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New Hanover County, North Carolina facts for kids

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New Hanover County
New Hanover County Courthouse
Flag of New Hanover County
Flag
Official seal of New Hanover County
Seal
Motto(s): 
"The model of good governance"
Map of North Carolina highlighting New Hanover County
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
Map of the United States highlighting North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  North Carolina
Founded 1729
Named for House of Hanover
Seat Wilmington
Largest community Wilmington
Area
 • Total 328.86 sq mi (851.7 km2)
 • Land 192.26 sq mi (498.0 km2)
 • Water 136.60 sq mi (353.8 km2)  41.54%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 225,702
 • Estimate 
(2023)
238,852
 • Density 1,173.94/sq mi (453.26/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 7th

New Hanover County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 225,702. Though the second-smallest county in North Carolina by land area, it is one of the most populous, as its county seat, Wilmington, is one of the state's largest communities. The county was created in 1729 as New Hanover Precinct and gained county status in 1739. New Hanover County is included in the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which also includes neighboring Pender and Brunswick counties.

History

Located in the Low Country or Tidewater of North Carolina, the county was formed in 1729 as New Hanover Precinct of Bath County, from Craven Precinct. It was named for the House of Hanover, a German royal family then ruling Great Britain.

In 1734 parts of New Hanover Precinct became Bladen Precinct and Onslow Precinct. With the abolition of Bath County in 1739, all of its constituent precincts became counties.

In 1750 the northern part of New Hanover County became Duplin County. In 1764 another part of New Hanover County was combined with part of Bladen County to form Brunswick County. Finally, in 1875 the separation of northern New Hanover County to form Pender County reduced it to its present dimensions. The county was developed as plantations, largely for the cultivation of tobacco and other commodity crops by enslaved African Americans.

By 1860, the county seat and county were majority-black in population, with most of those people enslaved. Some of the closing battles of the American Civil War took place in this county, including the Second Battle of Fort Fisher (the last major coastal stronghold of the Confederacy) and the Battle of Wilmington. White Democrats were resentful when freedmen were given the vote.

Following the Reconstruction era, white Democrats regained control of the state legislature and continued to impose white supremacy across the state through Jim Crow laws. Violence by whites against blacks increased in the late 19th century.

Racial terrorism on a larger scale took place in the Wilmington Insurrection of 1898, when a group of white Democrats rejected a duly elected, biracial city government. After overthrowing the Fusionist government, the mayor and city council, they led mobs that rioted and attacked the city's black neighborhoods and residents. A total of 60 to 300 blacks are believed to have been killed in the rioting, leaders were driven out of the city, and the presses of a black-owned newspaper were destroyed, along with many houses and businesses.

The insurrection was planned by a group of nine conspirators, who included Hugh MacRae. He later donated land to New Hanover County for a park; it was named in his honor. A plaque was installed there explaining the donation and his life; it does not refer to his role in the 1898 coup d'état.

Soon after, the state passed a new constitution raising barriers to voter registration: this effectively disenfranchised most blacks and imposed Jim Crow laws, forcing blacks out of the political system and into legal second-class status. These civil rights injustices were largely maintained into the 1960s, three generations later.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 328 square miles (850 km2), of which 192 square miles (500 km2) is land and 137 square miles (350 km2) (42%) is water. It is the second-smallest county in North Carolina by land area (ahead of only Chowan County).

Islands

Adjacent counties

Major highways

  • I-40
  • I-140 / NC 140
  • US 17

  • US 17 Bus.
  • US 74
  • US 76
  • US 117
  • US 421

  • US 421 Truck
  • NC 132
  • NC 133
  • NC 211

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1790 6,837
1800 7,060 3.3%
1810 11,465 62.4%
1820 10,866 −5.2%
1830 10,959 0.9%
1840 13,312 21.5%
1850 17,668 32.7%
1860 21,715 22.9%
1870 27,978 28.8%
1880 21,376 −23.6%
1890 24,026 12.4%
1900 25,785 7.3%
1910 32,037 24.2%
1920 40,620 26.8%
1930 43,010 5.9%
1940 47,935 11.5%
1950 63,272 32.0%
1960 71,742 13.4%
1970 82,996 15.7%
1980 103,471 24.7%
1990 120,284 16.2%
2000 160,307 33.3%
2010 202,667 26.4%
2020 225,702 11.4%
2023 (est.) 238,852 17.9%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010 2020

2020 census

New Hanover County racial composition
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 167,150 74.06%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 26,974 11.95%
Native American 678 0.3%
Asian 3,468 1.54%
Pacific Islander 148 0.07%
Other/Mixed 9,984 4.42%
Hispanic or Latino 17,300 7.66%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 225,702 people, 100,189 households, and 56,160 families residing in the county.

Education

The county is served by New Hanover County Schools.

Healthcare

New Hanover Regional Medical Center is a hospital in Wilmington. It was established in 1967 as a public hospital, and it was the first hospital in the city to admit patients of all races. It was operated by New Hanover County. In February 2021 Novant Health, a nonprofit private organization, acquired the hospital.

Communities

Map of New Hanover County North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels
Map of New Hanover County, North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

City

Towns

Townships

  • Cape Fear
  • Federal Point
  • Harnett
  • Masonboro
  • Wilmington

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Notable people

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de New Hanover para niños

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