sentences:  In 1779 the northeastern part of Hertford County was combined with parts of Chowan County and Perquimans County to form Gates County.According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.0%) is water.As of the census of 2010, there were 24,669 people, 8,953 households, and 6,240 families residing in the county.