Hertford County | |
|---|---|
 Hertford County Courthouse in Winton | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofNorth Carolina | |
 North Carolina's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:36°22′N76°59′W / 36.36°N 76.98°W /36.36; -76.98 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  North Carolina |
| Founded | 1759 |
| Named after | Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford |
| Seat | Winton |
| Largest community | Ahoskie |
| Area | |
• Total | 360.40 sq mi (933.4 km2) |
| • Land | 353.16 sq mi (914.7 km2) |
| • Water | 7.24 sq mi (18.8 km2) 2.01% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 21,552 |
• Estimate (2024) | 19,169 |
| • Density | 61.03/sq mi (23.56/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | www |
Hertford County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofNorth Carolina. As of the2020 census, the population was 21,552.[1] Itscounty seat isWinton.[2] It is classified within the region known in the 21st century as theInner Banks.
Hertford County is home of theMeherrin Indian Tribe, descendants ofindigenous people who had inhabited the region for many centuries. After decades of encroachment by English colonists, the Tribe moved south from Virginia, where they settled in 1706 on a reservation abandoned by theChowanoke. This six-square-mile reservation was at Parker's Ferry near the mouth of theMeherrin River. It was confirmed by a treaty of 1726.[3] However, they were not able to keep the reservation lands.[citation needed]
European explorers and surveyors visited the land in the late 1500s and 1600s.[4] The first land grant to a European settler dates to 1703.[5] Early settlers were of English, Scottish, Scotch-Irish, Irish, and French descent. They introduced aplantation system of agriculture.[6] Between the eventual communities of Winton, Ahoskie, and Cofield, a community of nonwhite people arose in what would eventually be dubbed the Winton Triangle. The first recorded nonwhite landowner in the area dates to the 1740s.[7]
A new county was first proposed by Representative John Campbell of the North Carolina colonial legislature on December 12, 1758, when he presented the body with a petition from area residents who were frustrated by the distances they had to travel to attend court sessions.[8][9] Representative Benjamin Wynns introduced another bill in 1759 following the presentation of a second petition and it was passed and ratified as law on December 19, 1759,[9] creating Hertford County from parts ofBertie County,Chowan County, andNorthampton County, effective May 1, 1760. It was named forFrancis Seymour-Conway, Marquess of Hertford.[10] The county court convened at Cotton's Ferry until the town of Winton was incorporated upon land gifted by Wynns and designated the seat of government in 1766,[11][12] and a courthouse was subsequently constructed.[12] In 1764, the border between Hertford and Northampton was slightly altered.[9] In 1779, parts of Hertford County were combined with parts of Chowan County andPerquimans County to formGates County.[13] In 1830 the original courthouse was burned,[12] but was subsequently rebuilt.[14]
Hertford's economy prospered in theAntebellum period, underpinned by slavery-supported agriculture and the use of the Meherrin and Chowan rivers as trade routes to southern Virginia.Murfreesboro developed with the construction of several large homes funded by the prosperity. TheChowan Baptist Female Institute was also created in the county in 1841.[15] The1860 U.S. census recorded the county's population at 9,504 people, of whom 47 percent were enslaved and about 12 percent were free people of color.[7]
During theAmerican Civil War, North Carolina seceded from the United States and joined theConfederate States of America.[16] Men from Hertford County served in severalConfederate States Army infantry and cavalry units.[17] Federal forces intervened in eastern North Carolina early in the conflict, and in February 1862 theycapturedRoanoke Island,[16] exposing territory along the Chowan River vulnerable to further penetration.[17] Federal gunboats were subsequently dispatched up the river to destroy rail bridges north of Winton but were repulsed in an ambush by Confederate artillery.[18] The following day federal troops landed at Winton and set most of its buildings ablaze,[19][17] including the county courthouse,[20] leading to the loss of numerous official county records and documents.[7]
