Kinston, North Carolina

Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 23,688 at the 2000 census. It was the county seat of Dobbs County from 1779 to 1791, and has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791. It is the home of the Kinston Indians baseball club of the Carolina League. Kinston is served by the Kinston Regional Jetport. Kinston is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region.

Kinston is also home of the N.C. Global TransPark (GTP), a combined airport and industrial complex developed by the State in Lenoir County. Caswell Center, a campus providing support services and boarding for mentally handicapped, is also located in Kinston. The major city high school is Kinston High School. The closest major city is Greenville, approximately 22mi to the north.

History

Kinston was incorporated in 1762 as Kingston, in honor of King George III. The bill to incorporate it was introduced by Richard Caswell, who made his home there and later served as the first Governor of the State of North Carolina from 1776 to 1780. The conclusion of the American Revolutionary War brought a change of name to Kinston in 1784. In 1833 Kinston became Caswell, in honor of the governor, but reverted to Kinston the following year.

Kinston was the site of the Battle of Kinston on December 14, 1862, during the American Civil War.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 43.7 km² (16.9 mi²). 43.3 km² (16.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (0.95%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 23,688 people, 9,829 households, and 6,074 families residing in the city. The population density was 546.7/km² (1,415.7/mi²). There were 11,229 housing units at an average density of 259.1/km² (671.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 35.27% White, 62.64% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.14% of the population.

There were 9,829 households out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.7% were married couples living together, 22.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 81.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,630, and the median income for a family was $35,867. Males had a median income of $28,688 versus $21,442 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,779. About 19.7% of families and 23.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.0% of those under age 18 and 18.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people born in Kinston

• Jocelyn Brown, Singer
• Dwight Clark, Retired NFL Player
• James W. "Catfish" Cole, Klan Leader
• Malcolm Howard, Federal Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
• Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell, Retired NBA Player
• Susan Owens, Washington State Supreme Court Justice
• Maceo Parker, Musician
• Melvin Parker, Drummer
• Marion A. Parrott, Lawyer, Activist
• Henry C. Pearson, Artist
• Jaime Pressly, Actress, Model
• Barbara Roy, Singer
• Christa Sauls, Actress, Model
• Charles Shackleford, Retired NBA Player
• Frank Snepp, Journalist
• Jerry Stackhouse, NBA player on the Dallas Mavericks
• George Suggs, MLB pitcher
• Tyrone Willingham, Head Football Coach Washington Huskies

Source Materials

• Cooper, Edwin B., Jr., et al (eds.) (1981). The Heritage of Lenoir County. The Lenoir County Historical Association. ISBN 0-894-59155-X. 

• Johnson, Talmage C., and Charles R. Holloman (1954). The Story of Kinston and Lenoir County. Edwards and Broughton Company. ASIN B000FRTZB8. 

• Kohler, Mike (1976). 200 Years of Progress: A Report of the History and Achievements of the People of Lenoir County, 1776-1976. Kinston-Lenoir County Bicentennial Commission. ASIN B0006CVK5G. 

• Little, M. Ruth, and Robbie D. Jones (1998). Coastal Plain and Fancy: The Historic Architecture of Lenoir County and Kinston, North Carolina. The Lenoir County Historical Association. ISBN 0-966-83190-X. 

• Powell, William S. (1963). Annals of Progress: The Story of Lenoir County and Kinston, North Carolina. State Department of Archives and History. ISBN 0-86526-124-5. 

Internet Sources

• Official website
• The Kinston Free Press
• Kinston Chamber of Commerce
• Kinston Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Kinston Regional Jetport
• N.C. Global TransPark
• Caswell Center