County in North Carolina
| Currituck County | |
|---|---|
| County | |
 Currituck County Courthouse | |
 Flag Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina | |
 North Carolina's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 36°22′N 75°56′W / 36.37°N 75.94°W / 36.37; -75.94 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  North Carolina |
| Founded | 1668 |
| Named for | Algonquin term meaning "The Land of the Wild Geese" |
| Seat | Currituck |
| Largest community | Moyock |
| Area | |
| • Total | 526.43 sq mi (1,363.4 km) |
| • Land | 261.91 sq mi (678.3 km) |
| • Water | 264.52 sq mi (685.1 km) 50.25% |
| Population | |
| • Total | 28,100 |
| • Estimate | 31,593 |
| • Density | 107.29/sq mi (41.42/km) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | www |
Currituck County (/ˈkʊrɪtʌk/) is the northeasternmost county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,100. Its county seat is Currituck. The county was formed in 1668 as a precinct of Albemarle County and later gained county status in 1739. The name is "traditionally said to be an indigenous word for wild geese; Coratank." Currituck County is included in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake, VA-NC Combined Statistical Area. It is in the northeastern section of the state and is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Currituck Sound, Camden County, Dare County and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Currituck Court House, mentioned as early as 1755, was the name of the county seat. Today the words "Court House" have been dropped and only Currituck is used as the community name.
History
Currituck County was created in 1668 from Albemarle County. The largest community is Moyock and the county seat is Currituck.
Geography
Interactive map of Currituck County
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 526.43 square miles (1,363.4 km), of which 261.91 square miles (678.3 km) is land and 264.52 square miles (685.1 km) (50.25%) is water.
Currituck County includes the northern communities of North Carolina's Outer Banks, separated from mainland Currituck County by the Currituck Sound.
National protected areas
State and local protected areas/sites
- Currituck Banks Estuarine Reserve Dedicated Nature Preserve
- Currituck Banks Game Land
- Currituck Banks Reserve
- Currituck Beach Lighthouse
- Currituck Outer Banks Preserve Dedicated Nature Preserve
- Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge (part)
- Monkey Island
- North River Game Land (part)
- Northwest River Marsh Game Land
Major water bodies
- Albemarle Sound
- Atlantic Ocean (North Atlantic Ocean)
- Currituck Sound
- Intracoastal Waterway
- North River
- Northwest River
Adjacent counties
- City of Chesapeake, Virginia – north
- City of Virginia Beach, Virginia – north
- Dare County – south
- Tyrrell County – southwest
- Camden County – southwest
Major highways
Major infrastructure
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 5,220 | — | |
| 1800 | 6,928 | 32.7% | |
| 1810 | 6,985 | 0.8% | |
| 1820 | 8,098 | 15.9% | |
| 1830 | 7,655 | −5.5% | |
| 1840 | 6,703 | −12.4% | |
| 1850 | 7,236 | 8.0% | |
| 1860 | 7,415 | 2.5% | |
| 1870 | 5,131 | −30.8% | |
| 1880 | 6,476 | 26.2% | |
| 1890 | 6,747 | 4.2% | |
| 1900 | 6,529 | −3.2% | |
| 1910 | 7,693 | 17.8% | |
| 1920 | 7,268 | −5.5% | |
| 1930 | 6,710 | −7.7% | |
| 1940 | 6,709 | 0.0% | |
| 1950 | 6,201 | −7.6% | |
| 1960 | 6,601 | 6.5% | |
| 1970 | 6,976 | 5.7% | |
| 1980 | 11,089 | 59.0% | |
| 1990 | 13,736 | 23.9% | |
| 2000 | 18,190 | 32.4% | |
| 2010 | 23,547 | 29.5% | |
| 2020 | 28,100 | 19.3% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 31,593 | 12.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 2010–2020 | |||
2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 23,505 | 83.65% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,377 | 4.9% |
| Native American | 98 | 0.35% |
| Asian | 265 | 0.94% |
| Pacific Islander | 22 | 0.08% |
| Other/Mixed | 1,615 | 5.75% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,218 | 4.33% |
As of the 2020 census, there were 28,100 people, 10,522 households, and 7,467 families residing in the county.
