Pender County, North Carolina
| Pender County, North Carolina | |
|---|---|
 Location in the U.S. state of North Carolina |
|
 North Carolina's location in the U.S. |
|
| Founded | 1875 |
| Named for | William Dorsey Pender |
| Seat | Burgaw |
| Largest town | Burgaw |
| Area | |
| • Total | 933 sq mi (2,416 km2) |
| • Land | 870 sq mi (2,253 km2) |
| • Water | 63 sq mi (163 km2), 6.8% |
| Population | |
| • (2010) | 52,217 |
| • Density | 60/sq mi (23/km²) |
| Congressional districts | 3rd, 7th |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
| Website | www |
Pender County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 52,217. Its county seat is Burgaw.
Pender County is part of the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The county was formed in 1875 from New Hanover County. It was named for William Dorsey Pender of Edgecombe County, a Confederate general mortally wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg. It is in the southeastern section of the State and is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean and New Hanover, Brunswick, Columbus, Bladen, Sampson, Duplin and Onslow counties. The present land area is 870.76 square miles (2,255.3 km2) and the 1990 population was 28,855. The county commissioners were ordered to hold their first meeting at Rocky Point. The act provided for the establishment of the town of Cowan as the county seat. In 1877 an act was passed repealing that section of the law relative to the town, and another law was enacted whereby the qualified voters were to vote on the question of moving the county seat to South Washington or any other place which the majority of the voters designated. Whatever place was selected, the town should be called Stanford. In 1879 Stanford was changed to Burgaw, which was by that law incorporated. It is the county seat.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 933 square miles (2,420 km2), of which 870 square miles (2,300 km2) is land and 63 square miles (160 km2) (6.8%) is water. It is the fifth-largest county in North Carolina by land area.
As of the census of 2000, there were 41,082 people, 16,054 households, and 11,719 families residing in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile (18/km²). There were 20,798 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 72.74% White, 23.58% Black or African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.03% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 3.64% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
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