Hertford, North Carolina

Hertford, North Carolina
Town
Location of Hertford, North Carolina
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Perquimans
Area
• Total	2.7 sq mi (7.0 km2)
• Land	2.7 sq mi (7.0 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	10 ft (3 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	2,070
• Density	768.5/sq mi (296.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	27930, 27944
Area code	252
FIPS code	37-30900Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1025382Template:GR
Website	www.townofhertfordnc.com

Hertford is a town in Perquimans County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,070 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Perquimans CountyTemplate:GR. Hertford is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. The CIA counter terrorism training facility known as Harvey Point is located near Hertford.

Hertford was originally incorporated in 1758 as the county seat for Perquimans county, first inhabited by the Yeopim Indians. Stretching from the Albemarle Sound to the Great Dismal Swamp, Perquimans means "Land of Beautiful Women." County records show that the Yeopim chief, Kalcacenin, sold land to a George Durant at the river mouth in March 1662, adjacent to land he had already sold to Samuel Pricklove. The area was settled soon afterwards, and its first building, the Newbold White House, is thought to be the oldest structure in the state.

Through the first part of the 20th century, Hertford thrived as a lumber town, making good use of the nearby river. The original bridge that spanned the river was a floating bridge, made of steel and wood. When a boat came near and wanted passage, the bridge would be unhooked from one bank and allowed to float out of the way. Then, when the boat had passed, lines were used to haul the free end of the bridge in and reconnect it. Today, an S-shaped swing bridge is in use, the only one of its kind in the world.

Today, agriculture is the chief industry of the area. Most people are familiar with Hertford for its famous residents. It is the hometown of notable baseball pitcher Catfish Hunter. Disc jockey Wolfman Jack is buried in Hertford and the record company he started is still located there. History has been well-preserved and many of the early houses in Hertford still survive, marked with the names of their original owners and the year they were built. They are the focus of the annual walking tour and the pride of their owners.

Hertford is part of the Elizabeth City, North Carolina Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Hertford is located at 36°11′14″N 76°28′20″W (36.187292, -76.472345)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²), of which, 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.74%) is water.

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Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 2,070 people, 877 households, and 556 families residing in the town. The population density was 768.5 people per square mile (297.1/km²). There were 1,041 housing units at an average density of 386.5/sq mi (149.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 48.16% White, 50.39% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.05% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.21% of the population.

There were 877 households out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.6% were married couples living together, 24.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 78.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 69.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $19,681, and the median income for a family was $24,524. Males had a median income of $24,803 versus $17,938 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,502. About 33.6% of families and 39.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 56.6% of those under age 18 and 21.0% of those age 65 or over.

External links

• Town of Hertford, North Carolina