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County · code 37041

Chowan CountyNorth Carolina

Chowan County is located in North Carolina and has Edenton as its county seat. The county was founded in 1672 and named after the Chowanoke.

  • Founded1672
  • County seatEdenton
  • Named forChowanoke
  • Land area173 sq mi + 61 sq mi water
  • Population13,708 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped12,886 checked 14 October 2026
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Updated

PerquimansWashingtonGatesBertieHertford Edenton Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Chowan on the map of North Carolina

North Carolina has 100 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Alamance CountyAlexander CountyAlleghany CountyAnson CountyAshe CountyAvery CountyBeaufort CountyBertie CountyBladen CountyBrunswick CountyBuncombe CountyBurke CountyCabarrus CountyCaldwell CountyCamden CountyCarteret CountyCaswell CountyCatawba CountyChatham CountyCherokee CountyClay CountyCleveland CountyColumbus CountyCraven CountyCumberland CountyCurrituck CountyDare CountyDavidson CountyDavie CountyDuplin CountyDurham CountyEdgecombe CountyForsyth CountyFranklin CountyGaston CountyGates CountyGraham CountyGranville CountyGreene CountyGuilford CountyHalifax CountyHarnett CountyHaywood CountyHenderson CountyHertford CountyHoke CountyHyde CountyIredell CountyJackson CountyJohnston CountyJones CountyLee CountyLenoir CountyLincoln CountyMcDowell CountyMacon CountyMadison CountyMartin CountyMecklenburg CountyMitchell CountyMontgomery CountyMoore CountyNash CountyNew Hanover CountyNorthampton CountyOnslow CountyOrange CountyPamlico CountyPasquotank CountyPender CountyPerquimans CountyPerson CountyPitt CountyPolk CountyRandolph CountyRichmond CountyRobeson CountyRockingham CountyRowan CountyRutherford CountySampson CountyScotland CountyStanly CountyStokes CountySurry CountySwain CountyTransylvania CountyTyrrell CountyUnion CountyVance CountyWake CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWatauga CountyWayne CountyWilkes CountyWilson CountyYadkin CountyYancey CountyChowan County Chowan
Counties of North Carolina · Chowan highlighted

History

Founded in 1672

An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.

Created around 1671 as Shaftesbury Precinct in the extinct Albemarle, it was renamed Chowan Precinct around 1684. Chowan Precinct became Chowan County by legislative act on March 6, 1739. The county lost land to the creation of Bertie Precinct (1722), Tyrrell Precinct (1729), Hertford County (1760), and Gates County (1779).

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; the 5 that matter most are shown first.

  1. c. 1671
    Chowan County created Shaftesbury Precinct (now Chowan) created in Albemarle (extinct); southern and western boundary limits were indefinite.
    from Albemarle
    · Corbitt, xxiv, 65; Hathaway, 306-307; Ray, 569
  2. c. 1684
    Renamed Shaftesbury Precinct renamed Chowan Precinct.
    formerly Shaftesbury Precinct
    · Hathaway, 307; Ray, 571-572
  3. 1722
    Lost territory Chowan Precinct (now Chowan) lost to creation of Bertie Precinct (now Bertie).
    to Bertie
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 5, secs. 1-2/23:100
  4. 1729
    Lost territory Chowan Precinct (now Chowan) lost to creation of Tyrrell Precinct (now Tyrrell).
    to Tyrrell
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 4, secs. 1-2/25:212-213
  5. 1760
    Lost territory Chowan lost to creation of Hertford.
    to Hertford
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 4, secs. 1-2/23:503-504
Show all 10 changes (5 more, mostly small adjustments)
  1. c. 1671
    Chowan County created Shaftesbury Precinct (now Chowan) created in Albemarle (extinct); southern and western boundary limits were indefinite.
    from Albemarle
    · Corbitt, xxiv, 65; Hathaway, 306-307; Ray, 569
  2. c. 1684
    Renamed Shaftesbury Precinct renamed Chowan Precinct.
    formerly Shaftesbury Precinct
    · Hathaway, 307; Ray, 571-572
  3. 1722
    Lost territory Chowan Precinct (now Chowan) lost to creation of Bertie Precinct (now Bertie).
    to Bertie
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 5, secs. 1-2/23:100
  4. 1729
    Lost territory Chowan Precinct (now Chowan) lost to creation of Tyrrell Precinct (now Tyrrell).
    to Tyrrell
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 4, secs. 1-2/25:212-213
  5. c. 1739
    Changed Chowan Precinct became Chowan County by legislative act. · N.C. Recs., ch. 3, sec. 22/23: 122-127
  6. 1760
    Lost territory Chowan lost to creation of Hertford.
    to Hertford
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 4, secs. 1-2/23:503-504
  7. 1779
    Lost territory Chowan lost to creation of Gates.
    to Gates
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 20, secs. 1-2/24:230-232
  8. 1805
    Boundary clarified Chowan's boundaries with Gates and Perquimans redefined (no change).
    with Gateswith Perquimansno change
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1805, ch. 27, sec. 2/p. 268
  9. 1819
    Changed Boundary between Chowan and Perquimans defined (no change).
    Perquimans
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1819, ch. 123, secs. 1-2/p. 79
  10. 1911
    Changed Chowan's boundaries with Tyrrell and Washington defined (no change).
    TyrrellWashington
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1911, pub., ch. 115, sec. 1/p. 278

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Chowan

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

Official
from the office that keeps the record
Good enough
a reliable statewide or national copy
Fallback
a guide only; check the official record
Missing
nothing public found yet

People and land

Chowan by the Census

Population
13,708 2020 Census count
Housing units
7,131 2020 Census count
Land area
173 square miles
Water area
61 square miles
People per sq mi
79 population ÷ land area

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Rules and offices

Chowan County's official site

We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.

County government

See your own lot on these maps

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Questions

Common questions about Chowan County

When was Chowan County founded?
Chowan County was founded in 1672, and named after Chowanoke.
What is the county seat of Chowan County?
The county seat of Chowan County is Edenton.
Is there an online parcel map for Chowan County?
Yes. Chowan County publishes a parcel map of 12,886 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Chowan County's boundary or name changed?
Chowan County was created in 1671. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 6 later changes, chiefly involving Bertie County, Gates County and Hertford County. It was formerly called Shaftesbury Precinct.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Chowan County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Counties next door