Pitt County, North Carolina

Pitt County, North Carolina
Pitt County is a county located in the Inner Banks region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 170,243, making it the fourteenth-most populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Greenville.
Pitt County comprises the Greenville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The county was formed in 1760 from Beaufort County, though the legislative act that created it did not become effective until January 1, 1761. It was named for William Pitt the Elder, who was then Secretary of State for the Southern Department and Leader of the House of Commons. William Pitt was an English statesman and orator, born in London, England. He studied at Oxford University and in 1731 joined the army. Pitt led the young "Patriot" Whigs and in 1756 became secretary of state, where he was a pro-freedom speaker in British Colonial government. He served as Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1766–68.
The county saw a substantial population influx between the 1980 and 2010 censuses with a double-digit percentage increase seen in all four census counts.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the total area of Pitt County is , of which is land and (0.49%) is water.
State and local protected sites
North Carolina Museum of Natural Science Contentnea Creek
North Carolina Museum of Natural Science Greenville
Major water bodies
Contentnea Creek
Creeping Swamp
Fork Creek
Middle River
Neuse River
Swift Creek
Tar River
Tranters Creek
Adjacent counties
Martin County – northeast
Beaufort County – east
Craven County – south-southeast
Lenoir County – south-southwest
Greene County – southwest
Wilson County – west
Edgecombe County – northwest
Major highways
Major infrastructure
G.K. Butterfield Transportation Center
Pitt-Greenville Airport
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 170,243 people, 70,926 households, and 41,427 families residing in the county.
2000 census
At the 2000 census, there were 133,798 people, 52,539 households, and 32,258 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 58,408 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 62.08% White, 33.65% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 1.08% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.80% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. 3.15% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 52,539 households, out of which 29.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.40% were married couples living together, 14.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.60% were non-families. 28.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.60% under the age of 18, 17.50% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 19.40% from 45 to 64, and 9.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 90.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,868, and the median income for a family was $43,971. Males had a median income of $31,962 versus $25,290 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,243. About 13.50% of families and 20.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.60% of those under age 18 and 20.20% of those age 65 or over.
As of the census of 2010, there were 168,148 people residing in Pitt County, a 25.7% increase since 2000. Females made up 52.8% of the population. Caucasians make up 58.9% of the population, followed by African-Americans at 34.1%, Asian persons at 1.6%, American Indian or Alaskan at 0.3%, Hispanic at 5.5%, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander at 0.1%. From the period of 2005 to 2009, the number of foreign-born people living in the county was at 4%.
The high school graduation rate in the county among citizens over the age of twenty-five from 2005 to 2009 was steady at 85%, while the percentage of those aged twenty-five and up with a bachelor's degree in the county was only 28.7% in the county during the same period of time.
In 2009, the median household income in Pitt County was $36,339, over $7,000 less than the North Carolina number and about 25.5% of Pitt County residents were at or below the poverty level. The per capita money income, in terms of 2009 dollars, in the past twelve months from 2005 to 2009 in Pitt County was $21,622, about $3,000 less than the North Carolina average.
Government and politics
In the early twentieth century Pitt was a typical Democratic "Solid South" county, where there were large numbers of disenfranchised blacks and the small white electorate voted overwhelming majorities for the Democratic Party. Pitt voted for the Democratic Party in every election from at least 1876 until American Independent candidate George Wallace gained a plurality in 1968. Apart from Richard Nixon's overwhelming victory over George McGovern in 1972, Pitt has since been a closely contested swing county, with no major party candidate post-McGovern falling under forty percent. After 1976, when Jimmy Carter carried it, and aside from a victory in 1992 by Bill Clinton, Pitt County tended to vote for Republicans until 2008. Since 2008 it has voted for the Democratic Party.
Pitt County is a member of the Mid-East Commission regional council of governments.
Pitt County is represented by Donald G. Davis in the 5th District in the North Carolina State Senate. as well as Kandie Smith in the 8th district and Brian Farkas in the 9th District in the North Carolina State House of Representatives.
Education
Private
Private schools in Pitt County include:
Brookhaven SDA School
Calvary Christian Academy
Children's Montessori School
Christ Covenant School
Community Christian Academy
Faith Christian Academy
Greenville Christian Academy
Greenville Montessori School
John Paul II Catholic HS
The Oakwood School
Roseleaf Academy
Saint Peter Catholic School
Trinity Christian School
Public
Public schools in Pitt County are managed by Pitt County Schools.
Elementary schools
Ayden Elementary School
Belvoir Elementary School
Creekside Elementary School
Eastern Elementary School
Elmhurst Elementary School
Falkland Elementary School
H. B. Sugg School (K–2)
Lake Forest Elementary School
Northwest Elementary School
Ridgewood Elementary School
Sam D. Bundy School (3–5)
South Greenville Elementary School
W. H. Robinson Elementary School
Wahl-Coates Elementary School
Wintergreen Intermediate School (3–5)
Wintergreen Primary School (K–2)
K–8 schools
Bethel School
Chicod School
G. R. Whitfield School
Grifton School
Pactolus School
Stokes School
Middle schools
A. G. Cox Middle School
Ayden Middle School
C. M. Eppes Middle School
E. B. Aycock Middle School
Farmville Middle School
Hope Middle School
Wellcome Middle School
High schools
Ayden-Grifton High School
D. H. Conley High School
Farmville Central High School
J. H. Rose High School
North Pitt High School
South Central High School
Alternative schools
Pitt County Schools Early College High School
Post-secondary schools
East Carolina University
Pitt Community College
Miller-Motte Technical College
Communities
Cities
Greenville (county seat and largest community)
Towns
Ayden
Bethel
Falkland
Farmville
Fountain
Grifton
Grimesland
Simpson
Winterville
Census-designated places
Bell Arthur
Belvoir
Stokes
Unincorporated communities
Bell's Fork
Black Jack
Chicod
House
Pactolus
Townships
Arthur
Ayden
Belvoir
Bethel
Black Jack
Carolina (Stokes)
Chicod
Falkland
Farmville
Fountain
Greenville
Grifton
Grimesland
Pactolus
Simpson
Swift Creek
Winterville
See also
List of counties in North Carolina
National Register of Historic Places listings in Pitt County, North Carolina
Norfolk Southern Railway, Historic railway that had a route from Greenville to Raleigh, Wake County
References
Further reading
Kahrl, Andrew W., "The 'Negro Park' Question: Land, Labor, and Leisure in Pitt County, North Carolina, 1920–1930," Journal of Southern History (Feb. 2013) 79#1 pp 113–42.
External links
Pitt County Economic Development website
NCGenWeb Pitt County, genealogy resources for the county
Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area
1760 establishments in North Carolina
Populated places established in 1760