Pamlico River
Pamlico River | ||
Catchment areas of the Tar , Pamlico and Neuse Rivers |
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Data | ||
location | North Carolina , United States | |
River system | Pamlico River | |
source | Tar River | |
muzzle | In the Pamlico Sound coordinates: 35 ° 19 ′ 6 ″ N , 76 ° 25 ′ 58 ″ W 35 ° 19 ′ 6 ″ N , 76 ° 25 ′ 58 ″ W. |
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Mouth height |
0 m
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length | 290 km | |
Catchment area | 9422 km² | |
Medium-sized cities | New Bern | |
Small towns | Bath | |
Residents in the catchment area | 365,000 | |
Navigable | Yes |
Pamlico River is a river in the state of North Carolina in the United States of America . A bridge spanning US Route 17 across the river, connecting Washington to Chocowinity , separates the river. Above (west) the bridge the river Tar River is called , below (eastwards towards the Atlantic ) Pamlico. They differ in that there is tidal range in the Pamlico River .
Originally the Tuscarora , a tribe of American Indians , lived on the banks of the Pamlico River. However, they were decimated by the Tuscarora War of 1711-1715 and disease and relocated to Bertie County in 1718 . English , Irish and Scottish settlers immigrated from Virginia , acquired the cheap land, and settled on the Pamlico River. A group of German-speaking Swiss settled in the New Bern region . Tobacco cultivation was one of the main sources of income in the region where the Pamlico River flows into Pamlico Sound . Bath , a small coastal town near where the river meets the Atlantic, was the base of operations for the pirate Blackbeard . During the Civil War , the Pamlico River was of major strategic importance and at the bottom of the river lies a Union warship, the Pickett .
Although no steamers or freighters use the river today, it is still used by hundreds of small boats and is a popular area for anglers and water sports enthusiasts.