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The story
History
Early history
Prior to European settlement, New Hanover county was populated by two Native American tribes, namely the Cape Fear Indians and the Waccamaw. Proof of settlement dates back to roughly 8000 BC, and Natives resided intermittently in the area throughout the first millennium. The first European to visit the area was the Italian-born French explorer Giovanni da Verrazano in 1524, who reported his findings back to France, which took no further action. In 1526, Spaniard Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón led an expedition to the area, wrecking a ship in the process but also moving on from the area. In 1662, a New England expedition led by captain William Hilton traveled to the area, seeking to find a more temperate climate to establish a Puritan colony. After reporting favorable findings, a group of settlers arrived in the area, naming it "Cape Fear," but they too departed shortly for unknown reasons. Repeated failures to establish a settlement led to the area being left uninhabited for another century, and even the Cape Fear Indians, decimated by war and tribal infighting, were eventually forced to leave.
Finally being permanently settled in 1726, the county was formed in 1729 as New Hanover Precinct of Bath County, from Craven Precinct. It was named for the House of Hanover, a German royal family then ruling Great Britain. In 1734, parts of New Hanover Precinct became Bladen Precinct and Onslow Precinct. With the abolition of Bath County in 1739, all of its constituent precincts became counties. In 1750, the northern part of New Hanover County became Duplin County. In 1764, another part of New Hanover County was combined with part of Bladen County to form Brunswick County. Finally, in 1875, the separation of northern New Hanover County to form Pender County reduced it to its present dimensions. Originally designated as one of North Carolina's five ports, the Port of Brunswick (then the county seat) quickly developed into the state's most important port. During this time, the city of Wilmington (then called Newton) was formed, quickly surpassing Brunswick as the dominant city in the county and becoming the county seat. During this time, the county developed plantations, largely for the cultivation of tobacco and other commodity crops by enslaved African Americans. Despite this, the maritime nature of the county and relatively poor agricultural conditions meant that the plantation economy never managed to eclipse the trade economy.
Revolutionary War and Antebellum period
Following the French and Indian War, the English government instituted the Stamp Act in order to pay for additional security measures. Enraged, locals marched to Brunswick and placed governor William Tryon under virtual house arrest, marking one of the first major protests against the crown. In 1776, Continental Army colonel James Moore crushed Loyalist forces at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, and the United States Declaration of Independence followed five months later. The British only managed to recapture Wilmington five years later, only to be bloodlessly recaptured by Americans following the surrender of General Charles Cornwallis.
During the Antebellum Period, New Hanover County steadily grew in importance as the growth of interior North Carolina and the opening of trade with the Caribbean led to a surge in trade, mainly conducted from the Port of Wilmington, which had been renamed after Brunswick was depopulated. Improvements were done to the Cape Fear River in order to allow easier navigability, and the arrival of the steamboat in 1817 and the railroad in 1840 led to the explosive growth of Wilmington. By 1860, Wilmington had 4 of the 36 banks in the state.
Civil War and Reconstruction
By 1860, the county seat and county were majority-black in population, with most of those people enslaved. Wilmington was of crucial importance to the Confederacy as a blockade-running center, as its port allowed supplies to be sent directly via the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad to resupply Confederate troops in the north. Confederates established Fort Fisher, which was seen by both sides as second in importance only to Richmond. Some of the closing battles of the American Civil War took place in this county, including the Second Battle of Fort Fisher (the last major coastal stronghold of the Confederacy) and the Battle of Wilmington, and the fall of Wilmington marked the last days of the Confederacy.
Following the end of the war, Wilmington was placed under military rule. A new constitution granting the vote to freedmen was established in 1868, and White Democrats were resentful when freedmen were given the vote. Democrats quickly regained control of state government, and Wilmington was gerrymandered to ensure Democratic mayoralties. Following the Reconstruction era, white Democrats regained control of the state legislature. Violence by whites against blacks increased in the late 19th century, with 22 lynching deaths of African Americans recorded before the mid-20th century.
Racial terrorism on a larger scale took place in the Wilmington massacre of 1898, when a group of white Democrats rejected a duly elected, biracial city government. After overthrowing the Fusionist government, the mayor and city council, they led mobs that rioted and attacked the city's black neighborhoods and residents. A total of 60 to 300 blacks are believed to have been killed in the rioting, leaders were driven out of the city, and the presses of a black-owned newspaper were destroyed, along with many houses and businesses. Soon after, the state passed a new constitution raising barriers to voter registration: this effectively disenfranchised most blacks and imposed Jim Crow laws, destroying the political relevance of both the Black population and the Republican Party.
Modern times
Wilmington's economy was decimated during Reconstruction due to the declining importance of the cotton trade, for which Wilmington had been a major port. During World War I, Wilmington got some brief respite due to the shipbuilding industry, although this was short-lived. Wilmington's economy continued to stutter through the Great Depression, and World War II saw a rebound for the city's economy. The North Carolina Shipbuilding Company was established in 1941, and Wilmington became one of the nation's most crucial shipyards during the war, with its economy continuing to grow after the war had ended.
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The growth of America's interstate freeways and the onset of the trucking industry continued to benefit New Hanover County, and during the post-war period the large number of returning soldiers joined the newfound labor force in suburbanizing and growing the county. By the 1960s, New Hanover County had a diversified economy, and historic preservation movements led to the revitalization of the county. The USS North Carolina was berthed in Wilmington as a museum ship in 1961, which led to a downtown revitalization effort and supercharged the city's tourist economy. The University of North Carolina Wilmington was granted university status in 1969, and is estimated to contribute billions yearly to the county's economy.
Beginning in the 1980s, the city saw an explosion in population due to the rapidly growing film industry. The establishment of De Laurentiis Entertainment Group led to a major studio presence in the county, and the area is now known as "Hollywood East." This growth was compounded by the construction of Interstate 40, which connected the city and its port to the rest of the country via interstate for the first time. This growth has continued into the 21st century, and was even further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, after which the county saw an influx of remote workers and retirees, while UNC Wilmington is the fastest growing campus in the UNC system. New Hanover County is now nearly completely developed, and continues to rank in the top 10 North Carolinian counties for GDP growth.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 225,702 people, 98,109 households, and 56,160 families residing in the county.
The median age was 40.6 years. 18.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.5 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 75.7% White, 12.1% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.6% from some other race, and 6.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.7% of the population.
98.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.7% lived in rural areas.
There were 98,109 households in the county, of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.9% were married-couple households, 19.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 113,368 housing units, of which 13.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 60.1% were owner-occupied and 39.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.1%.
2000 census
At the 2000 census, there were 160,307 people, 68,183 households, and 41,591 families residing in the county. The population density was 806 people per square mile (311 people/km2). There were 79,616 housing units at an average density of 400 units per square mile (150 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 79.91% White, 16.97% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. 2.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 14.3% were of English, 13.0% United States or American, 10.6% German and 10.2% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 68,183 households, out of which 26.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.50% were married couples living together, 11.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.00% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size were 2.29 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.00% under the age of 18, 12.00% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,172, and the median income for a family was $50,861. Males had a median income of $35,801 versus $25,305 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,123. About 8.30% of families and 13.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.70% of those under age 18 and 9.00% of those age 65 or over.
From Wikipedia’s article on New Hanover County, North Carolina, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4