2010 census
At the 2010 census, there were 23,547 people, 6,902 households, and 5,204 families residing in the county. The population density was 70 people per square mile (27 people/km). There were 10,687 housing units at an average density of 41 units per square mile (16 units/km). The racial makeup of the county was 90.3% White, 5.8% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.9% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. 3.0% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.
There were 6,902 households, out of which 33.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.60% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.60% were non-families. 19.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 2.98.
The age distribution was 25.30% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 12.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,822, and the median income for a family was $46,382. Males had a median income of $32,619 versus $22,641 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,908. 10.70% of the population and 8.90% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 16.10% are under the age of 18 and 8.90% are 65 or older.
Government and politics
Politically Currituck is a typical "Solid South" county. It voted more than eighty percent for every Democratic candidate between 1920 and 1948. Currituck never voted Republican until, after voting for American Independent George Wallace in 1968, turning decisively to Richard Nixon in 1972. Since then, Currituck has become a powerfully Republican county. The last Democrat to carry Currituck has been Jimmy Carter in 1980, and at the 2016 election Hillary Clinton received less than a quarter of the county's vote.
The county is run by elected county commissioners, and Currituck County is a member of the Albemarle Commission regional council of governments. Currituck has recently paced all other counties in growth throughout North Carolina, as commuters from the Hampton Roads metro of Virginia as well as work-from-home employees have flocked to the county. The Currituck County Board of Commissioners placed a moratorium on solar farms in February 2017, but have since rescinded it with two new solar projects in the works as of 2023.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 13,235 | 73.31% | 4,604 | 25.50% | 214 | 1.19% |
| 2020 | 11,657 | 72.19% | 4,195 | 25.98% | 295 | 1.83% |
| 2016 | 9,163 | 72.33% | 2,913 | 22.99% | 593 | 4.68% |
| 2012 | 7,496 | 66.31% | 3,562 | 31.51% | 246 | 2.18% |
| 2008 | 7,234 | 65.16% | 3,737 | 33.66% | 131 | 1.18% |
| 2004 | 6,013 | 66.99% | 2,909 | 32.41% | 54 | 0.60% |
| 2000 | 4,095 | 60.77% | 2,595 | 38.51% | 49 | 0.73% |
| 1996 | 2,569 | 45.51% | 2,277 | 40.34% | 799 | 14.15% |
| 1992 | 2,188 | 41.31% | 1,935 | 36.53% | 1,174 | 22.16% |
| 1988 | 2,443 | 60.98% | 1,555 | 38.82% | 8 | 0.20% |
| 1984 | 2,885 | 63.24% | 1,668 | 36.56% | 9 | 0.20% |
| 1980 | 1,668 | 44.06% | 1,980 | 52.30% | 138 | 3.65% |
| 1976 | 954 | 32.12% | 1,999 | 67.31% | 17 | 0.57% |
| 1972 | 1,578 | 66.67% | 718 | 30.33% | 71 | 3.00% |
| 1968 | 363 | 14.11% | 738 | 28.69% | 1,471 | 57.19% |
| 1964 | 741 | 33.74% | 1,455 | 66.26% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 464 | 21.94% | 1,651 | 78.06% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 488 | 25.51% | 1,425 | 74.49% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 414 | 21.96% | 1,471 | 78.04% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 130 | 9.50% | 1,144 | 83.63% | 94 | 6.87% |
| 1944 | 231 | 18.05% | 1,049 | 81.95% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 102 | 6.24% | 1,532 | 93.76% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 128 | 7.30% | 1,625 | 92.70% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 69 | 3.77% | 1,759 | 96.02% | 4 | 0.22% |
| 1928 | 166 | 11.70% | 1,253 | 88.30% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 52 | 7.07% | 670 | 91.16% | 13 | 1.77% |
| 1920 | 86 | 7.92% | 1,000 | 92.08% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 87 | 8.42% | 945 | 91.48% | 1 | 0.10% |
| 1912 | 6 | 0.94% | 622 | 97.80% | 8 | 1.26% |
Education
Currituck County Schools are governed by a five-member, elected Board of Education. The following schools are located in the county:
- Central Elementary School
- Currituck County High School
- Currituck County Middle School
- J.P. Knapp Early College High School
- Jarvisburg Elementary School
- Knotts Island Elementary School
- Moyock Elementary School
