Snow Hill: The Community

Greene County is located in eastern North Carolina.  Sixteen percent of families in Greene County live below the poverty line.  Many people living in Greene county seek work in neighboring counties.

At the time of this case, Greene County had two functioning landfills: one construction and demolition debris landfill and one municipal solid waste landfill.  The municipal solid waste landfill was closed in January 1998, five months after the County contracted with a private company to open a new one.

As the county seat, Snow Hill was the location of the official proceedings in this case, and it is located in close proximity to the proposed landfill sites mentioned in this case study.  With a population of approximately 1,500 people, Snow Hill has a larger proportion of Black residents (49%) than the county as a whole.  Thirty-eight percent of the population in Snow Hill over the age of 25 have less than a high school education.

Castoria, the small, unincorporated town closest to Bridgers Tract, the proposed site of the landfill, is located 5 miles north of Snow Hill.  Schools, churches, several hog operations, and the existing county construction and demolition debris landfill are all located near the Bridgers Tract site.  At least two of the nearby churches serve predominantly Black congregations, and most families in the area are classified as low-income.

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