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About Our District

North Carolina’s First Congressional District is as diverse as it is historic. From the Halifax Resolves enacted by the North Carolina Provincial Congress at the start of the American Revolution to the struggle for civil rights, the 23 counties that comprise this region have seen great change and progress.

The First District is also home to a broad range of sights and scenery. Reaching from the eastern edges of the Piedmont to the coast of the Inner Banks, the First District includes everything from scenic agrarian life to growing city centers. There are also a great range of important institutions including the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, East Carolina University and Elizabeth City State University.

While scenically beautiful, it is the people of the First District that are our greatest asset.

The First Congressional District of North Carolina at a Glance

 

General Characteristics and Facts

  • State Land Mass in Square Miles
 48,711 Square Miles (Land Only)
  • 1st District Land Mass in Square Miles
 7,198.86 Square Miles (103rd Largest)
  • 1st District Urban Land Area
 178.61 Squre Miles
  • 1st District Rural Land Area
 7,020.25 Square Miles
  • 1st District Percentage of State Land Mass
 14.78%
  • Statewide Population (as of July 2009)
 9,380,884
  • 1st District Population
 619,178
  • 1st District Urban Population
 295,749 (47.76%)
  • 1st District Rural Population
 323,429 (52.24%)

 

1st District Demographics

 

  • White
 44.21%
  • African American
 50.9%
  • Hispanic
 3.94%
  • Asian
 0.5%
  • American Indian
 0.7%
  • Seniors 65 and Older
 87,185 (14.4%)
  • 18 and Older
 460,134 (76.1%)

 

Ten Largest Counties in the 1st District (by Population)

 

County 1st District Population County Population
  • Halifax County
 57,370 (100%) 57,370
  • Edgecombe County
 55,606 (100%) 55,606
  • Pitt County
 54,674 (40.86%) 133,798
  • Wayne County
 52,962 (46.73%) 113,329
  • Craven County
 39,000 (42.65%) 91,436
  • Wilson County
 36,795 (49.85%) 73,814
  • Pasquotank County
 34,897 (100%) 34,897
  • Lenoir County
 30,702 (51.47%)

59,648
  • Vance County
 28,240 (65.74%) 42,954
  • Martin County
 25,593 (100%) 25,593

 

Five Largest Cities in 1st District (by Population)

 

City 1st District Population City-Wide Population
  • Goldsboro
 36,187 (92.68%) 37,597
  • Rocky Mount
 32,062 (57.36%) 57,010
  • Wilson
 25,068 (56.45%) 48,433
  • Greenville
 22,028 (36.42%) 79,629
  • Elizabeth City
 20,025 (100%) 20,025

 

Interesting Facts

 

  • The First Congressional District is home to three military instillations including Marine Corps Air Station – Cherry Point, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, and Coast Guard Station – Elizabeth City. 
  • The soft drink Pepsi was first made in 1898 by pharmacist Caleb Bradham in New Bern.
  • Current North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue lived in New Bern prior to being elected as the State’s first female governor.
  • Kinston is home to Minor League Baseball’s Kinston Indians.  The Kinston Indians are affiliated with the Cleveland Indians.
  • The Swiss and German settlement of New Bern was named in honor of the founder's home, Bern, Switzerland.  When Bern, Switzerland was founded, it was named by a group of hunters.  They named the city for the first animal they came upon on their hunting expedition.  It was a bear.  "Bern" is the old Germanic word for Bear, and the bear became the symbol of the city.  It is also the symbol of New Bern.