Edgecombe

Formed January 1, 1741 (14^th county)

Edgecombe County (48,897), Tarboro (10,710)                

The Modern Colonial Revival style in the 1965 red/brown brick courthouse is unique in this state.  An 1850 facility preceded this one.  It is on Pitt Street between Saint Andrew and Saint Patrick streets.  United States Highway 64 Business is one block southwest of the site.  Taylor and Crabtree are the architects.  An Administration Building augments the courthouse.  The courthouse features a tower with a working clock and columns.  Edgecombe County was formed from Bertie County on January 1, 1741 as the 14^th county with Tarboro as the only county seat.  It is named for English Baron Edgecumbe.  The county seat is named for the Tar River.  Edgecombe County was the birthplace for 3 North Carolina Governors, Henry T. Clark, Elias Carr, and Michael F. Easley. 

Edgecombe 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 Edgecombe, Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Durham, Franklin, Gates, Granville, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Nash, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Person, Pitt, Tyrrell, Vance, Warren, Washington, and Wilson counties, Five District Court Judges serve Edgecombe, Nash, and Wilson counties and a court clerk serves Edgecombe County (judicial.)  Edgecombe County is in northeast North Carolina.  Raleigh, North Carolina is west and Fayetteville, North Carolina is southwest of the county.  The county center is 7.7 miles West-Southwest of Tarboro.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Halifax, Martin, Pitt, Wilson, and Nash counties. 

The area of the county is 507 square miles.  It is 47 out of 100 in the state.  It ranks 52 out of 100 in population in the state.  It has a density of 96.4 persons per square mile making it 56 out of 100 in the state.  Edgecombe County has 61.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 64 crosses the county from east to west from Martin County to Nash County.  United States Highway 64 Alternate goes from Pitt County, southeast, to Nash County.  United States Highway 258 travels north to south from Halifax County to Pitt County.  The county looks like a tall pile of leaves leaning northwest.  Tarboro is located slightly east of center in the county.  Tarboro is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 21.9% of the county population.  This county is in the Rocky Mount Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Whitakers