Edgecombe County, North Carolina

Edgecombe County is a located in the  of. It is part of the. As of 2000, the population was 55,606. Its is.

History
The county was formed in from. It was named for, a from 1701 to 1742 and a , who became 1st Baron Edgcumbe in 1742.

In part of Edgecombe County became ; in  another part became ; in  yet another part became. In the formation of  from parts of Edgecombe County,, Nash County, and  reduced Edgecombe to its present dimensions, aside from minor boundary adjustments.

Edgecombe County was historically home to the Tuscarora Indians.Today there are many descendents of the Tuscarora still living in certain areas of the county.

Law and government
Edgecombe County is a member of the regional.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,312 (507 ). 1,308 km² (505 sq mi) of it is land and 4 km² (2 sq mi) of it (0.31%) is water.

Townships
The county is divided into fourteen, which are both numbered and named: 1 (Tarboro), 2 (Lower Conetoe), 3 (Upper Conetoe), 4 (Deep Creek), 5 (Lower Fishing Creek), 6 (Upper Fishing Creek), 7 (Swift Creek), 8 (Sparta), 9 (Otter Creek), 10 (Lower Town Creek), 11 (Walnut Creek), 12 (Rocky Mount), 13 (Cokey), and 14 (Upper Town Creek).

Adjacent Counties

 * - northeast
 * - east
 * - southeast
 * - southwest
 * - northwest

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 55,606 people, 20,392 households, and 14,804 families residing in the county. The was 43/km² (110/sq mi). There were 24,002 housing units at an average density of 18/km² (48/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 40.06%, 57.46% or , 0.20% , 0.13% , 0.01% , 1.56% from , and 0.58% from two or more races. 2.79% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 20,392 households out of which 32.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.20% were living together, 21.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.40% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the county the population was spread out with 27.10% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 12.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 86.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,983, and the median income for a family was $35,902. Males had a median income of $27,300 versus $21,649 for females. The for the county was $14,435. About 16.00% of families and 19.60% of the population were below the, including 27.50% of those under age 18 and 18.40% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

 * (1787-1849), born at Ard-Lamont in Edgecombe County, American Army officer in the and s