|
 GEOGRAPHY
Duplin County is located in the Southeastern Coastal Plain of
North Carolina and is the 9th largest county in the state with
819 square miles of prime agricultural land. Duplin is
bounded by Wayne County to the north; Lenoir, Jones, and Onslow
Counties to the east; Pender County to the south; and Sampson
County to the west. Kenansville, the County Seat, is located
in the center of the County. Duplin County is located
approximately 80 miles from Raleigh, 55 miles from Wilmington,
65 miles from Fayetteville, and 55 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. |
 County
Seat: |
Kenansville |
| Largest
City/Town: |
Wallace |
| Population
(2000): |
49,063 |
| Population
change since 1990: |
22.7% |
| Population
Density: |
59.9 people per square mile |
| Total
Area/Land Area of County: |
819/818 square miles |
| Elevation: |
127 ft. |
| Average
January Temperature: |
42 degrees F |
| Average
July Temperature: |
78 degrees F |
| Annual
Rainfall: |
51 inches |
POPULATION
& HOUSING
Duplin County has experienced a relatively stable
population over the last 50 years. According to the 2000
census, the total population of Duplin County is 49,063.
The county’s largest township, Island Creek, has a population
of 8,542. The total number of housing units in Duplin County
in 1990 was 14,925. The fastest growing municipality is
Kenansville, with a 34.2% growth rate from 1990 until 2000.
|
HISTORY
The General Assembly in New Bern created Duplin County from
the northern part of New Hanover County on April 7, 1750.
At that time the bounds of Duplin County included what was to
become Sampson County. The county was named for Sir Thomas
Hays, Lord Duplin, who served on the Board of Trade and Plantations
for the Crown in the 1740's. The earliest immigrants to
the area were the Welsh from New Castle on Delaware arriving
in the early 1700's. They were soon followed by German
Palatines and Swiss in the 1730's and 1740's who were from settlements
in New Bern. The Scotch-Irish arrived in 1736 from Ulster,
Northern Ireland with Henry McCulloch; a wealthy London merchant,
to settle on a rich and fertile 71,160-acre land granted to
him from the British Crown.
| County Workforce Information:
(2nd Quarter 2001) |
| Unemployment
Rate (2001 annual) |
6.3% |
0 |
| Total
Work Force |
20,237 |
0 |
| Agriculture |
3,614 |
17.8% |
| Construction |
652 |
3.2% |
| Finance/Insurance/Real
Estate |
238 |
1.2% |
| Government |
3,397 |
16.7% |
| Manufacturing |
6,592 |
32.5% |
| Retail
Trade |
2,539 |
12.5% |
| Wholesale
Trade |
648 |
3.2% |
| Service |
2,162 |
10.6% |
| Transportation/Communications/Public
Utilities |
393 |
1.9% |
| Active
applicants |
2,681 |
The early settlements were primarily along the river and larger
creeks as these were the best means of transportation in the
early beginnings of the county. McCulloch establish led
the first town, Sarecta, incorporated in 1787. The first
industry in the county was the navel stores industry followed
by the main industry throughout the years, agriculture.
The completion of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad in 1840,
gave rise to such towns as Wallace, Teachey, Rose Hill, Magnolia,
Warsaw, Faison, and Calypso. Duplin County has maintained
its agricultural heritage and rural environment through the
years while still allowing for a blending with industrial development,
economic growth and a enviable lifestyle. |
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