Elizabethtown, North Carolina
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Elizabethtown, North Carolina | |
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| A view of Broad Street A view of Broad Street | |
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| Location within Bladen County and the U.S. state of North Carolina Location within Bladen County and the U.S. state of North Carolina | |
| Coordinates: 34°37′19″N 78°36′27″W / 34.62194°N 78.60750°WCoordinates: 34°37′19″N 78°36′27″W / 34.62194°N 78.60750°W | |
| Country | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States |
| State | Template:Country data North Carolina |
| County | Bladen |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Sylvia Campbell |
| Area | |
| • Total | Template:Infobox settlement/areadisp |
| • Land | Template:Infobox settlement/areadisp |
| • Water | Template:Infobox settlement/areadisp |
| Elevation | Template:Infobox settlement/lengthdisp |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 3,296 |
| • Density | Template:Infobox settlement/densdisp |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 28337 |
| Area codes | 910, 472 |
| FIPS code | 37-20600[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2406434[2] |
| Website | www |
Elizabethtown is a town in and the county seat of Bladen County, North Carolina, United States.[4] The population was 3,296 at the 2020 census.[5]
History
Some hold that Elizabethtown is named for Elizabeth, the wife of George Carteret,[6] while others believe it was named for the love interest of a local landowner.[7]
The Bladen County Training School, Mt. Horeb Presbyterian Church and Cemetery, and Trinity Methodist Church are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[8]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, Elizabethtown has a total area of 4.7 square miles (12.1 km2), of which 4.6 square miles (12.0 km2) is land and 0.039 square miles (0.1 km2), or 0.73%, is water.[5] Browns Creek, a tributary to the Cape Fear River, drains the south side of the town.[9]
The Bladen Lakes State Forest, located just north of the town limits, is the largest state-owned forest in North Carolina, covering 33,450 acres (13,540 ha).[10]
Elizabethtown is located in the center of the Bladen Lakes region, a region characterized by its high concentration of water-filled Carolina bays and acidic pocosins.[11] Because of this, the town acts as a gateway to many natural points of interest, including Jones Lake State Park, located 4 miles (6.4 km) to the north;[12] Singletary Lake State Park, located 9 miles (14 km) to the southeast;[11] and the seasonal resort town of White Lake, located 6 miles (9.7 km) to the east.[13]
Climate
Elizabethtown has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa) with long, hot summers and short, cool to mild winters.Template:Weather box
Extreme weather
Due to its location in the coastal plain of southeastern North Carolina, Elizabethtown is vulnerable to severe tropical cyclones. During Hurricane Florence in September 2018, a weather station near Elizabethtown recorded 35.93 inches (913 mm) of rainfall.[14] This total broke the previous record for the highest amount of precipitation dropped by a single tropical cyclone in North Carolina history, which had stood since Hurricane Floyd in 1999.[15] Two years prior, in October 2016, Hurricane Matthew also caused severe flash flooding and historic river cresting along the Cape Fear River.[16]
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Elizabethtown had a population of 3,296. The median age was 46.4 years. 18.6% of residents were under the age of 18, and 26.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 81.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.7 males age 18 and over.[17][18]
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[19]
There were 1,434 households in Elizabethtown, of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 29.7% were married-couple households, 20.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 45.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 40.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. 750 families were residing in the town.[17]
There were 1,631 housing units, of which 12.1% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0%, and the rental vacancy rate was 4.9%.[17]
| Race | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| White | 1,506 | 45.7% |
| Black or African American | 1,553 | 47.1% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 33 | 1.0% |
| Asian | 11 | 0.3% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0 | 0.0% |
| Some other race | 83 | 2.5% |
| Two or more races | 110 | 3.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 139 | 4.2% |
2000 census
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 3,698 people, 1,536 households, and 907 families residing in the town. The population density was 805.9 inhabitants per square mile (311.2/km2). There were 1,688 housing units at an average density of 367.9 units per square mile (142.0 units/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 48.05% White, 48.97% African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.30% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.54% of the population.
There were 1,536 households, out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.4% were married couples living together, 19.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.9% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21, and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $21,944, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $36,133 versus $25,417 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,303. About 24.6% of families and 31.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 47.3% of those under age 18 and 27.8% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- Curtis Brown (born 1956) – former NASA astronaut and retired United States Air Force colonel[20]
- Desmond Bryant (born 1985) – former NFL player[21]
- J. Bayard Clark (1882–1959) – U.S. Congressman[22]
- Chris Cole (born 1996) – professional soccer player[23]
- Homer L. Lyon (1879–1956) – U.S. Congressman[24]
- Emerson Martin (born 1970) – professional American football player and coach[25]
- William McBryar (1861–1941) – Buffalo soldier, Medal of Honor recipient[26]
- James Iver McKay (1792–1853) – U.S. Congressman[27]
- Larrell Murchison (born 1997) – defensive end for the Los Angeles Rams[28]
- Edd Nye (1932–2025) – long-serving member of the North Carolina General Assembly[29]
- Kevin Richardson (born 1986) – former college football player for Appalachian State University[30]
- William Saltar (1732–1802) – Revolutionary War politician, delegate to the North Carolina Provincial Congress, original founder and trustee of Elizabethtown.[31]
References
- ↑ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Template:GNIS
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Elizabethtown town, North Carolina". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
- ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 116.
- ↑ Proffitt, Martie (April 17, 1983). "Local history offers tasty tidbits". Star-News. pp. 1C. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
- ↑ Template:NRISref
- ↑ "Browns Creek, Bladen County, North Carolina". waterdata.usgs.gov. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ↑ "N.C. Forest Service - Bladen Lakes State Forest". ncagr.gov. North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Bladen County Geography and Protected Areas". ncpedia.org. State Library of North Carolina. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ↑ "Jones Lake State Park History". ncparks.gov. North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ↑ "About White Lake". whitelakenc.org. Town of White Lake. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ↑ Stewart, Stacy R. (May 3, 2019). "National Hurricane Center Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Florence" (PDF). National Hurricane Center. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ↑ Wooten, Alan (May 6, 2019). "Elizabethtown set rainfall record". Bladen Journal. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ↑ "Hurricane Matthew in the Carolinas: October 8, 2016". weather.gov. National Weather Service. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
- ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Biographical Data: Curtis L. Brown, Jr. (Colonel, USAF, Ret.) NASA Astronaut (Former)" (PDF). NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. January 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ↑ "Desmond Bryant". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ↑ "CLARK, Jerome Bayard". History, Art & Archives. U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ↑ "Chris Cole". Major League Soccer. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
- ↑ "LYON, Homer Le Grand". History, Art & Archives. U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ↑ "Emerson Martin Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ↑ "William McBryar". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ↑ "McKAY, James Iver". History, Art & Archives. U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ↑ Smist, John (April 8, 2020). "NFL draft hopeful working out at home in Elizabethtown". WECT.com.
- ↑ "Rep. Edd Nye Obituary (1932–2025)". Bladenboro Funeral & Cremation Service. June 13, 2025. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ↑ "National Recognition Added to Richardson's List of Accolades". App State Athletics. Appalachian State University. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ↑ "A History of Elizabethtown, North Carolina". Carolana. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
External links
- Town of Elizabethtown official website
- Bladen Journal, Google news archive. —PDFs of 2,696 issues, dating from 1929 to 1985.
Template:Bladen County, North Carolina Template:North Carolina county seats