Elizabethtown, North Carolina

Not to be confused with Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

Elizabethtown, North Carolina
Town
A view of Broad Street
Seal
Location in Bladen County and the state of North Carolina.
Coordinates: 34°37′19″N78°36′27″W / 34.62194°N 78.60750°W / 34.62194; -78.60750
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Bladen
Government
• Mayor	Sylvia Campbell
Area [1]
• Total	5.11 sq mi (13.24 km2)
• Land	5.07 sq mi (13.13 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.11 km2)
Elevation [2]	118 ft (36 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,296
• Density	650.23/sq mi (251.05/km2)
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.elizabethtownnc.org

Elizabethtown is a town in Bladen County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,296 at the 2020 census. ^[4] It is the county seat of Bladen County. ^[5]

History

Some hold 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]

In the 1970s Elizabethtown more than doubled its size through annexation, increasing from about 1400 square feet to 3700 square feet in area. ^[8]

The Mt. Horeb Presbyterian Church and Cemetery and Trinity Methodist Church are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ^[9]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town 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. ^[4]

Browns Creek, a tributary to the Cape Fear River, drains the south side of Elizabethtown.

Climate data for Elizabethtown, North Carolina, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1946–2021
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	81 (27)	85 (29)	90 (32)	94 (34)	96 (36)	101 (38)	103 (39)	105 (41)	99 (37)	95 (35)	89 (32)	82 (28)	105 (41)
Mean maximum °F (°C)	73.4 (23.0)	76.2 (24.6)	82.3 (27.9)	86.5 (30.3)	91.3 (32.9)	95.6 (35.3)	97.0 (36.1)	96.4 (35.8)	91.4 (33.0)	85.8 (29.9)	79.1 (26.2)	74.8 (23.8)	98.7 (37.1)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	54.4 (12.4)	58.7 (14.8)	66.2 (19.0)	74.6 (23.7)	81.5 (27.5)	87.4 (30.8)	91.0 (32.8)	88.5 (31.4)	83.6 (28.7)	74.8 (23.8)	64.7 (18.2)	57.7 (14.3)	73.6 (23.1)
Daily mean °F (°C)	43.0 (6.1)	46.2 (7.9)	53.2 (11.8)	61.7 (16.5)	69.7 (20.9)	76.8 (24.9)	80.8 (27.1)	78.8 (26.0)	73.6 (23.1)	63.1 (17.3)	52.5 (11.4)	46.3 (7.9)	62.1 (16.7)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	31.6 (−0.2)	33.7 (0.9)	40.2 (4.6)	48.8 (9.3)	57.8 (14.3)	66.3 (19.1)	70.5 (21.4)	69.0 (20.6)	63.6 (17.6)	51.5 (10.8)	40.3 (4.6)	35.0 (1.7)	50.7 (10.4)
Mean minimum °F (°C)	16.4 (−8.7)	20.9 (−6.2)	25.1 (−3.8)	34.5 (1.4)	44.7 (7.1)	56.2 (13.4)	63.2 (17.3)	60.9 (16.1)	52.7 (11.5)	36.1 (2.3)	26.9 (−2.8)	21.7 (−5.7)	15.0 (−9.4)
Record low °F (°C)	−3 (−19)	8 (−13)	13 (−11)	24 (−4)	32 (0)	44 (7)	53 (12)	50 (10)	41 (5)	21 (−6)	16 (−9)	−3 (−19)	−3 (−19)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	3.73 (95)	3.48 (88)	3.91 (99)	3.55 (90)	4.05 (103)	5.08 (129)	5.33 (135)	6.56 (167)	6.89 (175)	3.70 (94)	3.62 (92)	3.38 (86)	53.28 (1,353)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	0.3 (0.76)	0.5 (1.3)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.8 (2.06)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	10.8	9.6	10.0	8.2	8.7	9.6	11.3	11.1	9.9	7.3	7.6	10.4	114.5
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	0.1	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2
Source: NOAA (snow/snow days 1981–2010) [10] [11]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	62		—
1880	212		241.9%
1900	144		—
1910	117		−18.7%
1920	335		186.3%
1930	765		128.4%
1940	1,123		46.8%
1950	1,611		43.5%
1960	1,625		0.9%
1970	1,418		−12.7%
1980	3,551		150.4%
1990	3,704		4.3%
2000	3,698		−0.2%
2010	3,583		−3.1%
2020	3,296		−8.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [12]

2020 census

Elizabethtown Racial Composition ^[13]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White	1,488	45.15%
Black or African American	1,530	46.42%
Native American	25	0.76%
Asian	10	0.3%
Pacific Islander	6	0.03%
Other/Mixed	104	3.16%
Hispanic or Latino	139	4.22%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 3,296 people, 1,482 households, and 750 families residing in the town.

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 per square mile (142.0/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.

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Elizabethtown, North Carolina
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. "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.
5. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
6. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  116.
7. Proffitt, Martie (April 17, 1983). "Local history offers tasty tidbits". Star-News. pp. 1C. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
8. "If you build it…?". Bladen Journal. March 31, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
9. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
10. "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
11. "Monthly Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . Retrieved February 23, 2023.
12. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
13. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 7, 2021.

External links

• Town of Elizabethtown official website
• Bladen Journal, Google news archive. —PDFs of 2,696 issues, dating from 1929 to 1985.