New Hanover County, North Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
New Hanover County
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| Motto(s):
"The model of good governance"
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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 | 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)
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| • Total | 225,702 | ||
| • Estimate
(2023)
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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.
Contents
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
- Pender County - north
- Brunswick County - west
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 |
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2020 census
| 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
City
- Wilmington (county seat)
Towns
Townships
- Cape Fear
- Federal Point
- Harnett
- Masonboro
- Wilmington
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
Notable people
- Michael Jordan, NBA player
- Meadowlark Lemon, NBA player for the Harlem Globetrotters
See also
In Spanish: Condado de New Hanover para niños
