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North Carolina Counties

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North Carolina Counties

North Carolina is divided into 100 counties. North Carolina ranks 28th in size by area, but has the seventh most counties in the country.

Johnston County, North Carolina

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

County Seat: Smithfield
Year Organized: 1746
Square Miles: 792

Court House:

PO Box 1049
County Courthouse
Smithfield, NC 27577-1049

Etymology - Origin of County Name

It was named in honor of Gabriel Johnston, Governor of North Carolina, 1734-1752.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Johnston was formed in 1746 from Craven. It was named in honor of Gabriel Johnston, Governor of North Carolina, 1734-1752. It is in the eastern section of the State and is bounded by Wilson, Wayne, Sampson, Cumberland, Harnett, Wake and Nash counties. The present land area is 791.85 square miles and the 2000 population was 121,900. The first court was held at the home of Francis Stringer at the Ferry of Neuse River. Court was held at Hinton's Quarter on the south side of Neuse River, 1759-1760, and probably before that date. In August, 1771, it was held at John Smith's. From 1771 to 1776 the county seat was called Johnston Court House. In 1771 Smithfield was established "where the Court House, prison and stocks now stand." Smithfield is the county seat.

Neighboring Counties:

Wilson
Wayne
Sampson
Cumberland
Harnett
Wake
Nash

Cities and Towns:

- Benson	town	Incorporated Area
- Clayton	town	Incorporated Area
- Four Oaks	town	Incorporated Area
- Kenly	town	Incorporated Area
- Micro	town	Incorporated Area
- Middlesex	town	Incorporated Area
- Pine Level	town	Incorporated Area
- Princeton	town	Incorporated Area
- Selma	town	Incorporated Area
- Smithfield (County Seat)	town	Incorporated Area
- Wilson's Mills	town	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this 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."