Edgecombe County, North Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Edgecombe County
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Edgecombe County Courthouse
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Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
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 North Carolina's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  North Carolina |
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| Founded | 1741 | ||
| Named for | Richard Edgcumbe | ||
| Seat | Tarboro | ||
| Largest community | Rocky Mount | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 506.87 sq mi (1,312.8 km2) | ||
| • Land | 505.44 sq mi (1,309.1 km2) | ||
| • Water | 1.43 sq mi (3.7 km2) 0.28% | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 48,900 | ||
| • Estimate
(2023)
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48,832 | ||
| • Density | 96.75/sq mi (37.36/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | ||
| Congressional district | 1st | ||
Edgecombe County (/ˈɛdʒkəm/ EJ-kum or /ˈɛdʒkoʊm/ EJ-kohm) is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,900. Its county seat is Tarboro.
Edgecombe County is part of the Rocky Mount, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents
History
This area eventually comprising Edgecombe County was historically home to the Tuscarora, a Native American people. The first European settlers arrived in the Tar River region in the mid-1730s. On May 16, 1732, Royal Governor of the Province of North Carolina George Burrington, in response to a petition and with the consent of his council, authorized for the representation of an Edgecombe Precinct in the North Carolina Carolina Assembly, named in honor of British politician Richard Edgcumbe. This decision was vetoed by the assembly and subsequently debated for several years. In 1741, the assembly acceded to the creation of the precinct. The reason for why the eventual county's name is spelled differently than the honoree's name or when this discrepancy came into practice is unknown.
In 1746 part of Edgecombe County became Granville County. In 1758 a portion, including the county seat of Enfield, became Halifax County, wile another portion in the south became part of Dobbs County. In 1777 yet another part became Nash County.
In 1763 the county seat was designated at the town of Tarboro. The first U.S. Census in 1790 recorded a total population of 10,255. In 1840 the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad—later renamed the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad—was completed with a line through the county, which spurred the development of the communities of Rocky Mount, Battleboro, and Sharpsburg. By 1850, the county produced significant amounts of cotton and recorded a population 17,189.
In 1855, parts of Nash, Edgecombe, Johnston, and Wayne counties were combined to form Wilson County. In the aftermath of the American Civil War, the economy of eastern North Carolina was adversely affected. In the Reconstruction era, freedmen gained political power and, as a result, three blacks were elected to the North Carolina General Assembly between 1868 and 1872 and blacks held significant influence in local government. In 1871, after significant political controversy, all parts of Edgecombe County west of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad were annexed to Nash leading to the bifurcation of the Edgecombe communities of Battleboro and Sharpsburg between the two counties. In 1883, the county was reduced to its present dimensions when part of it was annexed to Wilson.
From the Reconstruction era until the Great Depression in the 1930s, the county experienced demographic increases and the development of industry.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 506.87 square miles (1,312.8 km2), of which 505.44 square miles (1,309.1 km2) is land and 1.43 square miles (3.7 km2) (0.28%) is water.
State and local protected areas
- Lower Fishing Creek Game Land (part)
- Tar River Game Land
Major water bodies
- Cokey Swamp
- Deep Creek
- Fishing Creek
- Swift Creek
- Tar River
- Town Creek
Adjacent counties
- Halifax County – north
- Martin County – east
- Pitt County – south-southeast
- Wilson County – southwest
- Nash County – west
Major highways
Future I-87
US 13
US 64
US 64 Alt. (Princeville)
US 64 Alt. (Rocky Mount)
US 258
US 301
NC 11
NC 33
NC 42
NC 43
NC 43 Bus.
NC 97
NC 111
NC 122
NC 124
NC 142
Major infrastructure
- Carolina Connector Intermodal Terminal, owned by CSX Transportation
- Rocky Mount Station
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 10,265 | — | |
| 1800 | 10,421 | 1.5% | |
| 1810 | 12,423 | 19.2% | |
| 1820 | 13,276 | 6.9% | |
| 1830 | 14,935 | 12.5% | |
| 1840 | 15,708 | 5.2% | |
| 1850 | 17,189 | 9.4% | |
| 1860 | 17,376 | 1.1% | |
| 1870 | 22,970 | 32.2% | |
| 1880 | 26,181 | 14.0% | |
| 1890 | 24,113 | −7.9% | |
| 1900 | 26,591 | 10.3% | |
| 1910 | 32,010 | 20.4% | |
| 1920 | 37,995 | 18.7% | |
| 1930 | 47,894 | 26.1% | |
| 1940 | 49,162 | 2.6% | |
| 1950 | 51,634 | 5.0% | |
| 1960 | 54,226 | 5.0% | |
| 1970 | 52,341 | −3.5% | |
| 1980 | 55,988 | 7.0% | |
| 1990 | 56,558 | 1.0% | |
| 2000 | 55,606 | −1.7% | |
| 2010 | 56,552 | 1.7% | |
| 2020 | 48,900 | −13.5% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 48,832 | −13.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020 |
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2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 17,340 | 35.46% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 27,299 | 55.83% |
| Native American | 128 | 0.26% |
| Asian | 112 | 0.23% |
| Pacific Islander | 9 | 0.02% |
| Other/Mixed | 1,306 | 2.67% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2,706 | 5.53% |
As of the 2020 census, there were 48,900 people, 21,151 households, and 14,408 families residing in the county.
2010 census
At the 2010 census, there were 56,552 people living in the county. 57.4% were Black or African American, 38.8% White, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 2.3% of some other race and 1.0% of two or more races. 3.7% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).
Economy
Edgecombe County's unemployment has been declining from a peak of 17.1 percent in February 2010. In June 2024 the county had an unemployment rate of 6.1 percent.
Education
Edgecombe County Public Schools has 14 schools ranging from pre-kindergarten to thirteenth grade. These are separated into four high schools, four middle schools, five elementary schools, and one K–8 school. It was formed in 1993 from the merger of the old Edgecombe County Schools and Tarboro City Schools systems.
The county is home to Edgecombe Community College with campuses in Tarboro and Rocky Mount.
Communities
City
- Rocky Mount (largest community; partially located also in Nash County)
Towns
- Conetoe
- Leggett
- Macclesfield
- Pinetops
- Princeville
- Sharpsburg
- Speed
- Tarboro (county seat)
- Whitakers
Townships
The county is divided into fourteen townships, which are both numbered and named:
- 1 (Tarboro)
- 2 (Lower Conetoe)
- 3 (Upper Conetoe)
- 4 (Deep Creek)
- 5 (Lower Fishing Creek)
- 6 (Upper Fishing Creek)
- 7 (Swift Creek)
- 8 (Sparta)
- 9 (Otter Creek)
- 10 (Lower Town Creek)
- 11 (Walnut Creek)
- 12 (Rocky Mount)
- 13 (Cokey)
- 14 (Upper Town Creek)
Unincorporated communities
Notable people
- Duncan Lamont Clinch (1787–1849) – born at Ard-Lamont in Edgecombe County, American Army officer in the First and Second Seminole Wars
- Dorsey Pender (1834–1863) – born at Pender's Crossroads in Edgecombe County, Major General in the Confederate Army.
- Josiah Pender (1819-1864) – cousin to Dorsey Pender, who captured Fort Macon from Union soldiers in 1861.
- Hugh Shelton (born 1942) – four-star General and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appointed by President Clinton.
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Edgecombe para niños
