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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.

Onslow County, North Carolina

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

County Seat: Jacksonville
Year Organized: 1734
Square Miles: 767

Court House:

118 Old Bridge St
County Courthouse
Jacksonville, NC 28540-4229

Etymology - Origin of County Name

t was named in honor of Arthur Onslow, who for more than thirty years was speaker of the House of Commons in the British Parliament.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Onslow was formed in 1731 from New Hanover. It was named in honor of Arthur Onslow, who for more than thirty years was speaker of the House of Commons in the British Parliament. It is in the south eastern section of the State and is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Pender, Duplin, Jones and Carteret counties. The present land area is 766.82 square miles and the 2000 population was 150,355. The act creating the county ordered the justices to select a site for a courthouse. The act also validated all acts of the court held in accordance with a commission, issued (November 23, 1731) by Governor Burrington for that purpose. From July, 1734, to January, 1735, court was held "at the court house on New River." In January, 1735, it was held at Joseph Howard's. In July of that year it was held at Christian Heidleberg's and from then until 1737 it was held at Joseph Howard's. After April 1737, it was held "at the courthouse on New River." The courthouse was burned between January and April 1744. Between April, 1744, and January, 1753, court was held "at Johnston on New River." Johnston was established in 1741. It is evident that for a while court was held in private homes, as James Foyle and Thomas Black were paid for allowing the court to sit at their homes. In January, 1753, the court met at Jonathan Melton's on North East New River, a storm having destroyed Johnston in September, 17O2. In July, 1757. court was held at the new courthouse at Wantland's Ferry on New River. In 1819 a new courthouse was authorized to be established within one-half mile from the old courthouse and on the same side of the river. In 1842 Jacksonville was authorized, but it was not laid out until after 1849. It is the county seat.

Neighboring Counties:

Atlantic Ocean
Pender
Duplin
Jones
Carteret

Cities and Towns:

- Cape Carteret	town	Incorporated Area
- Cedar Point	town	Incorporated Area
- Holly Ridge	town	Incorporated Area
- Jacksonville (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- North Topsail Beach	town	Incorporated Area
- Richlands	town	Incorporated Area
- Surf City	town	Incorporated Area
- Swansboro	town	Incorporated Area
- Topsail Beach	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."