Tyrrell County, North Carolina

Tyrrell County (/ˈtɛərɪl/ TAIR-il)^[2][3] is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,245,^[4] making it the least populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Columbia.^[5] The county was created in 1729 as Tyrrell Precinct and gained county status in 1739.^[6]

Tyrrell County
County
Tyrrell County Courthouse in Columbia
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35.87°N 76.17°W / 35.87; -76.17
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Founded	1729
Named after	Sir John Tyrrell[1]
Seat	Columbia
Largest community	Columbia
Area
• Total	597.18 sq mi (1,546.7 km2)
• Land	390.78 sq mi (1,012.1 km2)
• Water	206.40 sq mi (534.6 km2)  34.56%
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,245
• Estimate  (2023)	3,461
• Density	8.30/sq mi (3.20/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	tyrrellcounty.org

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

Interactive map of Tyrrell County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 597.18 square miles (1,546.7 km²), of which 390.78 square miles (1,012.1 km²) is land and 206.40 square miles (534.6 km²) (34.56%) is water.^[7] Tyrrell County, due to its proximity to the Outer Banks, has been designated as part of the Inner Banks.^[8]

Wildlife in the county includes bears, red wolves, and pitcher plants.^[9]

National protected area

• Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (part)^[9]

State and local protected areas

• Alligator River Game Land^[10]
• Alligator River Area Outstanding Resource Water (part)
• Buckridge Coastal Reserve Dedicated Nature Preserve
• Buckridge Game Land^[10]
• Emily and Richardson Preyer Buckridge Coastal Reserve
• Emily and Richardson Preyer Buckridge Reserve (part)
• J. Morgan Futch Game Land^[11]
• Lantern Acres Game Land (part)^[10]
• New Lake Game Land^[10]
• Palmetto-Peartree Preserve^[11]
• Pettigrew State Park (part)
• Texas Plantation Game Land^[10]

Major water bodies

• Albemarle Sound
• Alligator River
• The Frying Pan^[12]
• 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

• US 64^[9]
• 
  US 64 Bus.
• NC 94^[11]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1790	4,826		—
1800	3,395		−29.7%
1810	3,364		−0.9%
1820	4,319		28.4%
1830	4,732		9.6%
1840	4,657		−1.6%
1850	5,133		10.2%
1860	4,944		−3.7%
1870	4,173		−15.6%
1880	4,545		8.9%
1890	4,225		−7.0%
1900	4,980		17.9%
1910	5,219		4.8%
1920	4,849		−7.1%
1930	5,164		6.5%
1940	5,556		7.6%
1950	5,048		−9.1%
1960	4,520		−10.5%
1970	3,806		−15.8%
1980	3,975		4.4%
1990	3,856		−3.0%
2000	4,149		7.6%
2010	4,407		6.2%
2020	3,245		−26.4%
2023 (est.)	3,461	[4]	6.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[13] 1790–1960[14] 1900–1990[15] 1990–2000[16] 2010[17] 2020[4]

2020 census

Tyrrell County racial composition^[18]

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.^[19]

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.^[9] Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Tyrrell's population dropped by 26 percent, the largest population drop by percentage in the state.^[19]

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.^[20] To save money, some of Tyrrell's government services are consolidated with other neighboring rural counties such as Hyde and Washington.^[9]

Tyrrell County is a member of the Albemarle Commission, a regional economic development organization which serves several counties in eastern North Carolina.^[21]

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.

United States presidential election results for Tyrrell County, North Carolina^[22]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	1,057	60.16%	680	38.70%	20	1.14%
2020	1,044	57.46%	758	41.72%	15	0.83%
2016	975	56.07%	720	41.40%	44	2.53%
2012	930	52.16%	837	46.94%	16	0.90%
2008	960	50.26%	933	48.85%	17	0.89%
2004	855	53.77%	731	45.97%	4	0.25%
2000	706	45.08%	849	54.21%	11	0.70%
1996	488	32.25%	908	60.01%	117	7.73%
1992	553	33.03%	928	55.44%	193	11.53%
1988	637	44.70%	785	55.09%	3	0.21%
1984	774	48.89%	807	50.98%	2	0.13%
1980	466	34.01%	887	64.74%	17	1.24%
1976	403	30.88%	900	68.97%	2	0.15%
1972	676	59.30%	459	40.26%	5	0.44%
1968	291	22.61%	581	45.14%	415	32.25%
1964	374	27.30%	996	72.70%	0	0.00%
1960	349	27.37%	926	72.63%	0	0.00%
1956	420	40.58%	615	59.42%	0	0.00%
1952	385	29.59%	916	70.41%	0	0.00%
1948	336	30.19%	732	65.77%	45	4.04%
1944	281	31.50%	611	68.50%	0	0.00%
1940	415	26.69%	1,140	73.31%	0	0.00%
1936	304	22.47%	1,049	77.53%	0	0.00%
1932	258	22.69%	873	76.78%	6	0.53%
1928	505	51.53%	475	48.47%	0	0.00%
1924	442	40.89%	638	59.02%	1	0.09%
1920	532	42.56%	718	57.44%	0	0.00%
1916	392	48.51%	416	51.49%	0	0.00%
1912	224	35.84%	297	47.52%	104	16.64%

In the 2020 elections in Tyrrell County, Republicans took more votes than Democrats in federal and statewide contests.^[23]

Economy

Tyrrell County's economy is heavily reliant on agriculture—with its largest crop being potatoes^[9] — as well as forestry and fishing.^[24] The county also hosts a small tourism industry centered around hunting, fishing, and bird watching.^[9][24] The local police department utilizes "speed traps" to generate funds, taking advantage of tourists on their way to the Outer Banks. There are countless billboards facing East offering legal services to tourists heading home after their vacation, after they've been victimized by these predatory practices. It suffers from high poverty and food insecurity rates.^[24]

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