- Manteo, North Carolina
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Manteo, North Carolina — Town — Location of Manteo, North Carolina
Coordinates: 35°54′17″N 75°40′10″W / 35.90472°N 75.66944°WCoordinates: 35°54′17″N 75°40′10″W / 35.90472°N 75.66944°W Country United States State North Carolina County Dare Area – Total 1.8 sq mi (4.6 km2) – Land 1.7 sq mi (4.5 km2) – Water 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) Elevation 7 ft (2 m) Population (2000) – Total 1,052 – Density 607.2/sq mi (234.4/km2) Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) – Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4) ZIP code 27954 Area code(s) 252 FIPS code 37-41060[1] GNIS feature ID 0989291[2] Website http://www.townofmanteo.com/ Manteo (pronounced "MAN-ee-owe") is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States, located on Roanoke Island. The population was 1,052 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Dare County.[3]
Contents
Geography
Manteo is located at 35°54′17″N 75°40′10″W / 35.90472°N 75.66944°W (35.904595, -75.669385),[4] on the north central area of Roanoke Island.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.8 sq mi (4.7 km2), of which, 1.7 sq mi (4.4 km2) is land and .1 sq mi (0.26 km2) of it (3.35%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 1,052 people, 515 households, and 287 families residing in the town. The population density was 607.2 people per square mile (234.8/km2˜). There were 924 housing units at an average density of 533.3 per square mile (206.2/km2˜). The racial makeup of the town was 86.31% White, 10.08% African American, 0.57% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 1.43% from other races, and 1.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 2.57% of the population. Primarily Peruvians and lesser numbers of Mexicans.
There were 515 households out of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.8% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.1% were non-families. 38.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03 and the average family size was 2.64.
In the town the population was spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males. For this reason, many local women wind up married to men they met elsewhere.
The median income for a household in the town was $29,803, and the median income for a family was $40,139. Males had a median income of $30,625 versus $20,833 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,222. About 18.2% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.4% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.
Federally, Manteo is part of North Carolina's 3rd congressional district, represented by Republican Walt Jones, elected in 1994.
The state's senior member of the United States Senate is Republican Richard Burr, elected in 2004. The state's junior member of the United States Senate is Democrat Kay Hagan, elected in 2008. The Governor of North Carolina is Democrat Beverly Perdue, elected in 2008.
History
The town is named for a Native American named Manteo, who was of the Croatans tribe of American Indians. Manteo had been "civilized" by the English during a trip to London in 1584 where he and another native, Wanchese, learned to become the liaison between the Roanoke Colony settlers and the Indians, and had favorable interaction with British colonist John White. In fact, Manteo was christened and given the name Lord of Roanoke, making him the first Native American to receive a title of nobility. Eventually, John White's daughter Eleanor married Ananias Dare, and they had the first American born English child, Virginia Dare. In 1587, Manteo was friendly to White when he returned to find what the final stage of the Roanoke Colony became. When the colonists disappeared after supplies from England were delayed for three years, the ongoing mystery of "The Lost Colony" began.[citation needed]
The "Lost" colony was established by Richard Grenville, who brought back two native Indians, one of them Manteo. Manteo was named the seat of government for Dare County in 1870, and was incorporated in 1899.[5]
Manteo's most famous resident is the actor Andy Griffith, who lives with his wife Cindi on a secluded compound on the northeastern shore of Roanoke Island about one mile north of the actual city limits.
Dare County is named for Virginia Dare.
In 1999, North Carolina public radio (NPR), WUNC, began broadcasting in Manteo as part of an effort to bring public radio to one of the largest areas on the East Coast without such service.[6]
In 2005, Manteo restored its coastal warning display tower, and it is now operated by the Manteo branch of the North Carolina Maritime Museum.
Twinning
The town claims it is twinned with Bideford, Devon in England. In October 2006 resident David Riley traveled to Bideford to mark the 20-year link between the two towns. Bideford town clerk George McLauchlan, told him locals had never heard of Manteo and the only town Bideford was twinned with was Landivisiau in France. Mr. Riley handed over a clock to celebrate the twenty year link, while Manteo town manager Kermit Skinner said the link started in the 1980s during the 400th anniversary of Walter Raleigh’s voyages to America.[7] As the story hit national news in the United Kingdom, further investigation revealed a link was established between the communities in 1981 when the mayor of Manteo, John Wilson, met with the mayor of Bideford, Pam Paddon, although it was recorded as friendly rather than formal twinning in Bideford.[8] In April 2008 members of Bideford's town council visited Manteo in preparation to formalize the twinning in 2009.[9]
Manteo has been twinned with Youghal, Ireland since July 4, 2006.[7]
Festivals and events
Dare Day — An annual celebration for the people of Dare County. The festival is free and open to all residents and visitors. There is a variety of entertainment, food, and shopping with all activities in walking distance. This festival is held on the first Saturday of June.[10]
Independence Day — Every year on July 4 Manteo holds an Independence Day celebration. During the day there are an array of contests, games, and tournaments, and in the evening a fireworks display.[11]
The New World Festival of the Arts — Held on the Manteo waterfront a great exhibition that features over 80 selected artists displaying and selling their work. It is a two-day outdoor art show that has been held for over 23 years running.[11]
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ [1]
- ^ WUNC History
- ^ a b Jenkins, Russell (2006-10-21). "Twinned with amnesia, how two historic towns drifted out of touch". The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article607943.ece. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
- ^ "Council in missing link". North Devon Gazette. 2006-10-25. http://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/northdevongazette/news/story.aspx?brand=NDGOnline&category=news&tBrand=devon24&tCategory=newsndga&itemid=DEED25%20Oct%202006%2012:02:25:533. Retrieved 2009-06-05.[dead link]
- ^ "Twinned Town - Visit to Manteo". Bideford Town Council. http://www.bideford-tc.gov.uk/01_counci-business-pages/01_local_business.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-05.[dead link]
- ^ "Dare Day Festival". County of Dare. http://www.co.dare.nc.us/Local/DareDay/index.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
- ^ a b "Manteo Festivals and Events". The Town of Manteo. http://www.townofmanteo.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={05838B7D-8D26-476B-95AF-89F1D401DFF3}. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
External links
Municipalities and communities of Dare County, North Carolina County seat: ManteoTowns Duck | Kill Devil Hills | Kitty Hawk | Manteo | Nags Head | Southern Shores
Unincorporated
communitiesThe Outer Banks of North Carolina Landforms Places Currituck County · Dare County · Hyde County · Carteret County
Carova Beach · Corolla · Duck · Southern Shores · Kitty Hawk · Kill Devil Hills · Nags Head · Manteo · Wanchese · Rodanthe · Waves · Salvo · Avon · Buxton · Frisco · Hatteras · Ocracoke · PortsmouthWaterways Lighthouses Protected areas Transportation History Categories:- Populated places in Dare County, North Carolina
- Towns in North Carolina
- County seats in North Carolina
- Populated places established in 1584
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