Poverty's Enduring Tradition in Rural North Carolina: How Do We Respond?

Situated on a quiet peninsula flanked by the Albemarle and Pamlico sounds in northeastern North Carolina, Tyrrell County once was called Place of the Sweet Bay Tree by local Indians. Today it is home to protected wildlife sanctuaries, fertile farmland—and one of the highest poverty rates in the state. For generations of families, poverty has come to be a devastating, disheartening way of life, permeating nearly every segment of the community and leaving an indelible mark not only on the 23 percent of county residents who live in poverty but on everyone else as well.

A major part of the problem is jobs, or rather, the lack of jobs in a county that still relies heavily on traditional farming, fishing, and forestry trades while the world increasingly becomes more technology driven. With virtually no industry except a seafood processing company in Columbia, nearly 38 percent of Tyrrell County workers commute each day to jobs in neighboring counties. Graduating high school seniors searching for job opportunities often choose to relocate, making it all the more unlikely that potential business investors will find Tyrrell County attractive.