North Carolina's 100 Counties

North Carolina has 100 counties. This page brings together a number of resources that relate to the history of North Carolina counties, links to resources in NCpedia related to individual counties, and other resources from North Carolina State Government agencies to help researchers locate current demographic and statistical information about North Carolina's counties and municipalities.

Topics on this page

Explore NCpedia articles by county
Historical information and articles about North Carolina's counties
Historical resources and collections for researching North Carolina county history, records and information

Explore NCpedia articles by county

Alamance | Alexander | Alleghany | Anson | Ashe | Avery | Beaufort | Bertie | Bladen | Brunswick | Buncombe | Burke | Cabarrus | Caldwell | Camden | Carteret | Caswell | Catawba | Chatham | Cherokee | Chowan | Clay | Cleveland | Columbus | Craven | Cumberland | Currituck | Dare | Davidson | Davie | Duplin | Durham | Edgecombe | Forsyth | Franklin | Gaston | Gates | Graham | Granville | Greene | Guilford | Halifax | Harnett | Haywood | Henderson | Hertford | Hoke | Hyde | Iredell | Jackson | Johnston | Jones | Lee | Lenoir | Lincoln | McDowell | Macon | Madison | Martin | Mecklenburg | Mitchell | Montgomery | Moore | Nash | New Hanover | Northampton | Onslow | Orange | Pamlico | Pasquotank | Pender | Perquimans | Person | Pitt | Polk | Randolph | Richmond | Robeson | Rockingham | Rowan | Rutherford | Sampson | Scotland | Stanly | Stokes | Surry | Swain | Transylvania | Tyrrell | Union | Vance | Wake | Warren | Washington | Watauga | Wayne | Wilkes | Wilson | Yadkin | Yancey

Historical information about North Carolina's counties

Background information and articles

History of North Carolina Counties, NCpedia article
North Carolina Places Names for Governors, NCpedia article
Naming Places in Early Carolina, NCpedia article
History of North Carolina County Development, interactive timeline and map
History of North Carolina County Formation: Dates and Parent Counties, NCpedia article
 

Standard text on the history of the formation of North Carolina's counties, footnoted with annotations to legislative actions. Contains maps and illustrations.

Corbitt, David Leroy. 2000. The formation of the North Carolina counties, 1663-1943. 
https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/the-formation-of-the-north-carolina-counties-1663-1943/3692099?item=4553233
 

Defunct and Renamed Counties:

In North Carolina's history, several counties were created that later became defunct or were renamed. North Carolina also created three counties in the 1780s and 1790s that are now part of Tennessee.

Albemarle County, extinct 1689
Bath County, extinct after 1724
Bute County, divided into Franklin and Warren counties in 1779
Clarendon County, abandoned by 1667
Dobbs County, abolished in 1791
Glasgow County, renamed Greene County in 1799
Pamtecough (or Pamticough) County, renamed Beaufort County in 1712
Tryon County, divided into Lincoln and Rutherford Counties in 1779.
Western counties now in Tennessee:
District of Washington (formerly the Watauga Settlement), annexed to North Carolina in 1776, name changed to Washington County in 1777 and ceded to the U.S. Government in 1790.
Sullivan County, formed in 1779 from Washington County, now Tennessee
Davidson County, formed from Washington County in 1783, now Tennessee

Historical resources and collections for researching North Carolina county history, records and information

Printable handout of chronological list of North Carolina's county development with maps
 

Standard text on the history of the formation of North Carolina's counties, footnoted with annotations to legislative actions. Contains maps and illustrations.
Corbitt, David Leroy. 2000. The formation of the North Carolina counties, 1663-1943. 
Digitized version available online at NC Digital Collections: https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/the-formation-of-the-north-carolina-counties-1663-1943/3692099?item=4553233
 

Research guides from the State Library of North Carolina
Data Resources Guide (researching statistical information and databasesk with tutorials)
North Carolina Land Records before 1800
County Tax Records in North Carolina
#EverythingNC, comprehensive research guide for researching many aspects of North Carolina history and information
 

Explore historical items from North Carolina state government agency publications and manuscpript collections in the NC Digital Collections (State Library of NC and State Archives of NC): https://digital.ncdcr.gov
Access current state government agency, statistical and demographic information about North Carolina's counties and municipalities
NC.gov, portal for accessing state government agency websites and information about North Carolina: https://www.nc.gov/
Current Municipal Population Data (NC Offfice of Budget and Management): https://www.osbm.nc.gov/facts-figures/population-demographics
ACCESS NC (NC Dept. of Commerce), open access to a range of databases with census, wage, occupational, employment, demographic and other data: https://accessnc.nccommerce.com/