Hyde County, North Carolina

Hyde County is a located in the  of. As of, the population is 5,826. Its is.

History
The county was formed, , as Wickham Precinct, one of three precincts within. The name "Wickham" was derived from the manor of "" in, , the family home of , from 1695 to 1696. In it was renamed Hyde Precinct, for, Governor of North Carolina from 1711 to 1712. In Bath County was abolished, and Hyde Precinct became Hyde County.

Various boundary adjustments followed. In  and its adjoining territory were transferred from  to Hyde County. In the part of Hyde County west of the  was annexed to. In the part of Currituck County south of  was annexed to Hyde County. This area included the present day Hatteras Island. In  was transferred from  to Hyde County. In Hyde County was reduced to its present dimensions, when its northeastern part was combined with parts of Currituck County and  to form. Since its creation, the boundaries of Hyde County have changed more than those of any other county in North Carolina.

Law and government
Hyde County is a member of the regional council of governments.

Education
Hyde County is home to the smallest public school system in North Carolina. The Hyde County Board of Education comprises two schools. Mattamuskeet School serves the mainland and Ocracoke School serves Ocracoke Island. Both schools serve grades K-12.

Mattamuskeet School is home to WHYC FM Radio. WHYC is one of only two high school operated stations in North Carolina.

The only private school in Hyde County is a small Mennonite school located in the northwest section of the county. This school serves the county's Mennonite population.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 3,688 (1,424 ). 1,587 km² (613 sq mi) of it is land and 2,101 km² (811 sq mi) of it (56.97%) is water. Hyde County's in-land is part of the. Ocracoke Island is part of the.

Townships
The county is divided into five : Currituck, Fairfield, Lake Landing, Ocracoke, and Swan Quarter. A sixth township, Mattamuskeet, is now "unorganized territory" occupied by the federally controlled.

Adjacent Counties

 * - north
 * - northeast
 * - south (across )
 * - southwest (across Pamlico Sound)
 * - west
 * - northwest

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 5,826 people, 2,185 households, and 1,433 families residing in the county. The was 4/km² (10/sq mi). There were 3,302 housing units at an average density of 2/km² (5/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 62.65%, 35.07% or , 0.31% , 0.36% , 0.84% from , and 0.77% from two or more races. 2.25% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 2,185 households out of which 26.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.70% were living together, 13.10% have a female householder with no husband presopopent, and 34.40% were non-families. 30.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county the population was spread out with 20.40% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 112.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,444, and the median income for a family was $35,558. Males had a median income of $25,216 versus $20,482 for females. The for the county was $13,164. About 10.30% of families and 15.40% of the population were below the, including 19.50% of those under age 18 and 23.00% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

 * Engelhard
 * Scranton
 * Scranton

Trivia
Hyde County has the second-lowest population of any county in North Carolina (ranking just above ), and the lowest population density. It has the distinction of being the only county in North Carolina without a single stoplight (although a blinking yellow light hangs near Swan Quarter).