Enfield, North Carolina

Enfield is a town in Halifax County, North Carolina, United States, and was founded in 1740. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 1,864, which reflected a decrease of almost 27% from the population of 2,538 in 2010. It is the oldest town in Halifax County, North Carolina, and was once the world’s largest raw peanut market. Enfield is part of the Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History
The small rural town was site of the Enfield Riots, which helped spark American independence. The Crown governed the area, and Robert Earl Granville, heir of John Lord Carteret, possessed land rights in the district. The riots were set off by a controversy over corrupt agents, land grants, titles, and the collection of quitrents (which often ended up in Granville’s pocket). A group of Colonists — many of them land owners and office holders from Halifax, Edgecombe, and Granville counties — went to Edenton on the night of January 25, 1759, and kidnapped Francis Corbin and a co-agent, Joshua Bodley. Corbin and Bodley were brought to Enfield, where they were thrown in jail for four days and forced to open all land records for public inspection. Corbin returned illegal fees he had collected, but he filed a lawsuit against his abductors after his release.

The suit was eventually dropped, but the Colonial Assembly jailed some of the men who had kidnapped Corbin and Bodley. A group of citizens in Enfield expressed outrage against British tyranny and on May 14, 1759, broke into jail and freed the men.

National Register of Historic Places
Bell-Sherrod House, Bellamy's Mill, Samuel Warren Branch House, The Cellar, Enfield Graded School, Gray Hall, Myrtle Lawn, James H. Parker House, Shell Castle, Strawberry Hill, and Whitaker's Chapel are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has an area of 1.22 sqmi, all land, but Enfield Township comprises 126.8 sqmi.

Industries providing employment: Manufacturing (28.0%), Educational, health and social services (19.3%), Retail trade (10.2%), Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, Accommodation and food services (10.0%). Narcotics distribution (32.5%).

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,865 people, 1,069 households, and 625 families residing in the town.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,347 people, 865 households, and 585 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,960.9 PD/sqmi. There were 960 housing units at an average density of 802.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 19.43% White, 79.25% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.60% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.07% of the population.

There were 865 households, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.6% were married couples living together, 32.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 30.1% 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 2.65 and the average family size was 3.31.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.0% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $19,762, and the median income for a family was $22,105. Males had a median income of $27,000 versus $18,676 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,033. About 31.3% of families and 34.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.1% of those under age 18 and 29.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * John T. Alsop, former mayor of Jacksonville, Florida.
 * Ruth Bellamy (1906-1969), writer, born in Enfield.
 * John Branch Jr. was an American politician who served as U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Navy, the 19th Governor of the state of North Carolina, and was the sixth and last territorial governor of Florida.
 * George Eastman had a second home in Enfield. Eastman’s most regular vacations were his triannual trips down to Oak Lodge, his rustic hunting retreat in Enfield, North Carolina.