Tyrrell County is a county located in the U.S. State of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population is 4,149. Its county seat is Columbia6.
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2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Cities and Towns |
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 was left 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 1,555 km² (600 mi²). 1,010 km² (390 mi²) of it is land and 545 km² (210 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 35.05% water.
Townships
The county is divided into five townships: Alligator, Columbia, Gum Neck, Scuppernong, and South Fork.
Adjacent Counties
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 4,149 people, 1,537 households, and 1,055 families residing in the county. The population density is 4/km² (11/mi²). There are 2,032 housing units at an average density of 2/km² (5/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 56.47% White, 39.43% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 2.05% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. 3.62% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 1,537 households out of which 28.60% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.40% are married couples living together, 16.60% have a female householder with no husband present, and 31.30% are non-families. 28.20% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.40% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.42 and the average family size is 2.95.
In the county the population is spread out with 22.70% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 30.30% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.10% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 114.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 114.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $25,684, and the median income for a family is $32,468. Males have a median income of $26,227 versus $18,403 for females. The per capita income for the county is $13,326. 23.30% of the population and 19.10% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 31.50% are under the age of 18 and 20.80% are 65 or older.