ELIZABETH CITY

city, seat (1799) of Pasquotank county, northeastern North Carolina, U.S. It lies on the Pasquotank River, at the southern end of Dismal Swamp Canal on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. It was founded and incorporated as Redding in 1793 but was renamed probably for Elizabeth, wife of Adam Tooley, the original landholder. Its excellent harbour was developed after the canal (completed 1828) stimulated trade with the West Indies. A port of entry, it ships local products and has lumberyards, shipyards, textile mills, and diversified industries. Elizabeth City State University was founded in 1891 and College of the Albemarle in 1960. Nearby are U.S. Coast Guard installations; Kitty Hawk, near where the Wright brothers made their first flight, in 1903; and the Outer Banks, on the Atlantic Flyway, a rendezvous for wildfowl hunters and fishermen. The International Cup Regatta and the Rockfish Rodeo are annual fall events. Halls Creek, near the city, was the site of the first Grand Assembly of Carolina (1665), and Enfield Farm was the scene of Culpeper's Rebellion (167779). Pop. (1992 est.) 14,753.