Nash County, North Carolina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nash County
U.S. county
Nash County Courthouse in Nashville
Flag Seal Logo
Motto(s):  "Where Business meets Opportunity"
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Founded	1777
Named for	Francis Nash
Seat	Nashville
Largest community	Rocky Mount
Area
• Total	542.82 sq mi (1,405.9 km2)
• Land	540.44 sq mi (1,399.7 km2)
• Water	2.38 sq mi (6.2 km2)  0.44%
Population  (2020)
• Total	94,970
• Estimate  (2023)	96,551
• Density	175.73/sq mi (67.85/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	1st

Nash County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 94,970. Its county seat is Nashville.

Nash County is part of the Rocky Mount, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The area eventually comprising Nash County was originally organized as a part of Edgecombe County. Settlement first occurred in the 1740s; the earliest land grants date to 1743. As the population of Edgecombe increased, citizens in the western portion of the county found it difficult to travel to the county seat of Tarboro to conduct official business. Legislator Nathan Boddie proposed to the North Carolina Provincial Congress that the county be divided. As a result, Nash was formed from all parts of Edgecombe west of the Falls of the Tar River in 1777. It was named for American Revolutionary War Brigadier General Francis Nash, who was mortally wounded at the Battle of Germantown. The first session of the county court met on April 1, 1778, in the home of Micajah Thomas. Court was then held in a temporary building at Peach Tree until a permanent courthouse was erected in Nashville in 1784. Nashville was formally designated the seat of county government in 1815 and was incorporated in 1823. In 1833, the county's first courthouse burned down and was replaced by a brick building.

In 1786, the state of North Carolina conducted a census which recorded a total population of 5,277 in Nash County. The first U.S. Census in 1790 recorded a total population of 7,393, of whom 2,099 were slaves, 183 were free blacks, and the rest whites. Several early communities in Nash County developed as stops along stagecoach routes, including Dortches, Red Oak, Stanhope, Hilliardston, and Castalia. Settlement also occurred along rivers and creeks, accompanied by the construction of gristmills. In the 1830s the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad was laid, leading to further settlement. The building of a spur line in 1840 led to the eventual creation of the community of Whitakers. By the 1860s, Nash County had a population over 11,600 and an economy centered on agriculture. In 1855, parts of Nash, Edgecombe, Johnston, and Wayne counties were combined to form Wilson County. Over 1,000 men from the county fought in the American Civil War.

In 1871, after significant political controversy, all parts of Edgecombe County west of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad were annexed to Nash leading to the bifurcation of the Edgecombe communities of Battleboro and Sharpsburg between the two counties. As a result of the boundary shift, Nash County's black population grew and a greater portion of the town of Rocky Mount also lay within Nash County's border, including Rocky Mount Mills, the second textile mill to exist within in the state. In 1899, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad established repair shops in Rocky Mount, precipitating the city's rapid growth. In 1921 the county's third courthouse was built.

Geography

Nash County rests in the northeastern part of North Carolina along the dividing line between the Peidmont and Coastal Plain regions. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 542.82 square miles (1,405.9 km²), of which 540.44 square miles (1,399.7 km²) is land and 2.38 square miles (6.2 km²) (0.44%) is covered by water. Elevation in the county gradually rises from the east to the west.

State and local protected areas

• Flower Hill Nature Preserve (part)
• Sandy Creek Game Land (part)
• Shocco Creek Game Land (part)

Major water bodies

• Fishing Creek
• Moccasin Creek
• Pig Basket Creek
• Sapony Creek
• Stoney Creek
• Swift Creek
• Tar River
• Tar River Reservoir
• Toisnot Swamp
• Turkey Creek

Adjacent counties

• Franklin County
• Johnston County
• Wilson County
• Edgecombe County
• Halifax County

Major highways

Major infrastructure

• Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 94,970 people, 37,574 households, and 27,002 families residing in the county.

Demographic change

After decades of growth, between 2010 and 2020, Nash County recorded an almost one percent population loss.

Economy

As of 2023, the biggest sectors in Nash County's economy were manufacturing, healthcare and social services, retail, food and accommodation services, and education. The largest private employer is Hospira, which operates a vaccine manufacturing facility in Rocky Mount.

Sweet potato harvest in Nash County

As of 2023, over 40 percent of the county's area is cultivated farmland. Its top agricultural products are poultry, eggs, tobacco, and sweet potatoes. Nash is one of the top sweet potato-producing counties in the state.

Communities

Map of Nash County with municipal and township labels

Cities

• Rocky Mount (largest community; parts located in Edgecombe County)

Towns

• Bailey
• Castalia
• Dortches
• Middlesex
• Momeyer
• Nashville (county seat)
• Red Oak
• Spring Hope
• Sharpsburg (part)
• Whitakers (part)
• Zebulon (part)

Townships

Unincorporated community

• Corinth

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Nash para niños