Nash County, North Carolina

History

The area eventually comprising Nash County was originally organized as a part of Edgecombe County. Settlement first occurred in the 1740s; the earliest land grants date to 1743. As the population of Edgecombe increased, citizens in the western portion of the county found it difficult to travel to the county seat of Tarboro to conduct official business. Legislator Nathan Boddie proposed to the North Carolina Provincial Congress that the county be divided. As a result, Nash was formed from all parts of Edgecombe west of the Falls of the Tar River in 1777.{{cite news| last = Olds| first = Fred A.

In 1786, the state of North Carolina conducted a census which recorded a total population of 5,277 in Nash County. The first U.S. Census in 1790 recorded a total population of 7,393, of whom 2,099 were slaves, 183 were free blacks, and the rest whites. Several early communities in Nash County developed as stops along stagecoach routes, including Dortches, Red Oak, Stanhope, Hilliardston, and Castalia. Settlement also occurred along rivers and creeks, accompanied by the construction of gristmills. In the 1830s the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad was laid, leading to further settlement. The building of a spur line in 1840 led to the eventual creation of the community of Whitakers. By the 1860s, Nash County had a population over 11,600 and an economy centered on agriculture. In 1855, parts of Nash, Edgecombe, Johnston, and Wayne counties were combined to form Wilson County. Over 1,000 men from the county fought in the American Civil War.

In 1871, after significant political controversy, all parts of Edgecombe County west of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad were annexed to Nash and a greater portion of the town of Rocky Mount also lay within Nash County's border, including Rocky Mount Mills, the second textile mill to exist in the state. In 1899, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad established repair shops in Rocky Mount, precipitating the city's rapid growth. In 1921 the county's third courthouse was built.

Geography

Nash County rests in the northeastern part of North Carolina Elevation in the county gradually rises from the east to the west.

State and local protected areas

• Flower Hill Nature Preserve (part)
• Sandy Creek Game Land (part)
• Shocco Creek Game Land (part)

Major water bodies

• Fishing Creek
• Moccasin Creek
• Pig Basket Creek
• Sapony Creek
• Stoney Creek
• Swift Creek
• Tar River
• Toisnot Swamp
• Turkey Creek

Adjacent counties

• Franklin County
• Johnston County
• Wilson County
• Edgecombe County
• Halifax County

Major highways

• (Nashville)
• (Rocky Mount)

Major infrastructure

• Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 94,970 people, 39,093 households, and 27,002 families residing in the county.

The median age was 43.1 years. 21.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.8 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 49.9% White, 38.9% Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% Asian,

50.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 49.7% lived in rural areas.

Of the households, 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 42.0% were married-couple households, 18.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 43,154 housing units, of which 9.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 63.9% were owner-occupied and 36.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.6%.

Demographic change

After decades of growth, between 2010 and 2020, Nash County recorded an almost one percent population loss.

Government and politics

Government

Nash County is run by a commission–manager government. Legislative and policy-making power is vested in a seven-member board of commissioners, with the commissioners elected in districts to serve four-year staggered terms. The board passes ordinances, adopts the county budget, and appoints the county manager. The manager wields executive authority over county administration, appoints directors of county government departments, and implement the commission's decisions. County government provides various services, including public safety, social services, cultural activities, and the provision of utilities.

Nash County is represented in the General Assembly by the Senate's 11th district and the House of Representatives' 24th and 25th districts. It lies within the bounds of North Carolina's 8th Prosecutorial District, the 8A Superior Court District, and the 8th District Court District.

Nash County is a member of the regional Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments.

Politics

From the turn of the 20th century North Carolina established barriers that effectively disfranchised the large black population, which had been supporting Republican candidates. Conservative whites voted overwhelmingly Democratic and the county and state were part of the resulting political "Solid South" county. Although it gave a plurality to Populist candidate James B. Weaver in 1892, unlike Sampson County or Alabama's Chilton County, it did not subsequently turn to the Republican Party.

Nash County would vote Democratic in every election from 1896 to 1964 – in Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman's five elections, the Republicans never received eleven percent of the county's limited electorate's ballots. Many whites supported George Wallace's American Independent candidacy in 1968, after passage of the Voting Rights Act. More voted Republican for the first time in 1972.

While Nash voters supported favorite son and Southern Democrat Jimmy Carter in 1976, the county's majority white voters shifted to Republican candidates from 1980 to 2004. But the last four elections have been closely contested. The margin of victory has been less than 1,000 votes in every election since. Nash County has emerged in recent years as a swing county and a bellwether county. As of 2024, it is the only North Carolina county to support the winning U.S. presidential election four times in a row, supporting Barack Obama in 2012, Donald Trump in 2016, Joe Biden in 2020, and Trump in 2024. In 2024, it also split its majority vote between Republican and Democratic statewide candidates.

Sheriff

The Sheriff's Office provides police services for the unincorporated areas of the county.

Economy

As of 2023, the biggest sectors in Nash County's economy were manufacturing, healthcare and social services, retail, food and accommodation services, and education. The largest private employer is Hospira, which operates a vaccine manufacturing facility in Rocky Mount.

As of 2023, over 40 percent of the county's area is cultivated farmland. Its top agricultural products are poultry, eggs, tobacco, and sweet potatoes. Nash is one of the top sweet potato-producing counties in the state.

Communities

Cities

• Rocky Mount (largest community; parts located in Edgecombe County)

Towns

• Bailey
• Castalia
• Dortches
• Elm City (part)
• Middlesex
• Momeyer
• Nashville (county seat)
• Red Oak
• Spring Hope
• Sharpsburg (part)
• Whitakers (part)
• Zebulon (part)

Townships

• Bailey
• Castalia
• Coopers
• Dry Wells
• Ferrells
• Griffins
• Jackson
• Mannings
• Nashville
• North Whitakers
• Oak Level
• Red Oak
• Rocky Mount
• South Whitakers
• Spring Hope
• Stony Creek

Unincorporated community

• Corinth

Notes

References

Works cited

References

1. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
2. "History of Nash County". Nash County, North Carolina.
3. Fernelius, Katie Jane. (March 24, 2021). "Rocky Mount Is Dead. Long Live Rocky Mount".
4. Kelley, Lucas. "The Historical Origins of the 1871 Nash-Edgecombe County Line". Community Histories Workshop, [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]].
5. (August 23, 2022). "2020 County Gazetteer Files – North Carolina". United States Census Bureau.
6. "NCWRC Game Lands".
7. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Nash County, North Carolina". [[United States Census Bureau]].
8. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Nash County, North Carolina".
9. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Nash County, North Carolina".
10. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
11. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
12. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
13. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
14. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
15. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
16. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
17. (April 2, 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
18. (April 2020). "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
19. "QuickFacts: Nash County, North Carolina". United States Census Bureau.
20. Barkin, Dan. (October 17, 2021). "20 miles from Raleigh, Nash County launches new economic development effort". Business North Carolina.
21. "Nash County Representation : 2023-2024 Session". North Carolina General Assembly.
22. "Nash County". North Carolina Judicial Branch.
23. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
24. (November 4, 2022). "Anatomy of a swing state: What these 6 counties tell us about the upcoming NC election". The Charlotte Observer.
25. (November 7, 2024). "NC county gets presidential prediction right yet again by backing Trump in 2024". The Charlotte Observer.
26. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
27. Doran, Will. (January 6, 2025). "Bank seeks $40M in unpaid loans from NC senator's family farm. She says it's 'offensive'". Capitol Broadcasting Company.
28. Ellis, Kevin. (February 23, 2024). "Sweetpotato or sweet potato? Here’s why N.C. group says one word is right". Business North Carolina.