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2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Cities and towns |
History
The county was formed December 3, 1705, as Wickham Precinct, one of three precincts within Bath County. The name "Wickham" was derived from the manor of "Temple Wycombe" in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom, the family home of John Archdale, Governor of North and South Carolina from 1695 to 1696. In 1712 it was renamed Hyde Precinct, for Edward Hyde, Governor of North Carolina from 1711 to 1712. In 1739 Bath County was abolished, and Hyde Precinct became Hyde County.
Various boundary adjustments followed. In 1745 Lake Mattamuskeet and its adjoining territory were transferred from Currituck County to Hyde County. In 1819 the part of Hyde County west of the Pungo River was annexed to Beaufort County. In 1823 the part of Currituck County south of New Inlet was annexed to Hyde County. In 1845 Ocracoke Island was transferred from Carteret County to Hyde County. In 1870 Hyde County was reduced to its present dimensions, when its northeastern part was combined with parts of Currituck County and Tyrrell County to form Dare County.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,688 km² (1,424 mi²). 1,587 km² (613 mi²) of it is land and 2,101 km² (811 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 56.97% water.
Townships
The county is divided into five townships: Currituck, Fairfield, Lake Landing, Ocracoke, and Swan Quarter. A sixth township, Mattamuskeet, is now "unorganized territory" occupied by the federally controlled Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge.
Adjacent Counties
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 5,826 people, 2,185 households, and 1,433 families residing in the county. The population density is 4/km² (10/mi²). There are 3,302 housing units at an average density of 2/km² (5/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 62.65% White, 35.07% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.84% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 2.25% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,185 households out of which 26.40% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.70% are married couples living together, 13.10% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.40% are non-families. 30.60% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.90% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.36 and the average family size is 2.94.
In the county the population is spread out with 20.40% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 112.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 115.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $28,444, and the median income for a family is $35,558. Males have a median income of $25,216 versus $20,482 for females. The per capita income for the county is $13,164. 15.40% of the population and 10.30% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 19.50% are under the age of 18 and 23.00% are 65 or older.