History
Kinston was incorporated in 1762 as Kingston, in honor of King George III. The bill to incorporate it was introduced by Richard Caswell, who made his home there and later served as the first Governor of the State of North Carolina from 1776 to 1780. The conclusion of the American Revolutionary War brought a change of name to Kinston in 1784. In 1833 Kinston became Caswell, in honor of the governor, but reverted to Kinston the following year.
Geography
Kinston is located at 35°16'14" North, 77°35'6" West (35.270676, -77.585130)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 43.7 km² (16.9 mi²). 43.3 km² (16.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.95% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 23,688 people, 9,829 households, and 6,074 families residing in the city. The population density is 546.7/km² (1,415.7/mi²). There are 11,229 housing units at an average density of 259.1/km² (671.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 35.27% White, 62.64% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 1.14% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 9,829 households out of which 28.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.7% are married couples living together, 22.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% are non-families. 34.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 16.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.29 and the average family size is 2.94.
In the city the population is spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 41 years. For every 100 females there are 81.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 74.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $26,630, and the median income for a family is $35,867. Males have a median income of $28,688 versus $21,442 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,779. 23.0% of the population and 19.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 32.0% are under the age of 18 and 18.9% are 65 or older.