DARE COUNTY

Dare was formed in 1870 from Currituck, Tyrrell, and Hyde. It was named in honor of Virginia Dare, the first child born of English parents in America. It is in the eastern section of the State, and is bounded by Pamlico, Croatan and Albemarle Sounds, Hyde and Tyrrell counties (and on the banks by the Atlantic Ocean) . The present land area is 383.58 square miles. The population from the 2010 Census was 33,920. Of that population, 31,313 were white, 834 were black or African American, 125 were American Indian, 212 were Asian, 13 were Pacific Islander and 810 were of a different race. Another 613 were reported to be of two or more races and 2,210 were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Manteo, named in honor of an Indian Chief, is the county seat.

Dare County is located in the Pasquotank River Basin and is a part of 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)