Vance

Formed January 1, 1881 (96^th county)

Vance County (42,570), Henderson (15,077)

The Modern tan brick 2000 courthouse replaced an 1884 version.  It is located on Church Street between Garnett and Chestnut streets.  United States Highway 1 Business is Garnett Street in the town.  Surapon Sujjavannick is the building architect.  The building has been enlarged.  Veterans are honored at the Old Courthouse.  Vance County was formed from Franklin, Granville, and Warren counties on January 1, 1881 as the 96^th county with Henderson as the only county seat.  The county is named for Governor Zebulon Baird Vance.  The county seat is named for North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Leonard Henderson.  He is also the namesake for Henderson County and its county seat.  Vance County was the birthplace for 1 North Carolina Governor, William Hawkins. 

Vance 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 Vance, Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Gates, Granville, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Nash, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Person, Pitt, Tyrrell, Warren, Washington, and Wilson counties, Five District Court Judges serve Vance, Franklin, Granville, and Person counties and a court clerk serves Vance County (judicial.)  The county is on the northern border with Virginia.  Raleigh, North Carolina is southwest and Norfolk, Virginia is northeast of the county.  The center of the county is 2.7 miles Northwest of Henderson.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Virginia and Warren, Franklin, and Granville counties. 

The area of the county is 269 square miles.  It is 90 out of 100 in the state.  It ranks 61 out of 100 in population in the state.  It has a density of 158.3 persons per square mile making it 35 out of 100 in the state.  Vance County has 36.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 85 goes northeast to southwest in the county from Warren County to Granville County.  United States Highway 1 enters from Warren County, northeast, and exits into Franklin County, south.  United States Highway 158 crosses east to west from Warren County to Granville County.  The county resembles the point of a feather.  Henderson is located in the southern third of the county.  Henderson is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 35.4% of the county population.  This county is in the Henderson Micropolitan Statistical Area.