County in North Carolina, United States
County in North Carolina
Dare County
is the easternmost
county
in the U.S. state of
North Carolina
. As of the
2020 census
, the population was 36,915.
[1]
Its
county seat
is
Manteo
.
[2]
Dare County is included in the
Kill Devil Hills, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area
, which is also included in the
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake, VA-NC Combined Statistical Area
.
[3]
Because it includes much of
Pamlico Sound
, Dare County is the largest county in North Carolina by total area, although if considering land area only, it drops down to 68th in size among the state's 100 counties.
[4]
History
[
edit
]
Dare County is named after
Virginia Dare
, the first child born in the Americas to English parents, who was born within the county's current borders.
[5]
Founded in 1870 from parts of Tyrrell,
Currituck
and Hyde counties, it consists of a large segment of the
Outer Banks
of North Carolina,
[6]
along with
Roanoke Island
and a peninsula of land attached to the mainland. Most of the county consists of a string of resort communities along the Outer Banks. While lightly populated by year-round residents, the population swells during the summer with vacationers.
[7]
At one time, the now-abandoned town of
Buffalo City
was the largest community in the county.
[8]
Geography
[
edit
]
![Map](https://maps.wikimedia.org/img/osm-intl,7,35.69,-75.73,300x200.png?lang=en&domain=en.wikipedia.org&title=Dare_County%2C_North_Carolina&revid=1221044463&groups=_0b1abce690997f8d14de0588042e52647d16084b)
Interactive map of Dare County
Dare County welcome center
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
, the county has a total area of 1,541.74 square miles (3,993.1 km
2
), of which 383.23 square miles (992.6 km
2
) is land and 1,158.51 square miles (3,000.5 km
2
) (75.14%) is water.
[9]
It is the largest county in North Carolina by total area.
Dare County includes the middle part of the
Outer Banks
and contains
Roanoke Island
.
National protected areas
[
edit
]
State and local protected areas/sites
[
edit
]
Major water bodies
[
edit
]
Adjacent counties
[
edit
]
Major highways
[
edit
]
Major infrastructure
[
edit
]
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical population
Census
| Pop.
| Note
| %±
|
1870
| 2,778
| | ?
|
---|
1880
| 3,243
| | 16.7%
|
---|
1890
| 3,768
| | 16.2%
|
---|
1900
| 4,757
| | 26.2%
|
---|
1910
| 4,841
| | 1.8%
|
---|
1920
| 5,115
| | 5.7%
|
---|
1930
| 5,202
| | 1.7%
|
---|
1940
| 6,401
| | 23.0%
|
---|
1950
| 5,405
| | ?15.6%
|
---|
1960
| 5,935
| | 9.8%
|
---|
1970
| 6,995
| | 17.9%
|
---|
1980
| 13,377
| | 91.2%
|
---|
1990
| 22,746
| | 70.0%
|
---|
2000
| 29,959
| | 31.7%
|
---|
2010
| 33,920
| | 13.2%
|
---|
2020
| 36,915
| | 8.8%
|
---|
2023 (est.)
| 38,110
| [1]
| 3.2%
|
---|
2020 census
[
edit
]
As of the
2020 census
, there were 36,915 people, 15,529 households, and 10,281 families residing in the county.
2010 census
[
edit
]
At the
2010 census
,
[19]
there were 33,920 people, 12,690 households, and 8,450 families residing in the county. The
population density
was 78 people per square mile (30 people/km
2
). There were 26,671 housing units at an average density of 70 units per square mile (27 units/km
2
). The racial makeup of the county was 92.3%
White
, 2.5%
Black
or
African American
, 0.4%
Native American
, 0.6%
Asian
, 0.0%
Pacific Islander
, 2.4% from
other races
, and 1.8% from two or more races. 6.5% of the population were
Hispanic
or
Latino
of any race.
