CHOWAN COUNTY

Chowan was formed in 1670 as a precinct in Albemarle County. It was named in honor of the Indian tribe Chowan, which lived in the northeastern part of the Colony. It is in the northeastern section of the State and is bounded by Albemarle Sound, Chowan River, and Bertie, Hertford, Gates and Perquimans counties. The present land area is 172.64 square miles. The population from the 2010 Census was 14,793. Of that population, 9,174 were white, 5,070 were black or African American, 43 were American Indian, 52 were Asian, 7 were Pacific Islander and 266 were of a different race. Another 181 were reported to be of two or more races and 467 were Hispanic or Latino of any race. In 1720, Edenton, which was named in honor of Governor Charles Eden, was established. In 1722 it was designated and has continued to be the county seat.

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Most of Chowan County is in the Chowan River Basin but some places in it are located in the Pasquotank River Basin. It is located in the Coastal Plain region of the state.

References:

"American Factfinder." 2011. U. S. Census Bureau. Online at http://factfinder2.census.gov/. Accessed 3/3/2011.

Corbitt, David L. 2000. The Formation of the North Carolina Counties, 1663-1943. Sixth printing. Raleigh: State Department of Archives and History.

Powell, William Stevens, and Michael R. Hill. 2010. The North Carolina gazetteer: a dictionary of Tar Heel places and their history. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Additional resources:

North Carolina Digital Collections. (Government & Heritage Library and NC State Archives)

NC LIVE resources

NC Natural Heritage Program database

WorldCat (Searches numerous library catalogs)