Vance County, North Carolina

Infobox U.S. County
county = Vance County
state = North Carolina

---

map size = 250
founded = 1881
seat = Henderson | area_total_sq_mi =270
area_water_sq_mi =16
area percentage = 6.04%
census yr = 2000
pop = 42954
density_km2 =65
web = www.vancecounty.org
|

Vance County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 42,954. Its county seat is HendersonGR|6.

History

The county was formed in 1881 from parts of Franklin County, Granville County, and Warren County. According to the 1955 book, "Zeb's Black Baby", by Samuel Thomas Peace Sr., "The formation of Vance County was accomplished largely as a political expediency. It was in 1881 when Blacks in large numbers were voting solidly Republican. Granville and Franklin Counties were nip and tuck, Democratic or Republican. From the Democratic standpoint, Warren County was hopelessly Republican. But by taking from Granville, Franklin and Warren, those sections that were heavily Republican and out of these sections forming the new county of Vance, the Democratic party could lose Vance to the Republicans and save Granville and Franklin for the Democrats (see gerrymandering). [U.S.] Senator [Zebulon Baird] Vance was a Democrat. He took kindly to this move and thanked the [North Carolina] Legislature for honoring him with naming the new county after him. At the same time...Vance showed his humor by always referring to Vance County as 'Zeb's Black Baby.'" In the 1890 Census, Vance County was more than 63 percent African American. [http://home.earthlink.net/~ncvance/name.html]

Zebulon Baird Vance was a Governor of North Carolina (1862-1865, 1877-1879) and United States senator (1879-1894). In 1881, he was arguably the state's most popular politician.

Law and government

Vance County is governed by a seven-member Board of Commissioners, who appoint a county manager [http://www.vancecounty.com/Commissioners.htm] . Vance County is a member of the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 270 square miles (699 km²), of which, 254 square miles (657 km²) of it is land and 16 square miles (42 km²) of it (6.04%) is water.

Kerr Lake and Kerr Lake State Recreation Area are partially located in Vance County.

Townships

The county is divided into eight townships: Dabney, Henderson, Kittrell, Middleburg, Sandy Creek, Townsville, Watkins, and Williamsboro.

Adjacent counties

*Mecklenburg County, Virginia - north
*Warren County, North Carolina - east
*Franklin County, North Carolina - south
*Granville County, North Carolina - west

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 42,954 people, 16,199 households, and 11,647 families residing in the county. The population density was 169 people per square mile (65/km²). There were 18,196 housing units at an average density of 72 per square mile (28/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 48.21% White, 48.31% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.03% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 4.56% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 16,199 households out of which 33.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.00% were married couples living together, 20.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 24.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.06.

The county had the dubious distinction of having the highest teen pregnancy rate in the state for the year 2005 as researched by the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coalition of North Carolina. The rate was 110.4 per 1000 teens, significantly above the state average of 61.7 per 1000 teens.

In the county the population was spread out with 27.10% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,301, and the median income for a family was $36,389. Males had a median income of $28,284 versus $21,433 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,897. About 16.30% of families and 20.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.70% of those under age 18 and 19.30% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

*Henderson
*Kittrell
*Middleburg
*South Henderson

Education

* Vance County Schools [http://www.vcs.k12.nc.us/]
* Vance Charter School [http://www.vancecharter.org/]
* Kerr-Vance Academy [http://www.kerrvance.com/]
* Crossroads Christian Academy [http://www.crossroadschristianhenderson.com/]
* Victory Christian Academy
* Vance-Granville Community College

References

External links

* [http://home.comcast.net/~teylu/ncvance/ Vance County History & Genealogy]
* [http://www.vancecounty.com Vance County government official website]
* [http://www.hendersonvance.org/ Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://vancecountyedc.com/ Vance County Economic Development Commission]
* [http://www.hendersondispatch.com/ "The Daily Dispatch"]
* [http://www.vgcc.edu Vance-Granville Community College]