There were 12,690 households, out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were
married couples
living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.79.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.4% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.2 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,411, and the median income for a family was $49,302. Males had a median income of $31,240 versus $24,318 for females. The
per capita income
for the county was $23,614. About 5.5% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the
poverty line
, including 9.9% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
Ancestry
[
edit
]
As of 2010, the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Dare County were:
[20]
Government and politics
[
edit
]
Dare County is presently a Republican county, having voted Republican since the 1980 election, though the Republican margins of victory are significantly smaller than most Southern largely-white counties. No Democratic presidential nominee has carried
Dare County
since
Jimmy Carter
did so in 1976. Before the 1950s, it was mostly a typical "
Solid South
" Democratic county, that did not vote Republican between 1900 and 1952, albeit by significantly smaller margins than much of the rest of the Solid South. Dare County is governed by the
Dare County Board of Commissioners
. Dare County is a part of the
Albemarle Commission
regional council of governments.
United States presidential election results for Dare County, North Carolina
[21]
Year
|
Republican
|
Democratic
|
Third party
|
No.
|
%
|
No.
|
%
|
No.
|
%
|
2020
|
13,938
|
57.52%
|
9,936
|
41.00%
|
358
|
1.48%
|
2016
|
11,460
|
58.44%
|
7,222
|
36.83%
|
927
|
4.73%
|
2012
|
10,248
|
57.02%
|
7,393
|
41.13%
|
333
|
1.85%
|
2008
|
9,745
|
53.99%
|
8,074
|
44.74%
|
229
|
1.27%
|
2004
|
9,345
|
60.10%
|
6,136
|
39.46%
|
67
|
0.43%
|
2000
|
7,301
|
56.15%
|
5,589
|
42.99%
|
112
|
0.86%
|
1996
|
4,977
|
46.00%
|
4,522
|
41.79%
|
1,321
|
12.21%
|
1992
|
4,357
|
40.73%
|
3,925
|
36.70%
|
2,414
|
22.57%
|
1988
|
5,234
|
64.85%
|
2,806
|
34.77%
|
31
|
0.38%
|
1984
|
4,738
|
71.83%
|
1,839
|
27.88%
|
19
|
0.29%
|
1980
|
2,794
|
49.76%
|
2,497
|
44.47%
|
324
|
5.77%
|
1976
|
1,680
|
43.18%
|
2,191
|
56.31%
|
20
|
0.51%
|
1972
|
1,986
|
75.20%
|
634
|
24.01%
|
21
|
0.80%
|
1968
|
1,035
|
40.13%
|
700
|
27.14%
|
844
|
32.73%
|
1964
|
867
|
37.00%
|
1,476
|
63.00%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1960
|
1,058
|
45.90%
|
1,247
|
54.10%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1956
|
1,028
|
55.06%
|
839
|
44.94%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1952
|
767
|
44.44%
|
959
|
55.56%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1948
|
373
|
30.72%
|
802
|
66.06%
|
39
|
3.21%
|
1944
|
259
|
21.14%
|
966
|
78.86%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1940
|
315
|
20.60%
|
1,214
|
79.40%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1936
|
542
|
28.07%
|
1,389
|
71.93%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1932
|
497
|
28.50%
|
1,241
|
71.16%
|
6
|
0.34%
|
1928
|
814
|
47.97%
|
883
|
52.03%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1924
|
629
|
43.17%
|
826
|
56.69%
|
2
|
0.14%
|
1920
|
632
|
43.38%
|
825
|
56.62%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1916
|
363
|
43.58%
|
470
|
56.42%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1912
|
238
|
33.29%
|
397
|
55.52%
|
80
|
11.19%
|
1908
|
370
|
47.07%
|
416
|
52.93%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1904
|
350
|
45.75%
|
415
|
54.25%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1900
|
331
|
45.03%
|
404
|
54.97%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1896
|
471
|
53.58%
|
408
|
46.42%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1892
|
356
|
51.52%
|
335
|
48.48%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1888
|
337
|
51.22%
|
321
|
48.78%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1884
|
291
|
53.30%
|
255
|
46.70%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1880
|
274
|
48.75%
|
288
|
51.25%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
Education
[
edit
]
Public education is run by
Dare County Schools
. There are three public high schools/secondary schools with high school components:
College of The Albemarle
is the local community college, with a Dare campus in Manteo.
[22]
Dare County Library has branches in Manteo, Kill Devil Hills, and Hatteras.
