Craven

Formed December 3, 1705 (6^th county)

Craven County (100,718), New Bern (31,291)                

A red brick Italianate building was built in 1883 at Broad and Craven streets.  United States Highway 17 is Broad Street in the town.  Samuel Sloan is the building designer.  An Annex was added in 1992.  A Justice Center was added in 2009.  The courthouse features a tower and veteran memorials on the grounds.  The county was founded on December 3, 1705 as the 6^th county from Bath County, which no longer exists.  New Bern has always been the county seat.  Craven County is named for William Lord Craven, a Lord of Propriety.  The county seat is named for Bern, Switzerland.  Craven County was the birthplace for 2 North Carolina Governors, Richard D. Spaight and Richard D. Spaight, Jr. 

Craven 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 Craven, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Duplin, Greene, Jones, Lenoir, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Robeson, Sampson, and Wayne counties, Thirteen District Court Judges serve Craven, Carteret, and Pamlico counties and a court clerk serves Craven County (judicial.) The county is in the eastern part of the state.  Raleigh, North Carolina is west and Fayetteville, North Carolina is southwest of the county.  The county center is in New Bern 2.7 miles Southwest of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Beaufort, Pamlico, Carteret, Jones, Lenoir, and Pitt counties. 

The area of the county is 773 square miles.  It is 16 out of 100 in the state.  It ranks 27 out of 100 in population in the state.  It has a density of 130.3 persons per square mile making it 44 out of 100 in the state.  Craven County has 56.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 17 crosses through the county from north to south from Beaufort County to Jones County.  United States Highway 70 enters from Carteret County, southeast, and exits to Jones County, southwest.  The county resembles a snow boot.  New Bern is located near the eastern border of the county.  New Bern is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 31.1% of the county population.  The county is pronounced KRAE-VEN.  This county is in the New Bern Micropolitan Statistical Area.