Nash

Formed January 1, 1777 (36^th county)

Nash County (94,967), Nashville (5,632), Rocky Mount (54,334)

The white columned red brick courthouse was built in 1921.  The courthouse is on Washington Street between Boddie and Hilliard streets.  United States Highway 64 Business is Washington Street in the town.  John C. Stout designed this Greek Revival and Colonial Revival courthouse.  There was an 1833 courthouse previously in Nashville, the only county seat.  The building was enlarged in 1975 and a County Administration Building was added in 1999.  The dual entrances give a two-building appearance.  A military gun is on the grounds.  Nash County was established on January 1, 1777 from Edgecombe County as the 36^th county.  The county and county seat are named for Revolutionary War hero Francis Nash.  Nash County was the birthplace for 1 North Carolina Governor, Roy A. Cooper III. 

Nash 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 Nash, Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Gates, Granville, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Person, Pitt, Tyrrell, Vance, Warren, Washington, and Wilson counties, Ten District Court Judges serve Nash, Edgecombe, and Wilson counties and a court clerk serves Nash County (judicial.)  The county is in eastern North Carolina.  Raleigh, North Carolina is west and Fayetteville, North Carolina is southwest of the county.  The county center is 1.2 miles Southwest of Nashville.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Halifax, Edgecombe, Wilson, Johnston, Wake, Franklin, and Warren counties. 

The area of the county is 543 square miles.  It is 38 out of 100 in the state.  It ranks 30 out of 100 in population in the state.  It has a density of 174.9 persons per square mile making it 29 out of 100 in the state.  Nash County has 56.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 95 travels through the county from northeast to southwest from Halifax County to Wilson County.  United States Highway 64 crosses east to west from Edgecombe County to Franklin County.  United States Highway 264 clips the southern tip of the county from Wilson County, east, to Wake County, west.  The county looks like a chevron facing northeast.  Nashville is located near the center of the county.  Rocky Mount is on the eastern border of the county and extends into Edgecombe County.  Nashville is the county seat and Rocky Mount is the largest city.  Nashville is 5.9% of the county population while Rocky Mount is 57.2% of the county population.  This county is in the Rocky Mount Metropolitan Statistical Area.