Northampton County, North Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Northampton County
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Northampton County Courthouse in Jackson
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| Motto(s):
"Living is Easy"
"Rich Tradition" |
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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 | James Compton, 5th Earl of Northampton | ||||
| Seat | Jackson | ||||
| Largest community | Gaston | ||||
| Area | |||||
| • Total | 550.56 sq mi (1,425.9 km2) | ||||
| • Land | 536.70 sq mi (1,390.0 km2) | ||||
| • Water | 13.86 sq mi (35.9 km2) 2.52% | ||||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 17,471 | ||||
| • Estimate
(2023)
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16,715 | ||||
| • Density | 32.55/sq mi (12.57/km2) | ||||
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | ||||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | ||||
| Congressional district | 1st | ||||
Northampton County (
i/nɔːrˈθæmptən/ nor-THAMP-tən) is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,471. Its county seat is Jackson.
Northampton County is part of the Roanoke Rapids, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Rocky Mount-Wilson-Roanoke Rapids, NC Combined Statistical Area.
Contents
History
The area was first organized under English colonial authority as the Albemarle Precinct. In 1729 part of Albemarle was split off to form Bertie County. Northampton County was formed from part of Bertie in 1741.
It was named for James Compton, 5th Earl of Northampton. In 1759 parts of Northampton County, Bertie County, and Chowan County were combined to form Hertford County.
In 1959, the county went to the U.S. Supreme Court to defend the use of a literacy test as a requirement to vote. In Lassiter v. Northampton County Board of Elections, the court held that, provided the tests were applied equally to all races and were not "merely a device to make racial discrimination easy," they were allowable. Congress subsequently prohibited use of such tests under the National Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 550.56 square miles (1,425.9 km2), of which 536.70 square miles (1,390.0 km2) is land and 13.86 square miles (35.9 km2) (2.52%) is water.
State and local protected areas
- Lake Gaston Public Recreation Area (part)
- Roanoke Rapids Lake Day Use Area (part)
- Upper Roanoke River Wetlands Game Land (part)
Major water bodies
- Bull Neck Swamp
- Corduroy Swamp
- Doolittle Millpond
- Gumberry Swamp
- Lake Gaston
- Meherrin River
- Occoneechee Creek
- Paddys Delight Creek
- Potecasi Creek
- Ramsey Creek
- Roanoke Rapids Lake
- Roanoke River
- Taylors Millpond
- Urahaw Swamp
Adjacent counties
- Greensville County, Virginia - north
- Southampton County, Virginia - northeast
- Hertford County - east
- Bertie County - southeast
- Halifax County - southwest
- Warren County - northwest
- Brunswick County, Virginia - north-northwest
Major highways
I-95
US 158
US 158 Byp. (bypass of Garysburg)
US 258
US 301
NC 35
NC 46
NC 48
NC 186
NC 305
NC 308
NC 561
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 9,992 | — | |
| 1800 | 12,353 | 23.6% | |
| 1810 | 13,082 | 5.9% | |
| 1820 | 13,242 | 1.2% | |
| 1830 | 13,391 | 1.1% | |
| 1840 | 13,369 | −0.2% | |
| 1850 | 13,335 | −0.3% | |
| 1860 | 13,372 | 0.3% | |
| 1870 | 14,749 | 10.3% | |
| 1880 | 20,032 | 35.8% | |
| 1890 | 21,242 | 6.0% | |
| 1900 | 21,150 | −0.4% | |
| 1910 | 22,323 | 5.5% | |
| 1920 | 23,184 | 3.9% | |
| 1930 | 27,161 | 17.2% | |
| 1940 | 28,299 | 4.2% | |
| 1950 | 28,432 | 0.5% | |
| 1960 | 26,811 | −5.7% | |
| 1970 | 24,009 | −10.5% | |
| 1980 | 22,584 | −5.9% | |
| 1990 | 20,798 | −7.9% | |
| 2000 | 22,086 | 6.2% | |
| 2010 | 22,099 | 0.1% | |
| 2020 | 17,471 | −20.9% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 16,715 | −24.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020 |
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2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 6,835 | 39.12% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 9,649 | 55.23% |
| Native American | 43 | 0.25% |
| Asian | 27 | 0.15% |
| Pacific Islander | 4 | 0.02% |
| Other/Mixed | 560 | 3.21% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 353 | 2.02% |
As of the 2020 census, there were 17,471 people, 8,547 households, and 5,610 families residing in the county.
2010 census
At the 2010 census, there were 22,099 people living in the county; 58.4% were Black or African American, 39.2% White, 0.5% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.8% of some other race and 1.0% of two or more races. 1.4% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).
Education
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction rated the county school system as "low-performing" for the 2021–2022 school year. A school system is considered low-performing if a majority of its schools are. A school is considered low-performing if it receives a D or F, unless it has exceeded expectations. Each of the schools had "met expectations" except where specified otherwise.
The department's appraisal of the schools was as follows:
- Central Elementary: D
- Willis Hare Elementary: F
- Gaston STEM Leadership Academy: F
- Conway Middle: D (exceeded expectations)
- Northampton Early College: B (no expectations were set)
- Northampton County High School: D (did not meet expectations)
- Northampton Virtual Academy: N/A
Communities
Towns
Unincorporated communities
Townships
- Gaston
- Jackson
- Kirby
- Occoneechee
- Pleasant Hill
- Rich Square
- Roanoke
- Seaboard
- Wiccanee
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Northampton (Carolina del Norte) para niños