After the war, Winton slowly rebuilt, with a new courthouse erected in 1870. The county's economy continued to be based in agriculture,[21] though it underwent changes. The abolition of slavery led to the adoption of a tenant farming system and increasing emphasis was placed on the cottoncash crop, leading to a decline in subsistence farming. Peanut cultivation was introduced in about 1880 and eventually overtook cotton production.[6] The local lumber and fishing industries grew in importance in the latter portion of the 19th century.[21] In 1877, a small portion of Bertie was annexed to Hertford.[9] In 1884, theAtlantic Coast Line Railroad began construction on itsNorfolk—Rocky Mount Line, which traveled through the Hertford communities of Ahoskie, Cofield, and Tunis.[22] The railroad fueled growth in Ahoskie, drawing industry and leading it to surpass Winton as the county's most economically significant town.[23][15]
In 1907, Hertford County's boundary with Northampton County was further delineated by state law.[9] Damage to cotton crops by theboll weevil in the early 1900s led the county's agricultural sector to diversify into livestock as well as tobacco and the production of fruits and vegetables. In the 1950s, the county government invested in the construction of new facilities, including the erection of a new courthouse in 1956.[23]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 360.40 square miles (933.4 km2), of which 353.16 square miles (914.7 km2) is land and 7.24 square miles (18.8 km2) (2.01%) is water.[24]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 5,949 | — | |
| 1800 | 6,701 | 12.6% | |
| 1810 | 6,052 | −9.7% | |
| 1820 | 7,712 | 27.4% | |
| 1830 | 8,537 | 10.7% | |
| 1840 | 7,484 | −12.3% | |
| 1850 | 8,142 | 8.8% | |
| 1860 | 9,504 | 16.7% | |
| 1870 | 9,273 | −2.4% | |
| 1880 | 11,843 | 27.7% | |
| 1890 | 13,851 | 17.0% | |
| 1900 | 14,294 | 3.2% | |
| 1910 | 15,436 | 8.0% | |
| 1920 | 16,294 | 5.6% | |
| 1930 | 17,542 | 7.7% | |
| 1940 | 19,352 | 10.3% | |
| 1950 | 21,453 | 10.9% | |
| 1960 | 22,718 | 5.9% | |
| 1970 | 23,529 | 3.6% | |
| 1980 | 23,368 | −0.7% | |
| 1990 | 22,523 | −3.6% | |
| 2000 | 22,601 | 0.3% | |
| 2010 | 24,669 | 9.2% | |
| 2020 | 21,552 | −12.6% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 19,169 | [26] | −11.1% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[27] 1790–1960[28] 1900–1990[29] 1990–2000[30] 2010[31] 2020[1] | |||
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 6,721 | 31.19% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 12,215 | 56.68% |
| Native American | 188 | 0.87% |
| Asian | 113 | 0.52% |
| Pacific Islander | 3 | 0.01% |
| Other/Mixed | 733 | 3.4% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 1,579 | 7.33% |
As of the2020 census, there were 21,552 people, 8,845 households, and 5,419 families residing in the county.
At the2010 census,[33] there were 24,669 people, 8,953 households, and 6,240 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 64 people per square mile (25 people/km2). There were 9,724 housing units at an average density of 28 units per square mile (11 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 60.5%Black orAfrican American, 35.6%White, 1.1%Native American, 0.5%Asian, 0.0%Pacific Islander, 0.8% fromother races, and 1.0% from two or more races. 1.4% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 8,953 households, out of which 30.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.80% weremarried couples living together, 19.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.30% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.30% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 85.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,422, and the median income for a family was $32,002. Males had a median income of $26,730 versus $20,144 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $15,641. About 15.90% of families and 18.30% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 21.30% of those under age 18 and 21.00% of those age 65 or over.
Hertford County is a member of theMid-East Commission regional council of governments.
