Pitt County

Pitt County Economy

The population of Pitt County and the city of Greenville has increased 23.3% since 1990.  Due to this rapid growth in population, the labor force has expanded 15.7% and employment has grown by 15% between the years of 1990 and 2000. Retail sales have also seen a large growth of 10.2% averaged per year for the last ten years.

Some of the common career fields in Greenville are manufacturing, government and wholesale/retail trade jobs.  The health field is also a common growing job in Greenville, NC.

Pitt County Leisure Activities

Greenville is full of many recreational and leisure opportunities.  There are more than 20 major parks, 200 clubs/organizations, 12 fitness centers, as well as over 3000 churches and synagogues.

• The parks/recreational centers of Greenville offer residents of all ages and interests, many different programs in which to participate. 
• One of the more popular parks in Pitt County is River Park North.  River Park North offers such activities as pedal boating, picnicking, fishing, camping, and hiking.
• Greenville parks/recreational centers also operates three gymnasiums, a municipal pool, tennis centers (24 courts), a community building, a baseball stadium, five lighted softball fields, a teen center and 22 parks.
• Both private clubs and country clubs are located all over Pitt County.  They are very well-maintained and are fees are reasonable.

Pitt County Shopping

Pitt County has many shopping centers to explore with pleasant and helpful merchants that can assist you in your shopping experience.  Two of the bigger shopping centers in Pitt County are the Colonial Mall and Arlington Village.

• The Colonial Mall is Greenville’s largest mall, as well as one of the largest of Eastern North Carolina.  The Colonial Mall shopping center is over 500,000 square feet of space and has more than 110 stores.
• Arlington Village has a variety of over 40 specialty stores.  These stores include clothing for all members of the family, interior design establishments, jewelry stores, a florist, a needlework shop, an art gallery and a variety of gift shops.

Pitt County Culture

Opportunities for personal involvement are available through community bands, orchestras, theatre, dance and vocal groups.

• East Carolina University, along with the Pitt-Greenville and Farmville Arts Councils, present hundreds of cultural events throughout the year.  Many events are free to the public and may include major symphonies, touring Broadway shows, opera and ballet. 
• There are five art galleries/museums in the Pitt County area.
• There are many library systems including county and university libraries in Pitt County.  Both systems offer media centers offering microfiche and microfilm collections and reader, computers and software, VCR's, and a variety of commonly used audio-visual items.
• East Carolina University libraries include a Health Sciences Library, Music Library, Manuscripts Collection, Rare Books Collection, a special Children's Library, and a number of other specialized components.
• Pitt County's Sheppard Library offers story hours for toddlers and pre-schoolers, a school visitation program for kindergartners and elementary school children, a summer reading program, as well as adult literacy programs.

Pitt County Healthcare

There are many different medical facilities that specialize in a variety of health services including chemotherapy, open heart surgery, and organ transplants.

• Pitt County Memorial Hospital is one of four designated Level I Trauma Centers in North Carolina. The room and service rates compare very favorably with state and national rates.
• The Ronald McDonald house is available for families of seriously ill children.
• There are several rest homes, nursing homes, and assisted living centers in area.

Pitt County Education

Educational opportunities of Pitt County span from many public and private K-12 schools to Pitt Community College and East Carolina University.

• Local public schools often cited as model schools for excellence in education
• Pitt Community College offers technical skill training, 2 year college transfer, 2 year technical, one year vocation, short term certificate program and a continuing education program.  PCC offers special programs to meet industrial and business training needs with State supported commitments to industrial training.
• East Carolina University is the third largest university in the State (18,750 enrollment)
  The Brody School of Medicine at ECU offers a four year Medical Doctor degree as well as six PhD programs.  There are 102 undergraduate degree tracks and 85 graduate-level programs at ECU. Professional schools: Industry & Technology, Computer Science and Communication, Medicine, Art, Music, Education, Human Environmental Sciences, Allied Health Sciences, Business, Health and Human Performance, Social Work and Criminal Justice Studies, and Nursing.

Pitt County Industry

The industries of Pitt County are very well diversified in employment and manufacturing base.

• Twenty-one manufacturing operations employ 100 or more workers with seven employing 500 or more.
• Primary manufactured goods include: chemicals (pharmaceuticals), textiles, transportation equipment, machinery, and fabricated metals.
• Several manufacturers maintain either corporate or divisional headquarters.

Pitt County Geography

• Atlantic seaboard location midway between Boston and Miami
• Longitude: 77° 22' W Latitude: 35° 27' N
• Elevation: 10'-100' MSL Land Area: 419,800 acres
• Population: Pitt County: 133,798 (2000) 126,263 Square Miles: 656.52. Major City: Greenville, population 60,476 (2000). Square Miles: 18.57.
• Greenville/Pitt County is centrally situated to serve the largest concentration of population and industry in eastern North Carolina (over 1/2 million people within a 45 mile radius)
• A coastal location, protection by eastern mountains, and proximity to the Gulf Stream serve to moderate climate
• Temperate climate makes shutdowns due to inclement weather rare and allows year-round outdoor recreation
• Average daily maximum temperature 73°F
• Average daily minimum temperature 50°F
• Any snow accumulation melts quickly (temperature usually gets above freezing any day it goes below freezing)
• Abundant supply of high quality ground water available from eight underground aquifers
• Tar River is navigable from Greenville to the Pamlico Sound (boating and water skiing are popular) with proximity to Intracoastal Waterway