Edenton was the first permanent settlement in North Carolina and home of the Royal Governors who were appointed by the English crown to preside over the new colony. In 1728, Edenton was established as the colonial capital of North Carolina. Hundreds of ships made the town a regular port of call, offloading food and other vital goods and shipping agricultural products of the region to European ports. The result was a thriving economy that brought life to northeastern North Carolina.

Edenton is the county seat for Chowan County, a rural county located in northeastern North Carolina along what is known as the Inner Banks. Edenton sits on the shores of the Albemarle Sound only 36 miles from the Virginia border and 76 miles to the Atlantic Ocean. The Albemarle Sound broadens significantly as one moves eastward on from Edenton, providing boaters with direct access to the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and Atlantic Ocean.

     Today, Edenton, home to 5,082 residents, is one of the most historic towns in North Carolina. Over twenty-five homes and public buildings comprise a historic district that some say surpasses Williamsburg, primarily because the homes and buildings of Edenton are not reconstructed, but are the restored 18th and 19th century originals. The waterfront is a favorite spot for boaters; land travelers find Edenton’s bed and breakfasts and inns an enchanting way to experience local hospitality and charm. 

     Edenton is located on Highway 17, which provides excellent transportation infrastructure for growth, development and tourism. This infrastructure also provides direct and rapid access to many natural assets found near Edenton, including Historic Hope Plantation, Merchant’s Mill Pond State Park, the Great Dismal Swamp Wildlife Refuge, the Alligator River National Wildlife Refugee, Pocoson Wildlife Refuge, Holladay’s Island and Dillard’s Millpond. Highway 17 also connects Edenton with the Tidewater and Hampton Roads region of Virginia.

     In fact, Edenton’s location is itself one of the town’s principal resources. The Albemarle Sound is Edenton’s front yard, and it has from the town’s inception—as it had for native inhabitants for millennia—been an engine of economic vitality.

     The inventory of natural amenities, coupled with the town’s historic charm and Southern hospitality, make Edenton emblematic of the culture of the Inner Banks.

The Albemarle region is delineated on the north and south by Virginia and the Pamlico River, and on the east and west by the Outer Banks and Interstate 95. It covers a 17-county region that is characterized by small colonial-era towns and historic sites interspersed with a broad expanse of rivers and sounds, fields and wetlands. The towns that line the Albemarle region’s rivers and estuaries keep watch over a rich heritage. From early exploration by English colonists in 1584 to protestation against British tyranny in 1774 to invasion by the Union Army during the Civil War, the Albemarle has played a role in many major events in U.S. history. The area's often turbulent past, however, has given way to a relaxed pace of life in a lush, rural Carolina setting. Inner Banks towns are often preserved with an eye towards the past, but they are ever evolving with the times. The countryside is dotted with farms and crossroad communities and opulent plantation homes that are reminders of another time. The bountiful waters of the Albemarle Sound and rivers are pristine and inviting to boaters and fishermen.

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