Editing Bethel, North Carolina

{{for|the community in Haywood County|Bethel, Haywood County, North Carolina}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name            = Bethel, North Carolina
|settlement_type          = [[Town]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Bethel, Pitt County, North Carolina 02.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Town hall
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = NCMap-doton-Bethel.PNG
|mapsize                  = 250x200px
|map_caption              = Location of Bethel, North Carolina
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             =

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[North Carolina]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in North Carolina|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Pitt County, North Carolina|Pitt]]
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = Mayor
|leader_name              = Carl Wilson<ref>{{cite web |last1=NC |first1=Bethel |title=Bethel, NC |url=https://bethelnc.org/departments |website=Bethel, NC |access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref>
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref  = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=September 20, 2022}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 2.73
|area_land_km2            = 2.73
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|area_total_sq_mi         = 1.05
|area_land_sq_mi          = 1.05
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 1373
|population_density_km2   = 503.74
|population_density_sq_mi = 1305.13

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset               = -5
|timezone_DST             = EDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -4
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 69
|coordinates              = {{coord|35|48|26|N|77|22|35|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 27812
|area_code                = [[Area code 252|252]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 37-05460<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2405253<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2405253}}</ref>
|website                  = http://www.bethelnc.org/
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
}}
'''Bethel''' is a [[town]] in [[Pitt County, North Carolina]], United States. The population was 1,373 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]. The town is a part of the [[Greenville, North Carolina|Greenville]] Metropolitan Area located in North Carolina's [[Inner Banks]] region. Confusingly, there are three other towns in the state named "Bethel." One is between [[Edenton, North Carolina|Edenton]] and [[Hertford, North Carolina|Hertford]] in the "Finger Counties" region in the northeastern corner of the state, another is in the north-central part, in [[Caswell County, North Carolina|Caswell County]] and the third is located in the Mountain Region of North Carolina, in [[Haywood County, North Carolina|Haywood County]].
There is also a community named Bethel located in [[Watauga County, North Carolina|Watauga County]].

==History==
The area was settled before the [[American Civil War]]. The town of Bethel was incorporated in 1873, taking its name from Bethel Methodist Church.<ref>{{cite book| last = Powell| first = William S.| title = The North Carolina Gazetteer: A Dictionary of Tar Heel Places| publisher = The University of North Carolina Press| date = 1976| location = Chapel Hill| isbn = 978-0-8078-1247-1|page=41}}</ref>

==Transportation==
[[File:Bethel, Pitt County, North Carolina 03.jpg|thumb|left|West Railroad Street]]
[[U.S. Route 64 in North Carolina|US 64]], [[U.S. Route 13 in North Carolina|US 13]], and [[North Carolina Highway 11|NC 11]] serves as the main routes through town. US 64 connects the town to [[Raleigh, North Carolina|Raleigh]] and the Inner Banks region. US 13 connects the town to Greenville, [[Fayetteville, North Carolina|Fayetteville]], and the cities in eastern [[Virginia]]. NC 11 connects the town to Greenville and [[Kinston, North Carolina|Kinston]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|1.0|sqmi|km2}}, all land.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 127
|1890= 377
|1900= 457
|1910= 469
|1920= 817
|1930= 1149
|1940= 1333
|1950= 1402
|1960= 1578
|1970= 1514
|1980= 1825
|1990= 1842
|2000= 1681
|2010= 1577
|2020= 1373
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Bethel racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US3705460&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 24, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| [[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
| 496
| 36.13%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 752
| 54.77%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 10
| 0.73%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 1
| 0.07%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
| 2
| 0.15%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 38
| 2.77%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 74
| 5.39%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 1,373 people, 754 households, and 433 families residing in the town.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 1,681 people, 651 households, and 449 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|1,606.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 710 housing units at an average density of {{convert|678.6|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 40.15% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 58.12% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.18% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.12% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.71% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.71% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.77% of the population.

There were 651 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 22.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $25,326, and the median income for a family was $35,278. Males had a median income of $25,982 versus $20,313 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $15,219. About 18.5% of families and 22.4% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 25.7% of those under age 18 and 24.4% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
*[[North Pitt High School]]
*Bethel Elementary School

==Notable residents==
*[[Almyra Maynard Watson]] (1917–2018), officer in the [[United States Army Nurse Corps]]

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*[http://www.bethelnc.org/ Official website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070928193255/http://www.bethelfiredepartment.com/ Bethel Fire Dept.]

{{Pitt County, North Carolina}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Towns in Pitt County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area]]