Lenoir

Formed January 1, 1791 (56^th county)

Lenoir County (55,124), Kinston (19,801)

The masonry, Neo-Classical Revival facility was erected in 1939.  It is sited on Queen Street between King and Caswell streets.  Queen Street is United States Highway 70 Business in the town.  A. Mitchell Wooten and John J. Rowland provided the building designs.  The structure was enlarged in 1983.  It features columns and veteran memorials on the grounds.  Lenoir County was established on January 1, 1791 from Johnston County as the 56^th county with Kinston as the only county seat.  The county was named for Revolutionary War hero William Lenoir.  He is also the namesake of the county seat of Caldwell County.  The county seat is named for King George III. 

Lenoir County government consists of a manager, a register, a sheriff, an attorney, and a clerk (executive).  It has 7 Commissioners (legislative.)  Fourteen Superior Court Judges serve Lenoir, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Duplin, Greene, Jones, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Robeson, Sampson, and Wayne counties, Eight District Court Judges serve Lenoir, Greene, and Wayne counties and a court clerk serves Lenoir County (judicial.)  The county is in the eastern part of North Carolina.  Raleigh, North Carolina is northwest and Fayetteville, North Carolina is southwest of the county.  The county center is 2.8 miles Southwest of Kinston.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Greene, Pitt, Craven, Jones, Duplin, and Wayne counties. 

The area of the county is 401 square miles.  It is 69 out of 100 in the state.  It ranks 48 out of 100 in population in the state.  It has a density of 137.5 persons per square mile making it 41 out of 100 in the state.  Lenoir County has 41.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 70 crosses the county from east to west from Jones County to Wayne County.  United States Highway 258 enters from the north, Greene County, and exits to the south, Jones County.  The county resembles a funnel.  Kinston is located in the northeast quarter of the county.  Kinston is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 35.9% of the county population.  The county is pronounced LE-NORE.  The county seat is pronounced KING-STON.  This county is in the Kinston Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Grifton