Manteo, North Carolina
Location of Manteo, North Carolina
Coordinates: 35°54′17″N 75°40′10″W / 35.90472, -75.66944
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Dare
Area
- Total	1.8 sq mi (4.6 km²)
- Land	1.7 sq mi (4.5 km²)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
Elevation	7 ft (2 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	1,052
- Density	607.2/sq mi (234.4/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	27954
Area code(s)	252
FIPS code	37-41060[1]
GNIS feature ID	0989291[2]

Manteo (pronounced man-te-oh) is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,052 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Dare County^[3].

Geography

Manteo is located at 35°54′17″N, 75°40′10″W (35.904595, -75.669385)^[4], on the north central area of Roanoke Island.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.6 km©˜), of which, 1.7 square miles (4.5 km©˜) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km©˜) of it (3.35%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 1,052 people, 515 households, and 287 families residing in the town. The population density was 607.2 people per square mile (234.8/km©˜). There were 924 housing units at an average density of 533.3/sq mi (206.2/km©˜). The racial makeup of the town was 86.31% White, 10.08% African American, 0.57% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 1.43% from other races, and 1.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 2.57% of the population. Primarily Peruvians and lesser numbers of Mexicans.

There were 515 households out of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.8% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.1% were non-families. 38.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03 and the average family size was 2.64.

In the town the population was spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males. For this reason, many local women wind up married to men they met elsewhere.

The median income for a household in the town was $29,803, and the median income for a family was $40,139. Males had a median income of $30,625 versus $20,833 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,222. About 18.2% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.4% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over. Property taxes have been raised so high that some of the older natives of the area are selling their now-valuable properties and moving away because of the economic pressure brought on by people moving in from the Northeast US.

Housing costs are prohibitively high, due to Roanoke Island's proximity to the beaches of the Outer Banks, with barely adequate single-family homes often costing well over $250,000. Mobile home parks are also prevalent in the Manteo town limits, with rents being equally exorbitant.

History

The town is named for a Native American named Manteo, who was of the Croatan tribe of American Indians. Manteo had been "civilized" by the English during a trip to London in 1584 where he and another native, Wanchese, learned to become the liaison between the Roanoke Colony settlers and the Indians, and had favorable interaction with British colonist John White. In fact, Manteo was christened and given the name Lord of Roanoke, making him the first Native American to receive a title of nobility. Eventually, John White's daughter Eleanor married Ananias Dare, and they had the first American born English child, Virginia Dare. In 1587, Manteo was friendly to White when he returned to find what the final stage of the Roanoke Colony became. When the colonists disappeared after supplies from England were delayed for three years, the ongoing mystery of "The Lost Colony" began.^{[citation needed]} The 'twinning' of Bideford, Devon, Britain with Manteo was established 30 years ago. The "Lost" colony was established by Richard Grenville, who bought back two native Indians, one of them Manteo. Manteo named the seat of government for Dare County in 1870, this waterfront community incorporated in 1899.[6]

Manteo's most famous resident is the actor Andy Griffith who lives with his wife Cindi on a secluded compound on the northeastern shore of Roanoke Island about one mile north of the actual city limits.

Dare County is named for Virginia Dare.

In 2005, Manteo restored its coastal warning display tower, and it is now operated by the Manteo branch of the North Carolina Maritime Museum.

Twinning

The town claims it is twinned with Bideford, Devon in England. On 20 October 2006 resident David Riley travelled to Bideford to mark the “20-year link” between the two towns. Bideford town clerk George McLauchlan, told him locals had never heard of Manteo and the only town Bideford was twinned with was in France. Mr Riley handed over a clock to "celebrate" the twenty year link, while Manteo Town manager Kermit Skinner said the link started in the 1980's during the 400th anniversary of Walter Raleigh’s voyages to America ^{[5] [6]}.

Festivals and Events

Dare Day- An annual celebration for the people of Dare County. The festival is free and open to all residents and visitors. There is a variety of entertainment, food, and shopping with all activities in walking distance. Dates of this festival range.^[7]

Independence Day- Every year on July 4th Manteo holds an Independence Day celebration. During the day there are an array of contests, games, and tounaments, and in the evening a fireworks display.^[8]

The New World Festival of the Arts- Held on the Manteo waterfront a great exhibition that features over 80 selected artists displaying and selling their work. It is a two-day outdoor art show that has been held for over 23 years running. ^[9]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
3. ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
4. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
5. ^ The Sun, 21 October 2006 [1]
6. ^ North Devon Gazette [2]
7. ^ The Town of Manteo [3]
8. ^ The Town of Manteo [4]
9. ^ The Town of Manteo [5]

External links

• Official website of Manteo, NC
• Web cam of Manteo, NC
• Manteo Preservation Trust

• Manteo, North Carolina is at coordinates 35°54′17″N 75°40′10″W / 35.904595, -75.669385 (Manteo, North Carolina)Coordinates: 35°54′17″N 75°40′10″W / 35.904595, -75.669385 (Manteo, North Carolina)

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Dare County, North Carolina County seat: Manteo Towns Duck | Kill Devil Hills | Kitty Hawk | Manteo | Nags Head | Southern Shores Communities Avon | Buxton | Colington | Frisco | Hatteras | Manns Harbor | Rodanthe | Salvo | Wanchese | Waves

v • d • e The Outer Banks of North Carolina Landforms Bodie Island · Roanoke Island · Pea Island · Little Hatteras Island · Hatteras Island · Cape Hatteras · Ocracoke Island · Portsmouth Island  · Core Banks · Cape Lookout Places Currituck County · Dare County · Hyde County · Carteret County Carova Beach · Corolla · Duck · Southern Shores · Kitty Hawk · Kill Devil Hills · Nags Head · Manteo · Wanchese · Rodanthe · Waves · Salvo · Avon · Buxton · Frisco · Hatteras · Ocracoke · Portsmouth Waterways Atlantic Ocean · Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway · Currituck Sound · Albemarle Sound · Croatan Sound · Roanoke Sound · Oregon Inlet · Pamlico Sound · Hatteras Inlet · Onslow Bay · Raleigh Bay · Ocracoke Inlet · Core Sound · Drum Inlet · Barden Inlet · Back Sound · New Inlet · Isabel Inlet Lighthouses Currituck Beach Light · Bodie Island Light · Cape Hatteras Light · Ocracoke Light · Cape Lookout Light Protected areas Cape Hatteras National Seashore · Cape Lookout National Seashore · Fort Raleigh National Historic Site · Jockey's Ridge State Park · Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge · Wright Brothers National Memorial Transportation North Carolina Highway 12 · U.S. Highway 64 · U.S. Highway 158 · Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge · First Flight Airport · Billy Mitchell Airport · North Carolina Ferry System History Pea Island Life-Saving Station