Warren County is a county located in the northeastern Piedmont region of the U.S. state of North Carolina, on the northern border with Virginia, made famous for a landfill and birthplace of the environmental justice movement. As of the 2020 census, its population was 18,642. Its county seat is Warrenton. It was a center of tobacco and cotton plantations, education, and later textile mills.

History

The county was established in 1779 from the northern half of Bute County. It was named for Joseph Warren of Massachusetts, a physician and general in the American Revolutionary War who was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill. The county seat was designated at Warrenton later that year. In 1786, part of Granville County was moved to Warren. Developed as a tobacco and cotton farming area, Warrenton became a center of commerce and was one of the wealthiest towns in the state from 1840 to 1860. Many planters built fine homes there. Along with its slave population, Warren had one of the largest free black populations in antebellum North Carolina. The county's economy declined after the American Civil War, though its large black population briefly exercised significant political influence during the Reconstruction era. Warren's economy, like those of its neighboring counties in northeastern North Carolina, continued to struggle until it gained some manufacturing businesses in the 20th century. In 1881, parts of Warren County, Franklin County and Granville County were combined to form Vance County. The 1970s recession in the United States severely impacted Warren County. By 1980, it was one of the poorest counties in the state, with unemployment peaking in 1982 at 13.3 percent. The county pushed for industrial development to ameliorate struggles in the agricultural sector without much success. From 1990 to 2016, manufacturing employment rates declined by about two-thirds. Since the late 20th century, county residents have worked to attract other industrial and business development. Soul City, a "planned community" development, was funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It has not been successful in attracting business and industry, and has not developed as much housing as intended.

PCB issue

In 1978, a transformer manufacturer contracted a trucking company to illegally dump polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) alongside roads in North Carolina. The state of North Carolina assumed responsibility for cleaning up the pollution, and in December 1978, the state government purchased land in the Warren County community of Afton to establish a landfill to dispose of the chemical waste. Local residents began organizing to protest the planned disposal site, arguing better disposal options existed and that a hazardous waste facility would undercut the county's ability to attracted new industry. National civil rights organizations and politicians became involved, and about 500 protestors were arrested in September 1982 for attempting to obstruct the construction of the disposal site. While the demonstrations did not halt the creation of the landfill, the site was eventually detoxified, and a significant amount of historiographic literature attributes the start of the modern environmental justice movement to the protests.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 444.30 sqmi, of which 429.39 sqmi is land and 14.91 sqmi (3.36%) is water. It is bordered by the North Carolina counties of Franklin, Halifax, Nash, Northampton, and Vance, and the Virginia counties of Brunswick and Mecklenburg. It sits in the northeastern section of the state's Piedmont region and lies within the Roanoke and Tar-Pamlico river basins.

State and local protected areas

Major water bodies

Major highways

Demographics

Haliwa-Saponi Native Americans reside primarily in the southeastern portions of the county.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 18,642 people, 7,786 households, and 4,589 families residing in the county. The county's population declined between the 2010 and 2020 censuses.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 20,972 people living in the county. 52.3% were Black or African American, 38.8% White, 5.0% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 2.0% of some other race and 1.6% of two or more races. 3.3% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 19,972 people, 7,708 households, and 5,449 families living in the county. The population density was 47 /mi2. There were 10,548 housing units at an average density of 25 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 54.49% Black or African American, 38.90% White, 4.79% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. 1.59% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 7,708 households, out of which 28.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.20% were married couples living together, 17.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.97. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.50% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 17.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $28,351, and the median income for a family was $33,602. Males had a median income of $26,928 versus $20,787 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,716. About 15.70% of families and 19.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.90% of those under age 18 and 20.80% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Warren County has a council-manager government, governed by a five-member board of commissioners. County commissioners are elected at-large to staggered four-year terms and represent one of five single-member districts. The commission hires a county manager to serve as the chief administrative officer for county government and who is responsible for executing the commission's policies. Warren County is a member of the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments. It is located entirely in the North Carolina Senate's 3rd district, the North Carolina House of Representatives' 27th district, and North Carolina's 1st congressional district. Warren County lies within the bounds of North Carolina's 11th Prosecutorial District, the 9th Superior Court District, and the 9th District Court District.

Economy

In recent years, Warren County has struggled with poverty and low wages. Glen Raven, a textile company, is a major manufacturing employer in the county.

Education

Education in the area is provided by Warren County Public Schools. Vance-Granville Community College maintains a satellite campus in the county. According to the 2021 American Community Survey, an estimated 15.2 percent of county residents have attained a bachelor's degree or higher level of education.

Communities

Incorporated communities

Townships

Warren County townships are:

Unincorporated communities

Notable people