Johnston

Formed June 28, 1746 (17^th county)

Johnston County (215,771), Smithfield (11,302), Clayton (26,317)

The Classic Revival 1921 masonry courthouse sits at Johnston, 2^nd, Market, and 3^rd streets.  United States Highway 70 Business is Market Street.  Harry Barton provided the designs.  There was a 1797 courthouse previously in Smithfield the only county seat.  The courthouse features columns and veteran memorials on the grounds.  The 1988 Justice Center is attached behind the courthouse.  Johnston County was created from Craven County on June 28, 1746 as the 17^th county.  It is named for Governor Gabriel Johnston.  The county seat is named for settler John Smith.  Johnston County was the birthplace for 1 North Carolina Governor, Benjamin Williams. 

Johnston County government consists of a manager, a register, a sheriff, an attorney, and a clerk (executive).  It has 7 Commissioners (legislative.)  Twenty-four Superior Court Judges serve Johnston, Alamance, Anson, Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Richmond, Scotland, Stanly, Union, and Wake counties, Sixteen District Court Judges serve Johnston, Harnett, and Lee counties and a court clerk serves Johnston County (judicial.)  Johnston County is in eastern North Carolina.  Raleigh, North Carolina is northwest and Fayetteville, North Carolina is southwest of the county.  The county center is 2.5 miles Northwest of Smithfield.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Franklin, Nash, Wilson, Wayne, Sampson, Harnett, and Wake counties. 

The area of the county is 796 square miles.  It is 14 out of 100 in the state.  It ranks 12 out of 100 in population in the state.  It has a density of 271.3 persons per square mile making it 20 out of 100 in the state.  Johnston County has 29.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 40 travels through the county from north to south from Wake County to Sampson County.  Interstate Highway 95 passes from the northeast, Wilson County, to the southwest, Harnett County.  United States Highway 70 goes from Wayne County, northeast, to Wake County, northwest.  United States Highway 301 parallels Interstate Highway 95 from Wilson to Harnett counties.  United States Highway 701 originates and heads south into Sampson County.  The county is an overall diamond shape.  Smithfield is located slightly south of center in the county.  Clayton is on the northwest border of the county and extends into Wake County.  Smithfield is the county seat and Clayton is the largest city.  Smithfield is 5.2% of the county population while Clayton is 12.2% of the county population.  This county is in the Raleigh-Cary Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Kenly