Pitt

Formed January 1, 1761 (25^th county)

Pitt County (170,241), Greenville (87,628)

The white columned Classical Revival facility was constructed in 1910 and enlarged in 1965 and 1999.  It is on a square at 3^rd Street, Evans, 2^nd, and Washington streets.  United States Highway 13 passes the center of the city 17 blocks to the west of the courthouse.  Milburn, Hester & Company provided the tan brick designs.  The building has been enlarged.  It features a tower and an Annex next door.  There was an earlier version dating from 1858.  Pitt County was organized on January 1, 1761 from Beaufort County as the 25^th county with Greenville as the only county seat.  It is named for William Pitt, leader of the British House of Commons.  He is also the namesake for the county seat of Chatham County.  The county seat is named for Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene.  He is also the namesake of Greene County and the county seat of Guilford County. 

The area of the county is 656 square miles.  It is 25 out of 100 in the state.  It ranks 16 out of 100 in population in the state.  It has a density of 259.5 persons per square mile making it 21 out of 100 in the state.  Pitt County has 66.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 13 goes north to south in the county from Martin County to Greene County.  United States Highway 258 cuts the western tip from Edgecombe County, northwest, to Greene County, southwest.  United States Highway 264 enters from Beaufort County, east, and exits to Greene County, southwest.  The county resembles a bag of leaves. 

Pitt County government consists of a manager, a register, a sheriff, an attorney, and a clerk (executive).  It has 6 Commissioners (legislative.)  Sixteen Superior Court Judges serve Pitt, Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Gates, Granville, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Nash, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Person, Tyrrell, Vance, Warren, Washington, and Wilson counties and Wake counties and Fourteen District Court Judges and a court clerk serve Pitt County (judicial.)   The county is in the eastern part of the state.  Greenville is located near the center in the county.  Greenville is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 51.5% of the county population.  The county center is in Greenville 6.2 miles Southwest of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Martin, Beaufort, Craven, Lenoir, Greene, Wilson, and Edgecombe counties.  This county is in the Greenville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Grifton