A large image of a calm river surrrounded by green trees and bushes.

Tyrrell County

Welcome to Tyrrell County, NC

Sprawled between the urban mainland and the popular stretch of North Carolina's Outer Banks

Our History

Tyrrell County is one of North Carolina’s oldest counties, founded in 1729 and named for Sir John Tyrrell, one of the Lord’s Proprietors of the Carolinas.

Tyrrell County is a diverse economic and ecological destination located between the northeast North Carolina urban mainland and the Outer Banks. Founded in 1729 and named for one of the Lord Proprietors, Tyrrell County hosts a special and abundant environment where red wolves howl and black bear and bobcats roam. Bald eagles and peregrine falcon soar over alligator and rose- crested orchids and pitcher plants.

Commerce is also at home in Tyrrell County where world class agri-business and fishing helps feed the world and provides seeds for others to chart their economic harvests. The county hosts a wealth of water and land based ecotourism venues and is embraced by the Scuppernong and Alligator Rivers and the Albemarle Sound. The county is poised for residential, recreational and commercial growth and is aggressively finalizing the infrastructure necessary for multi-faceted development enhancing an already unparalleled quality of life.

Located in northeastern North Carolina, Tyrrell County is bordered on the north by the Albemarle Sound, on the south by Hyde County, on the east by the Alligator River and Dare County, and on the west by Washington County. It is located approximately 150 miles east of the Triangle Area (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill) and 100 miles south of Tidewater Virginia (Norfolk/Chesapeake/Virginia Beach). The county has a total area of 600 square miles of which 390 square miles is comprised of land and 210 square miles of water.

The county seat and only municipality is Columbia, located on the banks of the Scuppernong River. The county is divided into five townships – Alligator, Columbia, Gum Neck, Scuppernong, and South Fork.

According to the 2010 United States’ census, the population of the county was 4,407, making it the least populous county in the state. Agri-business, commercial fishing, forestry, and tourism contribute to the economy. Access to water and the abundance of forest land and wildlife for recreational fishing and hunting are valuable assets of the county.

The county has a five member Board of Commissioners/Manager type of government. The five members are elected at large by a limited voting election system and serve staggered four-year terms.