Forsyth County, North Carolina: History and Information

Forsyth County, North Carolina

Forsyth County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Winston-Salem
Year Organized: 1849
Square Miles: 410

Court House:

201 N. Chestnut

5th floor
Winston Salem, NC 27101-4120

Etymology - Origin of County Name

It was named in honor of Colonel Benjamin Forsyth, a native of Stokes County who fell on the northern frontier in the second war with England.

Demographics:

History

Forsyth was formed in 1849 from Stokes. It was named in honor of Colonel Benjamin Forsyth, a native of Stokes County who fell on the northern frontier in the second war with England. It is in the central section of the State and is bounded by Guilford, Davidson, Davie, Yadkin, and Stokes counties. The present land area is 409.60 square miles and the 2000 population was 306,067. The act establishing the county ordered the first court to be held at the town hall of Salem, at which time the justices were to select a place for future courts until a courthouse could be erected. Commissioners were named to select a place for the public buildings, acquire the land, and lay out a town. In 1851 an act was passed naming the county seat Winston. In 1879 an act was passed authorizing that Winston and Salem be combined, provided the people voted for the same. In 1913 Winston and Salem were incorporated as one town and Winston-Salem became the county seat.

Neighboring Counties:

Guilford

Davidson

Davie

Yadkin

Stokes

Cities and Towns:

- Bethania

town

Incorporated Area

- Clemmons

village

Incorporated Area

- Kernersville

town

Incorporated Area

- Lewisville

town

Incorporated Area

- Rural Hall

town

Incorporated Area

- Tobaccoville

village

Incorporated Area

- Walkertown

town

Incorporated Area

- Winston-Salem (County Seat)

city

Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

North Carolina State...

North Carolina

North Carolina Counties

Forsyth County, North Carolina

Forsyth County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Demographics:

History

Neighboring Counties:

Cities and Towns:

County Resources:

County Resource Guide

Penn Foster High School