Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Encyclopedia : E : EL : ELI : Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank County, North Carolina, in the United States. The population was 17,188 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pasquotank County^{[Geographic references#6GR6]}. The town was founded in 1793 and is nicknamed the "Harbor of Hospitality". Elizabeth City is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region.

Contents

1 Geography
2 Notable features
3 Demographics
4 Famous inhabitants and visitors
5 External links

Geography

Elizabeth City is located at [36°17′44″N, 76°13′30″W] (36.295585, -76.224954)^{[Geographic references#1GR1]}.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.8 km² (9.6 mi²). 23.2 km² (8.9 mi²) of it is land and 1.6 km² (0.6 mi²) of it (6.49%) is water.

The city is located alongside the Pasquotank River, which connects to the Albemarle Sound and is part of the Intracoastal Waterway. Directly across the river lies Camden County. The city's semi-coastal geography has played an important role in its history -- Elizabeth City once hosted thriving oyster and timber industries, and was even a home to Blackbeard.

Notable features

Elizabeth City is home to Elizabeth City State University, a constituent member of the University of North Carolina System. The university encompasses a moderate acreage within city limits and houses nearly 2,500 students.

The largest United States Coast Guard Air Station on the East Coast is located directly south of Elizabeth City's city limits. Recently incorporated into the United States Department of Homeland Security, the base provides a host of local jobs and maintains an influx of Coast Guard employees from all around the country.

Albemarle Hospital, the county-owned community hospital, is rapidly growing as a regional center for increasingly more sophisticated healthcare requirements. The hospital serves Pasquotank County and the outlying seven counties [link].

Elizabeth City is also home to one of the United States' few airship factories [link]. Many of the nation's commercial blimps are made and serviced here. The current airship station evolved from what was previously a US Navy airstation.

Demographics

As of the census^{[Geographic references#2GR2]} of 2000, there were 17,188 people, 6,577 households, and 4,189 families residing in the city. The population density was 742.3/km² (1,923.2/mi²). There were 7,463 housing units at an average density of 322.3/km² (835.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 40.24% White, 56.60% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races, and 1.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.50% of the population.

There were 6,577 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.7% were married couples living together, 23.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 15.1% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 81.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,193, and the median income for a family was $28,037. Males had a median income of $27,434 versus $20,836 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,333. About 25.1% of families and 27.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.5% of those under age 18 and 23.7% of those age 65 or over.

Famous inhabitants and visitors

Elizabeth City's Downtown Waterfront as seen from a nearby dock.

Theodore Roosevelt visited the Pasquotank River to consider the location for the shipyard that would later become the Naval Station Norfolk -- Citation needed: Naval Station Norfolk has never been a shipyard (ie, an overhaul and repair facility for ships), and the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, VA substantially predates Teddy Roosevelt.
Robert Frost had traveled into and was stranded in the nearby Dismal Swamp, but was saved by some passerbys, who brought him to stay in Elizabeth City for a few weeks.
A woman named Nell Cropsey is renowned as the subject of Elizabeth City's relatively well-known murder mystery. The story of her unresolved disappearance has been chronicled by Bland Simpson, an author and historian who is a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The annual "Ghost Walk" in Elizabeth City commemorates the legend, alongside other local tales, with re-enactments performed by local raconteurs.
The Wright brothers sometimes used Elizabeth City as a stopover to the Outer Banks to gather supplies and catch a boat. They stayed in the old Southern Hotel, which is no longer operational as a hotel.

External links

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