Washington 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 11,003. 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 ...

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

. The county was formed in 1799 from the western third of Tyrrell County. It was named for

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

History

There are three incorporated towns in Washington County; Plymouth is the county seat, while other towns are Roper and Creswell. Washington County is known for rich farmland, extensive forests and abundant public access waters. The Roanoke River and Albemarle Sound form the northern boundary. Lake Phelps is 16,000 acres and is part of Pettigrew State Park in Creswell. Somerset Place is a restored antebellum plantation and NC Historic Site on Lake Phelps. The Pungo Unit of the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in the southern part of the county is said to have the best public black bear viewing in North Carolina. This part of the state is known for having the world's largest black bears and highest black bear densities The award-winning NC Black Bear Festival takes place in Plymouth on the first weekend in June.

Geography

According to the

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

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (17.87%) is water. The county borders the

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 ...

National protected area

* Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (part)

State and local protected areas/sites

* Bachelor Bay Game Land (part) * Lantern Acres Game Land (part) * Latham House * Pettigrew State Park (part) * Somerset Place * Van Swamp Game Lands (part)

Major water bodies

* Lake Phelps * Pungo River *

Roanoke River The Roanoke River ( ) runs long through southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the ...

Adjacent counties

* Chowan County – north *

Perquimans County Perquimans County ( ) is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 13,005. Its county seat is Hertford, North Carolina, Hertford. The Harve ...

– northeast * Tyrrell County – east * Hyde County – southeast * Beaufort County – southwest * Martin County – west *

Bertie County Bertie County ( )Talk Like a Tarheel
, from the North Carolina Col ...

– northwest

Major highways

* * * * * * * *

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 11,003 people, 4,977 households, and 2,655 families residing in the county.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 13,723 people, 5,367 households, and 3,907 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 6,174 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 48.28%

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 ...

, 48.94%

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 ...

, 0.05% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.04%

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 ...

, 1.66% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 2.27% 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 5,367 households, out of which 31.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.10% 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, 18.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.20% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.99. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.00% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 25.00% from 25 to 44, 25.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 89.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $28,865, and the median income for a family was $34,888. Males had a median income of $27,058 versus $19,477 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 $14,994. About 17.60% of families and 21.80% 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 31.50% of those under age 18 and 19.20% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Washington 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 ...

regional council of governments. Washington County was one of the proposed sites for a

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

outlying landing field. This practice airfield would allow pilots to simulate landings on an

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

. Plans for construction have been scrapped due to public backlash and potential

ecological Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere levels. Ecology overlaps with the closely re ...

impact.

Education

Washington County School District contains all public schools. The district contains a high school, a five-year early college, a middle school, and two elementary schools. * Washington County High School * Washington County Early College High School * Washington County Middle School * Creswell Elementary School * Pines Elementary School Pocosin Innovative Charter School is a charter school separate from the district.

Communities

Towns

* Creswell *

(county seat and largest community) * Roper

Townships

* Plymouth * Lees Mill * Scuppernong * Skinnersville

Unincorporated communities

* Lake Phelps * Macedonia * Mackeys * Pea Ridge

References

External links

* *
NCGenWeb Washington County
genealogy resources for the county {{Authority control 1799 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1799 Majority-minority counties in North Carolina