Wayne County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the U.S. state of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 117,333. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

is Goldsboro and it is home to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. Wayne County comprises the Goldsboro, NC

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

History

Prior to 1730, Native Americans were the only known occupants of the territory now known as Wayne County. Settlers trickled into the territory, occupying land along the Neuse River. There was no general migration here until after 1750; as populations built up in the coastal areas, some settlers moved west for land. Wayne County was established during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

on November 2, 1779, from the western part of Dobbs County. It was named for "Mad Anthony" Wayne, a general in the war. The act establishing the County provided that the first court should be held at the home of Josiah Sasser, at which time the justices were to decide on a place for all subsequent courts until a courthouse could be erected. By 1782 the commissioners were named. In 1787 an act was passed establishing Waynesborough on the west side of the Neuse River, on the land of Doctor Andrew Bass. The courthouse was built here. In 1855 parts of Wayne County, Edgecombe County, Johnston County, and Nash County were combined to form Wilson County.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water. Wayne County's surface is level to gently rolling uplands with broad bottoms along the rivers and some creeks. Elevations are predominantly 120 to 145 feet above sea level. The largest waterway, the Neuse River, bisects the lower central portion of the county and cuts a deep channel 20 to 40 feet deep as it flows in an eastward direction. Unusual river bluffs occur in the vicinity of Seven Springs. In addition to the Neuse River, the county is drained by the Little River, the Northeast

Cape Fear River The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River (North Caro ...

and numerous creeks. Wayne County is underlain by unconsolidated beds of sand, clay and gravel. For the most part, these beds were deposited in seawater as the sea advanced and retreated during the geologic development of the

Atlantic Coastal Plain The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe a ...

. To a much lesser extent, streams deposited layers of sediment which mixed with that deposited on the sea floor. The

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologi ...

in Wayne County is characterized by warm summers and moderate winters. The average temperature is about 62 degrees. Annual precipitation is about 50 inches of rainfall per year, with the major portion occurring in the late spring and summer.

State and local protected areas/sites

* Charles B. Aycock Birthplace *

Goldsborough Bridge Battlefield Goldsborough may refer to: Places Australia * Goldsborough, Queensland, a locality in the Cairns Region * Goldsbrough Mort Woolstore, a heritage-listed building in Brisbane, Queensland * Goldsbrough Mort Building, Rockhampton, a heritage-listed ...

* Cliffs of the Neuse State Park

Major water bodies

* Bear Creek (North Fork Salt River tributary) * Great Swamp *

Little River (Neuse River tributary) The Little River is a tributary of the Neuse River, which originates in Moore's Pond, south of Youngsville in Franklin County. The river crosses through Wake, Johnston, and Wayne counties, joining the Neuse at Waynesborough State Park and Busco ...

* Juniper Swamp * Nahunta Swamp * Neuse River *

Northeast Cape Fear River Northeast Cape Fear River is a long 5th order tributary to the Cape Fear River in southeastern North Carolina. Variant names According to the Geographic Names Information System, it has also been known historically as: * North East River * N ...

Quaker Neck Lake The H.F. Lee Energy Complex, formerly the Goldsboro Plant, is an electrical power generating complex operated by Duke Energy. The power complex was originally owned by the Carolina Power & Light Company, which inaugurated a coal-fired power plant ...

* Thoroughfare Swamp *

Water Branch (Richardson Creek tributary) Water Branch is a long 2nd order tributary to Richardson Creek in Union County, North Carolina Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 238,267. Its county seat is ...

Adjacent counties

* Wilson County - north * Greene County - east-northeast *

Lenoir County Lenoir County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 55,122. Its county seat is Kinston, located on the Neuse River, across which the county has its territory. Lenoir County comprises t ...

- east-southeast *

Duplin County Duplin County ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

...

- south *

Sampson County Sampson County is the largest county, by land area, in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 59,036. Its county seat is Clinton. History Sampson County was established in April 1784 following the America ...

- southwest * Johnston County - west

Major highways

* (Concurrency with US 70) * * * * * * * * * * * * * ( Connecter Route) The main highway in Wayne County is US 70, which offers access to the North Carolina coast, the capital city of

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

and I-95. The only interstate in Wayne County is I-795, which is a direct connector with I-95 and US 264. US 70 has been designated as Future Interstate 42.

