Granville

Formed June 28, 1746 (16^th county)

Granville County (61,001), Oxford (8,621)

The 1839 dark red brick Greek Revival courthouse was remodeled and enlarged in 1891.  The courthouse is on a square surrounded by Court, Main, Williamsboro, and Museum streets.  United States Highway 158 Business is Williamsboro.  John Walthall is the building designer which features a small dome.  An Administrative Building was added in 1985.  The county was founded on June 28, 1746 from Edgecombe County as the 16^th county.  Boiling Spring (1746), Harrisburg (1758), and Oxford (1769) have all served as the county seat.  Granville County is named for the Earl of Granville.  The county seat is named for a local plantation. 

Granville County government consists of a manager, a register, a sheriff, an attorney, and a clerk (executive).  It has 7 Commissioners (legislative.)  Sixteen Superior Court Judges serve Granville, Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Gates, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Nash, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Person, Pitt, Tyrrell, Vance, Warren, Washington, and Wilson counties, Six District Court Judges serve Granville, Franklin, Person, and Vance counties and a court clerk serves Granville County (judicial.)  Granville County is on the northern border with Virginia.  Raleigh, North Carolina is south and Greensboro, North Carolina is southwest of the county.  The county center is 2.7 miles South-Southwest of Oxford.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Virginia and Vance, Franklin, Wake, Durham, and Person counties. 

The area of the county is 538 square miles.  It is 40 out of 100 in the state.  It ranks 45 out of 100 in population in the state.  It has a density of 113.4 persons per square mile making it 48 out of 100 in the state.  Granville County has 38.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 85 travels through the county from northeast, Vance County, to southwest, Durham County.  United States Highway 15 comes in from Virginia to the north and joins Interstate Highway 85 into Durham County.  United States Highway 158 crosses east to west from Vance County to Person County.  The county is an overall rectangle.  Oxford is located in the eastern half of the county.  Oxford is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 14.1% of the county population.