Tar River

Yet historic Princeville, on the banks of the Tar River in eastern North Carolina, is one hurricane away from disaster.

Princeville is in a bad spot when it comes to hurricanes because of its position on the Tar River.

Yet Princeville, on the banks of the Tar River in eastern North Carolina, is one hurricane away from disaster.

The town sits in a bend in the Tar River, 124 miles from the Atlantic Ocean at the edge of North Carolina’s coastal plain.

Princeville was built at a spot where the Tar River veers through a 90-degree bend, creating a natural choke point when hurricanes flush the river with rain.