- Moyock Middle School
- Shawboro Elementary School
- W.T. Griggs Elementary School
- Jarvisburg Christian Academy
Communities
Census-designated places
Townships
- Crawford
- Fruitville
- Moyock
- Poplar Branch
Other unincorporated communities
- Aydlett
- Barco
- Carova Beach
- Corolla
- Currituck (county seat)
- Gibbs Woods
- Grandy
- Gregory
- Harbinger
- Knotts Island
- Jarvisburg
- Mamie
- Maple
- North Swan Beach
- Point Harbor
- Poplar Beach
- Poplar Branch
- Powells Point
- Swan Beach
- Shawboro
- Sligo
- Spot
- Waterlily
Notable people
- Dennis Anderson, former driver, and creator, of the Grave Digger monster truck
- Linda Carter Brinson, American journalist
- Macon Brock, founder of Dollar Tree had a beach house in the Corolla community
- Richard Thurmond Chatham, once owned the hunt club Dews Island in Jarvisburg
- Emerson Etheridge, congressman and Southern Unionist
- John Gibbs, leader of colonial rebellion, Gibbs Rebellion, and name sake of Gibbs Woods, NC
- Thomas Jarvis, Colonial Governor of North Carolina
- Thomas Jordan Jarvis, Governor of North Carolina
- Joseph P. Knapp, publisher, philanthropist and namesake of the J.P. Knapp Early College High School
- Antonin Scalia, Supreme Court Justice, had a beach house in the Corolla community
- Henry Marchmore Shaw, Congressman and Confederate officer
See also
- List of counties in North Carolina
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Currituck County, North Carolina
- Mid-Currituck Bridge, proposed bridge to connect the mainland to Corolla
References
- Mazzocchi, Jay (2006). Powell, William S. (ed.). "Currituck County". NCpedia. University of North Carolina Press. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- Talk Like A Tarheel Archived June 22, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ "QuickFacts: Currituck County, North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- "North Carolina: Individual County Chronologies". North Carolina Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2009. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
- "OMB Bulletin No. 23-01: Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas" (PDF). United States Office of Management and Budget. July 21, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- "2020 County Gazetteer Files – North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. August 23, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ "Currituck Banks Reserve". deq.nc.gov. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- "Currituck Banks Game Land and National Wildlife Refuge - North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission - Avenza Maps". www.avenzamaps.com. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- "Currituck Banks Coastal Estuarine Reserve - OuterBanks.com". www.outerbanks.com. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- "Coastal Game Land Maps". www.ncwildlife.org. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- "Northwest River (in Currituck County, NC)". northcarolina.hometownlocator.com. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
- "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- "Spring 2022 CountyQuarterly Research Pulse: Growing Pains". NCACC.ORG. June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
- "Currituck County bans solar farm development". Virginian-Pilot. February 21, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
- "Currituck oks 100 megawatt solar farm". DailyAdvance. November 28, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
External links
Geographic data related to Currituck County, North Carolina at OpenStreetMap- Official website
| Places adjacent to Currituck County, North Carolina | ||||||||||||||||
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Currituck County, North Carolina
| Municipalities and communities of Currituck County, North Carolina, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| County seat: Currituck | ||
| CDPs |  | |
| Other communities | ||
 Hampton Roads | |
|---|---|
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News Metropolitan Area | |
| Cities | |
| Counties | |
| Towns | |
| Sub-regions | |
| Topics | |
| See Also | |
| Note: Cities are independent, not being part of any county | |
| Outer Banks of North Carolina and Virginia | |
|---|---|
| Landforms | |
| Places | |
| Waterways | |
| Lighthouses | |
| Protected areas and wildlife |
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| Transportation | |
| History | |
| Weather | |
