Rockingham

Formed January 1, 1785 (50^th county)

Rockingham County (91,100), Wentworth (2,653), Eden (15,411)

The red brick, columned Modern courthouse, built in 2011, is located on North Carolina State Highway 65 at Prison Camp Road.  Moseley Associates are the architects.  A 1907 courthouse preceded this one in Wentworth.  Rockhouse Creek preceded Wentworth as the county seat.  An Administrative Center built in 1987 supports the courthouse.  Rockingham County was organized on January 1, 1785 from Guilford County as the 50^th county.  It is named for the Marquess of Rockingham.  The county seat is also named for the Marquess, Charles Watson-Wentworth.  He is also the namesake for the county seat of Richmond County.  Rockingham County was the birthplace for 3 North Carolina Governors, David S. Reid, Alfred M. Scales, and Robert B. Glenn. 

Rockingham County government consists of a manager, a register, a sheriff, an attorney, and a clerk (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Twenty-one Superior Court Judges serve Rockingham, Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Cabarrus, Caswell, Chatham, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Iredell, Orange, Rowan, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes, and Yadkin counties, Nine District Court Judges serve Rockingham and Caswell counties and a court clerk serves Rockingham County (judicial.)  Rockingham County is on the northern border with Virginia.  Greensboro, North Carolina is directly south and Raleigh, North Carolina is southeast of the county.  The center of the county is in Wentworth 1.7 miles North of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Virginia and Caswell, Alamance, Guilford, Forsyth, and Stokes counties. 

The area of the county is 573 square miles.  It is 30 out of 100 in the state.  It ranks 31 out of 100 in population in the state.  It has a density of 159.0 persons per square mile making it 34 out of 100 in the state.  Rockingham County has 42.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 29 enters the county from the northeast, Caswell County, and exits to the south, Guilford County.  United States Highway 158 goes from east to southwest from Caswell County to Guilford County.  United States Highway 220 comes from Virginia, north, and goes to Guilford County, south.  The county is a rectangle.  Wentworth is located near the center of the county.  Eden is in the northern quarter of the county.  Wentworth is the county seat and Eden is the largest city.  Wentworth is 2.9% of the county population while Eden is 16.9% of the county population.  This county is in the Greensboro-High Point Metropolitan Statistical Area.