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Newport, North Carolina
Motto(s): 
"The town with old-fashioned courtesy"
Location of Newport, North Carolina
Location of Newport, North Carolina
Country United States
State North Carolina
County Carteret
Area
 • Total 7.75 sq mi (20.08 km2)
 • Land 7.69 sq mi (19.91 km2)
 • Water 0.06 sq mi (0.16 km2)
Elevation
23 ft (7 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 4,364
 • Density 567.56/sq mi (219.14/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
28570
Area code(s) 252
FIPS code 37-46860
GNIS feature ID 2406988

Newport is a town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. In 2010, about 4,150 people lived there. By 2020, the population grew to 4,364 people.

History of Newport

Newport became an official town in 1866. Before that, the area was known by other names like Bell's Corner and Shepardsville. It was located near the Newport River.

During the American Civil War, a camp for the Union Army called the Newport Barracks was here. The town was also called Shepardsville in the early 1700s, named after a local landowner.

There are two main ideas about how Newport got its name:

  • It was called "New Port" to tell it apart from the "Old Port" of Beaufort, North Carolina.
  • Early settlers, called Quakers, came from Rhode Island. They named the town "Newport" to honor their home in Newport, Rhode Island.

Early Life and Industry

In the early days, people in Newport worked in farming and logging. They also produced "naval stores," which are products like turpentine made from pine trees. These were important for building and maintaining ships.

The Newport River was once deep enough for boats to travel all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. Newport was also home to one of the first churches in Carteret County, the Newport River Primitive Baptist Church, started in 1778. The church building was burned during the Civil War but was rebuilt and is still active today.

In 1858, a railroad line, the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad, was finished. It connected Goldsboro to Beaufort, passing through Newport. Many Civil War battles and important locations were in and around Newport. Union forces stayed in Newport for much of the war.

Some homes in Newport were built for people who worked for the government or military at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point nearby.

Newport Today

The town of Newport is run by a council–manager government. This means there is a mayor, a town manager, and five town council members. They work together to make decisions for the town.

Public Safety and Services

Newport has a fire department with both paid firefighters and volunteers. This department was started in the 1940s. They also help with medical emergencies and ambulance services.

Schools in Newport

Children in Newport attend public schools like the Carteret Pre-K Center, Newport Elementary School, and Newport Middle School. There used to be a school called Newport Consolidated School, which taught students from first to twelfth grade. It was built in 1926 but was taken down in 1966. A new high school, West Carteret High, was built in Morehead City.

Former students of Newport Consolidated School have a small museum. It is located in a old depot warehouse in Newport.

Geography and Climate

Newport is located in the western part of Carteret County. U.S. Route 70, a major highway, goes through the town. This highway connects Newport to Morehead City (about 10 miles southeast) and Havelock (about 7 miles north). New Bern is about 25 miles north on US-70.

The town covers about 20 square kilometers (7.7 square miles). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.

Newport's Weather

Newport has a mild climate. The summers are usually hot and humid, while winters are generally cool. It gets a good amount of rain throughout the year.

Climate data for Newport, North Carolina (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1996–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 78
(26)
81
(27)
85
(29)
88
(31)
97
(36)
100
(38)
101
(38)
99
(37)
94
(34)
93
(34)
85
(29)
80
(27)
101
(38)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 54.3
(12.4)
56.8
(13.8)
63.1
(17.3)
71.0
(21.7)
78.3
(25.7)
83.8
(28.8)
87.1
(30.6)
86.6
(30.3)
82.0
(27.8)
73.9
(23.3)
65.4
(18.6)
58.6
(14.8)
71.7
(22.1)
Daily mean °F (°C) 44.0
(6.7)
46.4
(8.0)
52.1
(11.2)
60.3
(15.7)
68.4
(20.2)
75.5
(24.2)
79.2
(26.2)
78.4
(25.8)
73.6
(23.1)
64.0
(17.8)
54.2
(12.3)
47.6
(8.7)
62.0
(16.7)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 33.7
(0.9)
35.9
(2.2)
41.2
(5.1)
49.6
(9.8)
58.6
(14.8)
67.2
(19.6)
71.2
(21.8)
70.1
(21.2)
65.2
(18.4)
54.2
(12.3)
43.0
(6.1)
36.0
(2.2)
52.2
(11.2)
Record low °F (°C) 8
(−13)
10
(−12)
15
(−9)
24
(−4)
37
(3)
46
(8)
53
(12)
54
(12)
43
(6)
28
(−2)
20
(−7)
15
(−9)
8
(−13)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 4.61
(117)
4.14
(105)
3.67
(93)
3.52
(89)
3.22
(82)
5.00
(127)
5.97
(152)
7.75
(197)
9.57
(243)
4.44
(113)
4.78
(121)
3.97
(101)
60.64
(1,540)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 10.8 11.6 10.8 9.8 9.6 11.9 11.4 14.7 12.3 8.6 10.3 11.8 133.6
Source: NOAA

Population of Newport

The population of Newport has grown a lot over the years. Here's how it has changed:

Historical population
Census Pop.
1870 121
1880 165 36.4%
1890 218 32.1%
1900 328 50.5%
1910 321 −2.1%
1920 404 25.9%
1930 481 19.1%
1940 480 −0.2%
1950 676 40.8%
1960 861 27.4%
1970 1,735 101.5%
1980 1,883 8.5%
1990 2,516 33.6%
2000 3,349 33.1%
2010 4,150 23.9%
2020 4,364 5.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

Who Lives in Newport? (2020 Census)

In 2020, there were 4,364 people living in Newport. These people lived in 1,772 households, which means groups of people living together. There were also 1,161 families.

The table below shows the different groups of people living in Newport based on the 2020 census:

Newport racial composition
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 3,281 75.18%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 453 10.38%
Native American 28 0.64%
Asian 117 2.68%
Pacific Islander 11 0.25%
Other/Mixed 281 6.44%
Hispanic or Latino 193 4.42%

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Newport (Carolina del Norte) para niños

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