List of counties in North Carolina - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

is divided into 100 counties

County (United States)

In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...

. North Carolina ranks 29th in size by area, but has the seventh most counties in the country

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

Following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Charles II of England

Charles II of England

Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...

rewarded eight persons on March 24, 1663, for their faithful support in his efforts to regain the throne of England. He granted the eight grantees, called Lords Proprietor

Lords Proprietor

Lords Proprietor was the name for the chief or highest owners or proprietors of certain English proprietary colonies in America, such as Carolina, New Jersey and Barbados....

, the land called Carolina, in honor of Charles I

Charles I of England

Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...

, his father. The Province of Carolina

Province of Carolina

The Province of Carolina, originally chartered in 1629, was an English and later British colony of North America. Because the original Heath charter was unrealized and was ruled invalid, a new charter was issued to a group of eight English noblemen, the Lords Proprietors, in 1663...

from 1663 to 1729, was a North American

North American

North American generally refers to an entity, people, group, or attribute of North America, especially of the United States and Canada together.-Culture:*North American English, a collective term used to describe American English and Canadian English...

British

Kingdom of Great Britain

The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...

colony. Around 1729, the Province of North Carolina

Province of North Carolina

The Province of North Carolina was originally part of the Province of Carolina in British America, which was chartered by eight Lords Proprietor. The province later became the U.S. states of North Carolina and Tennessee....

became a separate entity from the Province of South Carolina

Province of South Carolina

The South Carolina Colony, or Province of South Carolina, was originally part of the Province of Carolina, which was chartered in 1663. The colony later became the U.S. state of South Carolina....

.

North Carolina county history stretches over 340 years, beginning in 1668 with the creation of Albemarle County

Albemarle County, North Carolina

Albemarle County, established in 1664, is a former county located in the state of North Carolina. Before being abolished in 1689, the following four counties were formed: Chowan County, Currituck County, Pasquotank County, and Perquimans County.-References:*...

and ending with the 1911 creation of Avery

Avery County, North Carolina

- Climate :As a result of its relatively high elevation, Avery County has a Humid continental climate enjoying considerably cooler summers than most of the rest of the Eastern US. Likewise, winters are longer, colder and snowier than most other locations in the region. This can be evidenced by the...

and Hoke

Hoke County, North Carolina

-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 46,952 people, 11,373 households, and 8,745 families residing in the county. The population density was 86 people per square mile . There were 12,518 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile...

counties. Five counties have since been divided or abolished altogether, the last being Dobbs County

Dobbs County, North Carolina

Dobbs County is a former county located in the state of North Carolina. It was formed in 1758 from Johnston County, though the legislative act that created it did not become effective until April 10, 1759...

in 1791.

The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS)

Federal Information Processing Standard

A Federal Information Processing Standard is a publicly announced standardization developed by the United States federal government for use in computer systems by all non-military government agencies and by government contractors, when properly invoked and tailored on a contract...

, which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify states and counties, is provided with each entry. North Carolina's FIPS code is 37, which when combined with the county code is written as 37XXX.

List

County	FIPS Code	County Seat County seat A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....	Created	Origin	Etymology	Population (2010)	Area	style="vertical-align: bottom; width: 154px;" class="unsortable"\|Map

Historic counties

County	Created	Abolished	Fate
Albemarle County Albemarle County, North Carolina Albemarle County, established in 1664, is a former county located in the state of North Carolina. Before being abolished in 1689, the following four counties were formed: Chowan County, Currituck County, Pasquotank County, and Perquimans County.-References:*...	1664	1689	Partitioned into Chowan County Chowan County, North Carolina - Law and government :Chowan County is a member of the Albemarle Commission regional council of government-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 14,793 people, 5,580 households, and 4,006 families residing in the county. The population density was 84 people per square mile . There... , Currituck County Currituck County, North Carolina -National protected areas:Currituck National Wildlife RefugeMackay Island National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 23,547 people, 6,902 households, and 5,204 families residing in the county. The population density was 70 people per square mile . There were... , Pasquotank County Pasquotank County, North Carolina -Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 40,661 people, 13,907 households, and 9,687 families residing in the county. The population density was 154 people per square mile . There were 14,289 housing units at an average density of 63 per square mile... , and Perquimans County Perquimans County, North Carolina -Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 13,453 people, 4,645 households, and 3,376 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 people per square mile . There were 6,043 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile...
Bath County Bath County, North Carolina Bath County is an extinct county formerly located in the state of North Carolina. The county was established in 1696 and was abolished in 1739. The town of Bath was a stopping place of Edward Teach, better known as the pirate Blackbeard...	1696	1739	Renamed as Craven County Craven County, North Carolina Craven County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The estimated population in 2006 was 94,875. Its county seat is New Bern.Craven County is part of the New Bern, North Carolina, Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
Bute County Bute County, North Carolina Bute County is a former county located in the state of North Carolina. It was formed in 1764 from the eastern part of Granville County. It was named for John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1762 to 1763. In 1779 Bute County was divided into Franklin County and...	1764	1779	Partitioned into Franklin County Franklin County, North Carolina -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 47,260 people, 17,843 households, and 12,882 families residing in the county. The population density was 96 people per square mile . There were 20,364 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile... and Warren County Warren County, North Carolina -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 19,972 people, 7,708 households, and 5,449 families residing in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile . There were 10,548 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile...
Dobbs County Dobbs County, North Carolina Dobbs County is a former county located in the state of North Carolina. It was formed in 1758 from Johnston County, though the legislative act that created it did not become effective until April 10, 1759...	1758	1791	Partitioned into Greene County Greene County, North Carolina -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 18,974 people, 6,696 households, and 4,955 families residing in the county. The population density was 72 people per square mile . There were 7,368 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile... , Lenoir County Lenoir County, North Carolina -Demographics:As of 2005, there were 57,961 people, 23,862 households, and 16,178 families residing in the county. The population density was 149.2 people per square mile . There were 27,940 housing units at an average density of 68 per square mile... , and Wayne County Wayne County, North Carolina - Cities and towns :BrogdenDudleyElroyEurekaFremontGoldsboroMar-MacMount OlivePikevilleRosewoodSeven SpringsWalnut Creek*Grantham-Geography:According to the U.S...
Tryon County Tryon County, North Carolina Tryon County is a former county which was located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It was formed in 1768 from the part of Mecklenburg County west of the Catawba River, although the legislative act that created it did not become effective until April 10, 1769. Due to inaccurate and delayed...	1768	1779	Partitioned into Lincoln County Lincoln County, North Carolina -Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 71,498 people, 24,041 households, and 18,174 families residing in the county. The population density was 214 people per square mile . There were 25,717 housing units at an average density of 86 per square mile... and Rutherford County Rutherford County, North Carolina -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,899 people, 25,191 households, and 17,935 families residing in the county. The population density was 112 people per square mile . There were 29,535 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile...

List

Historic counties

See also