Tarboro : North Carolina
Tarboro is a town located in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 11,138. It is the county seat of Edgecombe County6.
Historic Tarboro, North Carolina, was chartered in 1760. Nestled in a bend of the Tar River, it was an important river port, the head of navigation on the Tar. As early as the 1730’s a small community formed due to this natural asset, and a warehouse, customs office and other commercial concerns together with a score of “plain and cheap” houses made a bustling village.
The locals were a scrappy bunch, and gave the early governors and their agents a hard time. Edgecombe County residents came down hard on the side of the Revolution, many serving as officers in the Continental Army. One such was Thomas Blount (1759-1812), whose handsome plantation house “The Grove” has been restored and is open for tours on a daily basis. Blount was a very young officer, spent time in England as a prisoner of war, but returned to North Carolina to participate in one of the largest merchant/shipping companies in late 18th C. America.
“The Grove” was also home to Col. Louis Dicken Wilson (1789-1847), who served in the NC Senate and fought in the Mexican War, and Col. John Luther Bridgers (1821-1884), Commandant of Ft. Macon in the American Civil War.
Geography
Tarboro is located at 35°54′10″ North, 77°32′45″ West (35.902850, -77.545959)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 25.3 km² (9.8 mi²). 25.2 km² (9.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.41% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 11,138 people, 4,359 households, and 2,972 families residing in the town. The population density is 442.4/km² (1,145.4/mi²). There are 4,911 housing units at an average density of 195.1/km² (505.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 56.03% White, 39.44% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 3.56% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. 5.94% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
