Tyrrell County ( )Talk Like a Tarheel , from the North Carolina Collection website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved August 16, 2023. is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,245, making it the least populous county in North Carolina. Through most of its history it has been the least populated county in the state. Its county seat is Columbia.

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

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (34.56%) is water. Tyrrell County, due to its proximity to the Outer Banks, has been designated as part of the Inner Banks.

Wildlife in the county includes bears, red wolves, and pitcher plants.

National protected area Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (part)

State and local protected areas Alligator River Game Land Alligator River Area Outstanding Resource Water (part) Buckridge Coastal Reserve Dedicated Nature Preserve Buckridge Game Land Emily and Richardson Preyer Buckridge Coastal Reserve Emily and Richardson Preyer Buckridge Reserve (part) J. Morgan Futch Game Land Lantern Acres Game Land (part) New Lake Game Land Palmetto-Peartree Preserve Pettigrew State Park (part) Texas Plantation Game Land

Major water bodies Albemarle Sound Alligator River The Frying Pan 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

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Tyrell County, North Carolina – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)2,4042,2942,3032,3501,87960.48%59.49%55.51%53.32%57.90%Black or African American alone (NH)1,5501,5421,6331,67793438.99%39.99%39.36%38.05%28.78%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)348750.08%0.10%0.19%0.16%0.15%Asian alone (NH)053180430.00%0.13%0.75%1.82%1.33%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census010xx0.00%0.02%0.00%Other race alone (NH)4001130.10%0.00%0.00%0.02%0.40%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census245199xx0.58%1.16%3.05%Hispanic or Latino (any race)14111502402720.35%0.29%3.62%5.45%8.38%Total3,9753,8564,1494,4073,245 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Tyrrell County had 3,245 residents, making it North Carolina's least-populous county.

The median age was 47.2 years, 20.7% of residents were younger than 18, and 22.0% were 65 or older; for every 100 females there were 94.0 males and 90.8 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 58.6% White, 28.9% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 4.7% from some other race, and 6.2% from two or more races; Hispanic or Latino residents of any race made up 8.4% of the population.

Less than 0.1% of residents lived in urban areas while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,444 households, of which 26.7% had children under 18; 40.5% were married-couple households, 22.2% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 31.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 34.2% of all households consisted of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older.

There were 1,999 housing units, with 27.8% vacant. Among occupied units, 71.2% were owner-occupied and 28.8% were renter-occupied; the homeowner vacancy rate stood at 2.9% and the rental vacancy rate at 8.9%.

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. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Tyrrell's population dropped by 26 percent, the largest population drop by percentage in the state. 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. To save money, some of Tyrrell's government services are consolidated with other neighboring rural counties such as Hyde and Washington.

Tyrrell County is a member of the Albemarle Commission, a regional economic development organization which serves several counties in eastern North Carolina.

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.

Economy Tyrrell County's economy is heavily reliant on agriculture—with its largest crop being potatoes — as well as forestry and fishing. The county also hosts a small tourism industry centered around hunting, fishing, and bird watching. It suffers from high poverty and food insecurity rates.

Communities

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

References

External links

NCGenWeb Tyrrell County, genealogy resources for the county