such as Hyde and Washington. Tyrrell County is a member of the

Albemarle Commission Albemarle may refer to: People * Albemarle (given name) * Duke of Albemarle, includes a list of the dukes * Earl of Albemarle, includes a list of the earls Places United States * Albemarle, North Carolina, a city * Albemarle Sound, an estuary on t ...

, a regional economic development organization which serves several counties in eastern North Carolina. In 2022, Tyrrell County is represented by Ed Goodwin in the 1st district 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 ...

and Bobby Hanig in the 1st district 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 ...

. In the 2020 elections in Tyrrell County, Republicans took more votes than Democrats in federal and statewide contests.

Economy

Tyrrell County's economy is heavily reliant on agriculture—with its largest crop being potatoes — as well as forestry and fishing. The county also hosts a small tourism industry centered around hunting, fishing, and bird watching. Taking advantage of tourists on their way to the Outer Banks. It suffers from high poverty and

food insecurity Food security is the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, healthy food. The availability of food for people of any class, gender, ethnicity, or religion is another element of food protection. Similarly, househo ...

rates.

Communities

Town

* Columbia (county seat and largest community)

Townships

* Alligator * Columbia * Gum Neck * Scuppernong * South Fork

Unincorporated communities

* Fort Landing * Frying Pan * Jerry * Pleasant View *

Kilkenny Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...

References

External links

* *
NCGenWeb Tyrrell County
genealogy resources for the county {{Authority control 1739 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1739