Tyrrell County, North Carolina

History

The county was formed in 1729 as Tyrrell Precinct of Albemarle County, from parts of Bertie Precinct, Chowan Precinct, Currituck Precinct, and Pasquotank Precinct. It was named for Sir John Tyrrell, one of the Lords Proprietors of Carolina.

With the abolition of Albemarle County in 1739, all of its constituent precincts became counties. In 1774, the western part of Tyrrell County was combined with part of Halifax County to form Martin County. In 1799, the western third of what remained of Tyrrell County became Washington County. In 1870, the half of Tyrrell County east of the Alligator River was combined with parts of Currituck County and Hyde County to form Dare County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 597.18 sqmi, of which 390.78 sqmi is land and 206.40 sqmi (34.56%) is water. Tyrrell County, due to its proximity to the Outer Banks, has been designated as part of the Inner Banks.

Wildlife in the county includes bears, red wolves, and pitcher plants.

National protected area

• Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (part)

State and local protected areas

• Alligator River Game Land
• Alligator River Area Outstanding Resource Water (part)
• Buckridge Coastal Reserve Dedicated Nature Preserve
• Buckridge Game Land
• Emily and Richardson Preyer Buckridge Coastal Reserve
• Emily and Richardson Preyer Buckridge Reserve (part)
• J. Morgan Futch Game Land
• Lantern Acres Game Land (part)
• New Lake Game Land
• Palmetto-Peartree Preserve
• Pettigrew State Park (part)
• Texas Plantation Game Land

Major water bodies

• Albemarle Sound
• Alligator River
• The Frying Pan
• Intracoastal Waterway
• Lake Phelps
• Scuppernong River

Adjacent counties

• Perquimans County – north
• Pasquotank County – north
• Camden County – north
• Currituck County – northeast
• Dare County – east
• Hyde County – south
• Washington County – west
• Chowan County – northwest

Major highways

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Tyrrell County had 3,245 residents, making it North Carolina's least-populous county.

The median age was 47.2 years, 20.7% of residents were younger than 18, and 22.0% were 65 or older; for every 100 females there were 94.0 males and 90.8 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 58.6% White, 28.9% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% Asian,

Less than 0.1% of residents lived in urban areas while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,444 households, of which 26.7% had children under 18; 40.5% were married-couple households, 22.2% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 31.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 34.2% of all households consisted of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older.

There were 1,999 housing units, with 27.8% vacant. Among occupied units, 71.2% were owner-occupied and 28.8% were renter-occupied; the homeowner vacancy rate stood at 2.9% and the rental vacancy rate at 8.9%.

Demographic change

Tyrrell County's population peaked in 1940 with 5,556 residents. The population subsequently declined to about 4,000 residents, where it remained for several decades before shrinking further due to outmigration fueled by diminished job opportunities. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Tyrrell's population dropped by 26 percent, the largest population drop by percentage in the state.

Government and politics

Tyrrell County is governed by a five-member Board of County Commissioners. The elections for County Commissioners are partisan and at large. To save money, some of Tyrrell's government services are consolidated with other neighboring rural counties such as Hyde and Washington.

Tyrrell County is a member of the Albemarle Commission, a regional economic development organization which serves several counties in eastern North Carolina.

In 2022, Tyrrell County is represented by Ed Goodwin in the 1st district in the North Carolina House of Representatives and Bobby Hanig in the 1st district in the North Carolina Senate.

In the 2020 elections in Tyrrell County, Republicans took more votes than Democrats in federal and statewide contests.

Economy

Tyrrell County's economy is heavily reliant on agriculture—with its largest crop being potatoes

Communities

Town

• Columbia (county seat and largest community)

Townships

• Alligator
• Columbia
• Gum Neck
• Scuppernong
• South Fork

Unincorporated communities

• Fort Landing
• Frying Pan
• Jerry
• Pleasant View
• Kilkenny

References

References

1. Bangma, Peter. (2006). "Tyrrell County". [[University of North Carolina Press]].
2. "NC Pronunciation Guide". WRAL.
3. [https://library.unc.edu/wilson/ncc/talk-like-a-tar-heel/ Talk Like a Tarheel] {{Webarchive. link. (June 22, 2013 , from the North Carolina Collection website at the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]]. Retrieved August 16, 2023.)
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
5. (August 23, 2022). "2020 County Gazetteer Files – North Carolina". United States Census Bureau.
6. (July 31, 2006). "Series: The New Waterfront". News and Observer.
7. "NCWRC Game Lands".
8. Fuss, J. David. (October 11, 2001). "Restoration And Management Plan For The Emily And Richardson Preyer Buckridge Coastal Reserve, Tyrrell County, North Carolina".
9. Kozak, Catherine. (April 28, 2019). "Increased Flooding Plagues Tyrrell County". North Carolina Coastal Federation.
10. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
11. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
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14. (April 2, 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
15. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
16. "QuickFacts: Tyrrell County, North Carolina". United States Census Bureau.
17. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Tyrrell County, North Carolina". [[United States Census Bureau]].
18. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Tyrrell County, North Carolina".
19. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Tyrrell County, North Carolina".
20. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
21. Tester, Brandon. (August 12, 2021). "2020 Census: Beaufort County's population decreased by 6.5%". Washington Daily News.
22. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
23. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
24. Campbell, Colin. (October 31, 2021). "Tiny Tyrrell County wants to grow". Business North Carolina.
25. "About Us".
26. (February 1, 2019). "Report: COG Director Had Conflict of Interest". North Carolina Coastal Federation.
27. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
28. McClees, Ray. (November 10, 2020). "Republicans led Tyrrell vote results". Washington Daily News.
29. Igelman, Jack. (September 15, 2021). "Changing climate poses burden as people count on fishing". Carolina Public Press.