Early history

Harmony Hall, the oldest building in Kinston, was owned by North Carolina's first governor, Richard Caswell.

At the time of English settlement, the area was inhabited by the Neusiok people. Preceding the historic tribe, indigenous peoples of a variety of cultures had lived in the area for thousands of years. Before the English colonists established the city, they called the area "Atkins Bank", referring to a bluff once owned by Robert Atkins just above the Neuse River. Atkins Bank was the site of farms, a tobacco warehouse, and a Church of England mission.

Kinston was created by an act of the North Carolina General Assembly in December 1762 as "Kingston", in honor of King George III,^[7] who had just recently ascended to the throne. The bill to incorporate it was introduced by Richard Caswell, who made his home there and later served as the first governor of the state of North Carolina from 1776 to 1780. After victory in the American Revolution, the citizens renamed the city "Kinston" in 1784 to show the population's disavowal of royalty. In 1833, Kinston briefly became "Caswell", in honor of Governor Caswell, but the name Kinston was restored the following year.

Commissioners appointed to design the town began to accept "subscriptions" for numbered lots. To keep a lot, subscribers were required to build brick homes of specific dimensions within three years or lose their rights to the property. The town was laid out with border streets named East, North, and South, with the western border the Neuse River. The two principal roads within these borders were named for King George and Queen Charlotte. They remain King and Queen Street to this day. Other streets were named in honor of Governor Arthur Dobbs (later renamed Independent Street) and the commissioners.

In December 1791, an act was passed in the General Assembly to abolish Dobbs County and form Lenoir and Glasgow Counties. At that time, Kinston was designated the county seat for Lenoir County.

Kinston was incorporated as a town through an act of the legislature in January 1849, after which the population grew rapidly. In 1850, the population was estimated at 455 people, and just 10 years later, it had more than doubled to over 1000.

Civil War

During the onset of the Civil War, Camp Campbell and Camp Johnston were established near the city as training camps, and a bakery on Queen Street was converted to produce hardtack in large quantities. Also, a factory for the production of shoes for the military was located in Kinston. The Battle of Kinston took place in and around the city on December 14, 1862.

From February 5 to February 22, 1864, 22 deserters were executed by hanging in the city. The court martial and subsequent hangings were carried out by the 54th Regiment, North Carolina Troops, Confederate States Army. Fifteen of these men were from Jones County and had all started their service in the 8th Battalion North Carolina Partisan Rangers.

The Battle of Wyse Fork, also known as the Battle of Southwest Creek (March 7–10, 1865), took place very near the city. At this later battle, the Confederate ram Neuse was scuttled to avoid capture by Union troops. Remnants of the ship have been salvaged, and were on display at Richard Caswell Park on West Vernon Avenue. A climate-controlled museum has been built on downtown Queen Street, and has moved the hulk there to prevent further deterioration of the original ship's remains. A full-scale replica vessel (Ram Neuse II) has been constructed near the original's resting place (known as the "Cat's Hole") beside the bank of the Neuse River on Heritage Street in Kinston. Union Army forces occupied the city following the battle. United States troops were assigned to the area through the Reconstruction era.

Post-Reconstruction

Kinston's Orion Knitting Mills (1906)

Despite the hardships of war and Reconstruction, the population of the city continued to grow. By 1870, the population had increased to 1,100 people and grew to more than 1,700 within a decade.

During the late 19th century, an expansion into new areas of industry occurred, most notably the production of horse-drawn carriages. Kinston also became a major tobacco- and cotton-trading center. By the start of the 20th century, more than 5 million pounds of tobacco were being sold annually in Kinston's warehouses. Along with the growth in population and industry came a growth in property values. Some parcels increased in value more than five-fold within a 20-year period.

On April 6, 1916, Joseph Black was taken from the Lenoir County Jail and lynched by a mob of armed men. He was accused of assisting his son in an escape attempt.^[8]

20th century

New industries were founded, including lumber and cotton mills, as North Carolina businessmen invested in processing their own crops. Professional sports were introduced in the form of a minor league baseball team. Later growth came from a DuPont plant for the manufacture of polyester fibers, and manufacturing plants for pharmaceuticals. Growth finally slowed following the 1960s, with the shift in textile production overseas. Efforts to reinvigorate the economy through various means have had limited success.

Kinston was heavily impacted by flooding in 1996 and 1999. Hurricane Fran struck the North Carolina coast on September 5, 1996, and brought 16 inches (410 mm) of rain to the area,^[9] causing the Neuse River to flood portions of the city. On September 16, 1999, Hurricane Floyd struck the area, bringing 17 inches (430 mm) of rain. It caused what locals have called the "Flood of the Century".^[10]

The National Register of Historic Places lists these Kinston sites: American Tobacco Company Prizery, Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad Freight Depot, Baptist Parsonage, Robert L. Blalock House, B. W. Canady House, CSS Neuse, Hill-Grainger Historic District, Hotel Kinston, Jesse Jackson House, Kennedy Memorial Home Historic District, Kinston Apartments, Kinston Baptist-White Rock Presbyterian Church, Kinston Battlefield, Kinston Commercial Historic District, Kinston Fire Station-City Hall, Lenoir County Courthouse, Mitchelltown Historic District, Peebles House, Peoples Bank Building, Queen-Gordon Streets Historic District, Standard Drug No. 2, Sumrell and McCoy Building, Trianon Historic District, Tull-Worth-Holland Farm, and Dempsey Wood House.^[11]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification, Kinston has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Kinston was 103 °F (39.4 °C) on July 20, 1977, and August 20–22, 1983, while the coldest temperature recorded was −2 °F (−18.9 °C) on January 21, 1985.^[13]

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, 19,900 people, 8,901 households, and 5,050 families were residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, 21,677 people were living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 67.7% Black, 27.8% White, 0.2% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from some other race, and 1.1% from two or more races. About 2.4% were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

2000 census

As of the census^[3] of 2000, 23,688 people, 9,829 households, and 6,074 families were living in the city. The population density was 1,415.7 people/sq mi (546.7/km²). The 11,229 housing units averaged 671.1/sq mi (259.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 35.27% White, 62.64% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 1.1% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.14% of the population.

