Tyrrell County, North Carolina

Tyrrell County (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="North Carolina Collection">Talk Like a Tarheel Template:Webarchive, from the North Carolina Collection website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved August 16, 2023.</ref> is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,245,<ref name="2020CensusQuickFacts"/> making it the least populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Columbia.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref>

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

Template:Maplink According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (34.56%) is water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Tyrrell County, due to its proximity to the Outer Banks, has been designated as part of the Inner Banks.<ref name="N&O">Template:Cite news</ref>

Wildlife in the county includes bears, red wolves, and pitcher plants.<ref name= campbell/>

National protected area

• Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (part)<ref name= campbell/>

State and local protected areas

• Alligator River Game Land<ref name="NCWRC Game Lands">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Alligator River Area Outstanding Resource Water (part)
• Buckridge Coastal Reserve Dedicated Nature Preserve
• Buckridge Game Land<ref name="NCWRC Game Lands"/>
• Emily and Richardson Preyer Buckridge Coastal Reserve
• Emily and Richardson Preyer Buckridge Reserve (part)
• J. Morgan Futch Game Land<ref name= kozak/>
• Lantern Acres Game Land (part)<ref name="NCWRC Game Lands"/>
• New Lake Game Land<ref name="NCWRC Game Lands"/>
• Palmetto-Peartree Preserve<ref name= kozak/>
• Pettigrew State Park (part)
• Texas Plantation Game Land<ref name="NCWRC Game Lands"/>

Major water bodies

• Albemarle Sound
• Alligator River
• The Frying Pan<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 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

• Template:Jct<ref name= campbell/>
• Template:Jct
• Template:Jct<ref name= kozak>Template:Cite web</ref>

Demographics

2020 census

Tyrrell County racial composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	1,879	57.9%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	934	28.78%
Native American	5	0.15%
Asian	43	1.33%
Other/Mixed	112	3.45%
Hispanic or Latino	272	8.38%

As of the 2020 census, there were 3,245 people in Tyrrell, making it North Carolina's least-populous county.<ref name= tester>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref name= campbell>Template:Cite news</ref> Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Tyrrell's population dropped by 26 percent, the largest population drop by percentage in the state.<ref name= tester/>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> To save money, some of Tyrrell's government services are consolidated with other neighboring rural counties such as Hyde and Washington.<ref name= campbell/>

Tyrrell County is a member of the Albemarle Commission, a regional economic development organization which serves several counties in eastern North Carolina.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Economy

Tyrrell County's economy is heavily reliant on agriculture—with its largest crop being potatoes<ref name= campbell/> — as well as forestry and fishing.<ref name= Igleman/> The county also hosts a small tourism industry centered around hunting, fishing, and bird watching.<ref name= campbell/><ref name= Igleman/> It suffers from high poverty and food insecurity rates.<ref name= Igleman>Template:Cite web</ref>

Communities

Map of Tyrrell County with municipal and township labels

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

See also

• List of counties in North Carolina
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Tyrrell County, North Carolina
• Roanoke Colony, first attempted permanent English settlement in the Americas, now located in Dare County

External links

• Template:Osmrelation
• Template:Official website
• NCGenWeb Tyrrell County, genealogy resources for the county