Edenton, North Carolina
Edenton is a town in, and the county seat of, Chowan County, North Carolina, United States, on Albemarle Sound. The population was 4,397 at the 2020 census. Edenton is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. In recent years Edenton has become a popular retirement location and a destination for heritage tourism.
Edenton, North Carolina | |
|---|---|
Town | |
Downtown Edenton Waterfront | |
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Flag Seal | |
Location of Edenton, North Carolina | |
| Coordinates: 36°03′29″N 76°36′03″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Chowan |
| Incorporated | 1722 |
| Named for | Charles Eden |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | W. Hackney High Jr |
| • Town Manager | Corey Gooden |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.57 sq mi (14.43 km2) |
| • Land | 5.38 sq mi (13.92 km2) |
| • Water | 0.20 sq mi (0.51 km2) |
| Elevation | 13 ft (4 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 4,460 |
| • Density | 829.77/sq mi (320.40/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 27932 |
| Area code | 252 |
| FIPS code | 37-20120 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2406422 |
| Website | www |
Edenton served as the second official capital of North Carolina, during the colonial era as the Province of North Carolina, though other than housing the governor's official residence, it did not otherwise house any other governmental functions. It served as capital from 1722 to 1743, when it was moved to Brunswick. The town was the site of the Edenton Tea Party, a protest organized by several Edenton women in 1774 in solidarity with the organizers of the Boston Tea Party. It was the birthplace of Harriet Jacobs, an enslaved African American whose 1861 autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, is now considered an American classic. Edenton gained notoriety for a famous wrongful conviction during the Satanic panic era of the late twentieth century. Today, Edenton's local economy is primarily driven by tourism, and as a popular retirement location.