Of the 9,829 households, 28.0% had children under 18 living with them, 35.7% were married couples living together, 22.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were not families. About 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.29,and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city, the age distribution was 24.4% under 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.8 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 74.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,630, and for a family was $35,867. Males had a median income of $28,688 versus $21,442 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,779. About 19.7% of families and 23.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.0% of those under age 18 and 18.9% of those age 65 or over.

Health care

Kinston is served by UNC Lenoir Health Care, a nonprofit hospital located near NC 11 in Kinston. The hospital offers inpatient, outpatient and preventive healthcare services for the residents of Lenoir, Greene and Jones counties. General services include general medical, surgical, obstetrical, and gynecological care. Specialized services include cardiology, pulmonology, oncology, radiology, urology, and vascular surgery.

Transportation

Public college

• Lenoir Community College

Private college

• United American Free Will Baptist Bible College

Public schools

• Kinston High School
• Lenoir County Early College
• North Lenoir High School
• South Lenoir High School
• Contentnea-Savannah School
• Children's Village Academy
• Rochelle Middle School
• Woodington Middle School
• Banks Elementary School
• Northwest Elementary School
• Moss Hill Elementary School
• Southeast Elementary School
• Southwood Elementary School
• Northeast Elementary School

Private schools

• Arendell Parrott Academy, a nonsectarian private school (kindergarten-grade 12)
• Bethel Christian Academy, a Christian private school (kindergarten-grade 12)

Arts and theater

Former Grainger Performing Arts Center, now Grainger Elderly Housing

One of Kinston's most notable buildings is the Grainger Hill Performing Arts Center, formerly Grainger High School. Constructed in 1924 after a fire destroyed the previous Kinston High School building, the school was named after Jesse W. Grainger, a local truck farmer who owned the land that the school was built upon and donated money to fund one-half of the building's $182,340 general contractor's fee. After the decision in 1970 to make way for the newly constructed and integrated Kinston High School, it served as Kinston Jr. High School until 1987 (when ninth-grade students were moved to the campus of Kinston High School and eighth-grade students were relocated to the campus of Rochelle Middle School). After the school's closure, the building was sold to a private developer, who renovated the school and turned it into a performing arts center. The property was most recently sold to the Landmark Development Group, which renovated the building into Grainger Elderly Housing, a 57-unit apartment complex for low-income elderly residents.

Kinston-Lenoir County Public Library

Tourism and recreation

The Neuse Regional Library system is headquartered in Kinston and operates branches in Kinston, LaGrange, and Pink Hill, as well as locations in Greene and Jones Counties.^[22]

Kinston is home to the CSS Neuse, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[11] Its remains are on display in the CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center. The Lenoir County Confederate Memorial, the Caswell family cemetery, and the Lenoir County Korean and Vietnam War Memorial are located nearby. There is also a Civil War Trails marker.^[23]

The Cultural Heritage Museum, built in 2000 on South Queen Street as a new economic development catalyst for Kinston and the surrounding areas of eastern North Carolina, was created to recognize the contributions of African Americans in numerous fields. It pays tribute to the more than 200,000 Black soldiers and 7,000 White officers of the United States Colored Troops who fought with the Union forces in the Civil War. It also honors Black military veterans from all wars, Carl Long and the Negro Baseball League players, local heroes, and Africa and Black history in general. The museum intends to generate jobs and promote economic expansion opportunities.^[24]

Chef & the Farmer

Kinston is home to several notable restaurants. The Chef & the Farmer, recipient of a James Beard Award, started by Vivian Howard and Ben Knight, is located in downtown Kinston. The PBS series A Chef's Life focuses on the restaurant, owners, and local farmers from whom it sources, such as Brothers Farm. The Barn Steakhouse and The Baron & the Beef are also fine-dining establishments featuring locally sourced produce and meats on their menus while supporting sustainable agriculture. Also a proponent of sustainable practices and local ingredients, Mother Earth Brewing was founded in Kinston in the summer of 2008.

Other local attractions include the Neuseway Nature Center and Planetarium, the Kinston Center for the Arts, the Global Transit Park (GTP), Grainger Stadium, the Caswell Center, and Lenoir Memorial Hospital.

Annual festivities in Kinston include the Sand in the Streets concert series held at Pearson Park, the Annual BBQ Festival on the Neuse River, and the Festival on the Neuse.

Parks and recreation

• Neuseway Nature Park, Campground, and Meeting Facility
• Pearson Park
• Bill Fay Memorial Park
• Emma Webb Park
• Fairfield Park
• Holloway Park
• Lovit Hines Park
• Southeast Park
• Barnet Park
• Lions Adventure Water Park^[29]