[23]
Lighthouses
[
edit
]
Dare County is home to two popular lighthouses: The
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
and the
Bodie Island Lighthouse
. There is also a beacon atop the
Wright Brothers Memorial
. A third lighthouse was built by the Town of Manteo and dedicated on September 25, 2004. The Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse is an exterior recreation of the 1877 screwpile lighthouse of the same name and is located on the Manteo waterfront. It serves as exhibit space for the N.C. Maritime Museum on Roanoke Island.
[24]
Communities
[
edit
]
Clickable map of Dare County
Towns
[
edit
]
Census-designated places
[
edit
]
Unincorporated communities
[
edit
]
Townships
[
edit
]
- Atlantic
- Croatan
- East Lake
- Hatteras
- Kinnekeet
- Nags Head
Ghost towns
[
edit
]
- Buffalo City
(est: 1870s) (abandoned: 1950s), highest population: 3,000 (early 20th century)
- Burptoe Village (est: 1892) (abandoned: 1950), highest population: 616 (1942)
- Port Frenz (est: 1862 as Fort Frent) (abandoned: 1932), highest population: 602 (1924) (named as Fort Frent until 1865)
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
"QuickFacts: Dare 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
.
- ^
"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
.
- ^
"North Carolina Land Area County Rank"
.
www.usa.com
. Retrieved
May 24,
2022
.
- ^
"About Dare County"
.
Dare County
. Archived from
the original
on April 3, 2012
. Retrieved
January 7,
2015
.
- ^
"Dare County | NCpedia"
.
www.ncpedia.org
. Retrieved
May 24,
2022
.
- ^
"Tourists flock to Outer Banks in record numbers"
.
The Virginian-Pilot
. Retrieved
May 24,
2022
.
- ^
Degregory, Lane (October 2, 1994).
"Buffalo City"
.
The Virginian-Pilot
. Archived from
the original
on May 17, 2008
. Retrieved
May 6,
2008
.
- ^
"2020 County Gazetteer Files ? North Carolina"
. United States Census Bureau. August 23, 2022
. Retrieved
September 9,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
c
"NCWRC Game Lands"
.
www.ncpaws.org
. Retrieved
March 30,
2023
.
- ^
"Roanoke Island Maritime Museum | Town of Manteo, North Carolina"
.
www.manteonc.gov
. Retrieved
May 1,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
"Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge - Milltail Creek & Sawyer Lake"
.
www.outerbanks.org
. Retrieved
May 1,
2023
.
- ^
"U.S. Decennial Census"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
January 14,
2015
.
- ^
"Historical Census Browser"
. University of Virginia Library. Archived from
the original
on August 11, 2012
. Retrieved
January 14,
2015
.
- ^
Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995).
"Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
January 14,
2015
.
- ^
"Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000"
(PDF)
. United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on March 27, 2010
. Retrieved
January 14,
2015
.
- ^
"State & County QuickFacts"
. United States Census Bureau. Archived from
the original
on June 6, 2011
. Retrieved
October 19,
2013
.
- ^
"Explore Census Data"
.
data.census.gov
. Retrieved
December 21,
2021
.
- ^
"U.S. Census website"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
January 31,
2008
.
- ^
Bureau, U.S. Census.
"American FactFinder - Results"
.
factfinder.census.gov
. Archived from
the original
on February 13, 2020
. Retrieved
March 15,
2018
.
- ^
Leip, David.
"Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections"
.
uselectionatlas.org
. Retrieved
March 15,
2018
.
- ^
"Home"
.
College of The Albemarle
. Retrieved
April 12,
2021
.
COA ? Dare 132 Russell Twiford Rd Manteo, NC 27954
- ^
"Home"
. Dare County Library
. Retrieved
April 13,
2021
.
- ^
"Wright Brothers Monument (U.S. National Park Service)"
.
www.nps.gov
. Retrieved
May 24,
2022
.
External links
[
edit
]
Places adjacent to Dare County, North Carolina
|
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|
|
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Landforms
| |
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Places
| |
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Waterways
| |
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Lighthouses
| |
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Protected areas and wildlife
| |
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Transportation
| |
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History
| |
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Weather
| |
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|
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International
| |
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National
| |
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Geographic
| |
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Other
| |
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