As of October 2022, 66 percent of registered voters in Hertford County are Democrats—the highest Democratic registration rate statewide—while Republicans have their lowest county registration rate.[34]
Rivers Correctional Institution, a private prison operated by theGEO Group which operates under contract from theFederal Bureau of Prisons and houses many felons who committed crimes in Washington, DC, is 1 mile (1.6 km) fromWinton.[35]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 61 | 6.72% | 742 | 81.72% | 105 | 11.56% |
| 1916 | 209 | 17.61% | 977 | 82.31% | 1 | 0.08% |
| 1920 | 221 | 16.68% | 1,104 | 83.32% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 164 | 14.92% | 932 | 84.80% | 3 | 0.27% |
| 1928 | 393 | 27.62% | 1,030 | 72.38% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 88 | 4.56% | 1,835 | 95.08% | 7 | 0.36% |
| 1936 | 84 | 3.48% | 2,327 | 96.52% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 92 | 3.60% | 2,464 | 96.40% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 125 | 5.89% | 1,996 | 94.11% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 196 | 8.04% | 2,165 | 88.80% | 77 | 3.16% |
| 1952 | 579 | 16.84% | 2,859 | 83.16% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 729 | 21.21% | 2,708 | 78.79% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 781 | 20.10% | 3,105 | 79.90% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 994 | 20.09% | 3,953 | 79.91% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,125 | 17.04% | 3,275 | 49.60% | 2,203 | 33.36% |
| 1972 | 2,794 | 58.34% | 1,928 | 40.26% | 67 | 1.40% |
| 1976 | 1,517 | 27.53% | 3,986 | 72.34% | 7 | 0.13% |
| 1980 | 1,854 | 30.59% | 4,102 | 67.69% | 104 | 1.72% |
| 1984 | 3,176 | 41.27% | 4,498 | 58.45% | 21 | 0.27% |
| 1988 | 2,977 | 37.54% | 4,943 | 62.33% | 10 | 0.13% |
| 1992 | 2,208 | 28.78% | 4,609 | 60.08% | 855 | 11.14% |
| 1996 | 1,823 | 25.86% | 4,856 | 68.89% | 370 | 5.25% |
| 2000 | 2,382 | 30.16% | 5,484 | 69.44% | 31 | 0.39% |
| 2004 | 2,942 | 36.18% | 5,141 | 63.22% | 49 | 0.60% |
| 2008 | 3,089 | 29.00% | 7,513 | 70.54% | 48 | 0.45% |
| 2012 | 3,007 | 27.54% | 7,843 | 71.84% | 68 | 0.62% |
| 2016 | 3,099 | 30.42% | 6,910 | 67.84% | 177 | 1.74% |
| 2020 | 3,479 | 32.72% | 7,097 | 66.74% | 58 | 0.55% |
| 2024 | 3,561 | 36.18% | 6,191 | 62.90% | 91 | 0.92% |
Hertford County benefits from a larger industrial presence than some of its neighboring counties.[15] Several large employers are located in Hertford County, including a privately runfederal prison,Chowan University, aNucor steel mill, severalPerdue poultry processing facilities, analuminum extrusion facility inWinton, and a lumber-processing facility inAhoskie. These industries, combined with a typical range of local retail, restaurant and service businesses, combine to give Hertford County one of the lowest unemployment rates inNortheastern North Carolina. The larger area has historically lagged behind the rest of the state in terms of economic development.
Hertford County Public Schools has seven schools ranging frompre-kindergarten totwelfth grade. These include threehigh schools (the main high school beingHertford County High School), onemiddle school, and threeelementary schools.[37] TheNorth Carolina Department of Public Instruction rated the county school system as "low-performing" for the 2021–2022 school year.[38]
Hertford County is served by theRoanoke-Chowan News-Herald newspaper. There are five radio stations in Hertford County: WDLZ FM 98.3, an Adult Contemporary radio station and WWDR AM 1080, an Adult Urban Contemporary radio station, are located in Murfreesboro. WQDK FM 99.3, a Country Music radio station and WRCS AM 970, an Urban Gospel radio station, are located in Ahoskie. WBKU FM 91.7, a non-commercial, Contemporary Christian Music radio station which also broadcasts programming from theAmerican Family Radio network, is located in Ahoskie.
Geographic data related toHertford County, North Carolina atOpenStreetMapPlaces adjacent to Hertford County, North Carolina | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofHertford County, North Carolina,United States | ||
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