A geographic information system (GIS) provides users with a vast array of topographical and other real estate-related data that can be mapped in numerous ways combined overlays of important infrastructural resources, historic sites, municipal utilities and many others. The free but valuable GIS services maintained by Duplin County’s Tax Administration Department provide county residents, businesses, government agencies and other interested parties with the ability to generate various maps that are based on legally recorded real estate documents. Some interesting information about Duplin County is provided below, followed by a description of the role of county’s GIS services.
Founded in 1750 and named for Thomas Hay, Viscount Dupplin, Duplin County is located in the mid-eastern portion of North Carolina with a population of about 58,500 people living in approximately 18,260 households. During its more than two-and-a-half centuries of existence, Duplin County is currently the ninth largest county in North Carolina in terms of land area (819 square miles) with ten incorporated towns (Beulaville, Calypso, Faison, Greenevers Kenansville [the county seat], Magnolia, Rose Hill, Teachey, Wallace, and Warsaw). Although Duplin County is still largely agricultural based, it has also actively promoted industrial development in recent years.
At present, the median household income in Duplin County is nearly $30,000 and the median family income is about $34,750. The county enjoys an enviable unemployment rate of just 5.5% and there has been a sustained but modest increase in employment opportunities. The county’s schoolchildren also enjoy a low teacher-student ratio of just about 16 students for every teacher in its public schools. In addition, Duplin County is home to James Sprunt Community College in Kenansville. Moreover, county residents also enjoy a lower cost of living compared to the national average, with inexpensive housing accounting for much of this difference. The violent crime rate in Duplin County, though, is nearly twice the national average.
Full Address:
Mr. Ike Canady GIS Administrator
PO Box 970
Kenansville, North Carolina 28349
Phone:
910-372-9315
Email:
ike.canady@duplincountync.com
Hours of Operation:
County government offices are open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; however, GIS services are always available online.
The role of the Duple County GIS services is to provide custom mapping capabilities that are based on the data taken from legally recorded real estate-related documents such as deeds and other public records. Although the Tax Administration Department for Duplin County takes care to ensure the accuracy of the data that is used for its GIS services, they also caution all users that they should verify this data against the legally recorded documents from which it was extracted. In addition, Duplin County GIS services recommend that users consult professional land surveyors to verify parcel locations and boundary lines. The mapping overlays that are available through the Duplin County GIS services include cell and water towers, cemeteries, utilities, manholes, sewer lines and valves, water wells and tanks, fire hydrants, water lines, sanitary sewer pipes (Warsaw only), and gas and electric lines, among dozens of others.
While it is not the largest or most affluent county in North Carolina, the citizens of Duplin County are fortunate to have the availability of the GIS services operated by its Tax Administration Department. These free GIS services provide residents, businesses, government agencies and other interested parties with the ability to generate custom maps using dozens of different real estate-related overlays to highlight various infrastructural resources. The Tax Administration Department, however, recommends that all users verify the data that is used to generate these custom maps against the legally recorded documents from which the data were taken to ensure accuracy.