Major infrastructure

* Goldsboro Union Station * Seymour Johnson Air Force Base

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, there were 117,333 people, 48,482 households, and 30,990 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 113,329 people, 42,612 households, and 30,254 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 205 people per square mile (79/km²). There were 47,313 housing units at an average density of 86 per square mile (33/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 61.28%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 33.02%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.36% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 3.07% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. 4.94% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. There were 42,612 households, out of which 34.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.60% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 15.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.03. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.20% under the age of 18, 9.90% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $33,942, and the median income for a family was $40,492. Males had a median income of $28,396 versus $21,854 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $17,010. About 10.20% of families and 13.80% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 18.60% of those under age 18 and 15.20% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Wayne was historically a typical "

Solid South The Solid South or Southern bloc was the electoral voting bloc of the states of the Southern United States for issues that were regarded as particularly important to the interests of Democrats in those states. The Southern bloc existed especial ...

" county for the first two thirds of the twentieth century, as conservative white Democrats had passed a new constitution at the turn of the 20th century that disenfranchised most blacks. North Carolina became a virtually one-party state, with whites generally voting for Democratic Party Candidates. Following Congressional passage of major civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s, this county's white voters, like most across the South, gradually started to support Republican national candidates and ultimately changed parties, joining the Republicans. But in 1968, they voted for segregationist "American Independent"

George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Alabama for four terms. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best remembered for his staunch segregationist a ...

. Since 1972, the white majority of Wayne County has carried it for Republican presidential candidates in every election. Wayne County is governed by a commissioner-manager system, consisting of seven members elected to four-year terms. One commissioner is elected from each of six

single-member district A single-member district is an electoral district represented by a single officeholder. It contrasts with a multi-member district, which is represented by multiple officeholders. Single-member districts are also sometimes called single-winner vo ...

s in the county and one is elected

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

countywide. All seven members serve concurrent four-year terms. The partisan elections for the Board of Commissioners are held in November in even-numbered years. The Board elects a Chairman and Vice-Chairman from among its members annually at the first meeting in December. The Board meets on the first and third Tuesday each month. These are the elected officials representing Wayne County following the 2020 elections. Wayne County will be represented in the 13th District in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, the 4th District in the North Carolina State House of Representatives, and the 4th and 10th District in the North Carolina State Senate due to the 2020 redistricting cycle. Wayne County is a member of the regional Eastern Carolina Council of Governments.

Economy

Wayne County's local industries are involved in a range of operations from simple assembly to complex

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...

processes resulting in products ranging from bread and poultry feed to automobile parts and electric

transformer A transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces a varying magnetic flux in the transformer' ...

s. Substantial technological improvements in recent years involving modernization of plant facilities and the addition of sophisticated manufacturing equipment have resulted in enhanced profitability and productivity for many of the local manufacturing firms. The combination of a mild climate, a freeze-free growing season of about 225 days and a wide range of soil types contribute to a highly productive agricultural area. Total gross farm sales in Wayne County in 2006 was approximately US$329,082,138. Field crops, including the primary crops of

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The ...

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

soybeans The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu ...

, and

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

accounted for nearly 12% of the farm income or US$38,583,389. Income from

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to ani ...

and

poultry Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, their meat or their feathers. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, qu ...

production was US$236,287,547 in 2006 and derived primarily from swine operations. Swine production has increased rapidly, making it the single largest source of farm income. In 2006 farm income from swine production was US$75,409,690 or 23% of all farm income. Wayne County ranks 7th in the nation for production of swine. Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is home to the 4th Fighter Wing and 916th Air Refueling Wing. The annual civilian and military payroll is over $282 millionUSD. In fiscal year 2006 the economic impact at the base totaled over $460 millionUSD.

Education

Wayne County is home to three colleges: Wayne Community College, University of Mount Olive (formerly known as Mount Olive College), and the Goldsboro campus of the

North Carolina Wesleyan College North Carolina Wesleyan University (NCWU) is a private Methodist university in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. It was founded in 1956. North Carolina Wesleyan also offers evening courses at its main Rocky Mount campus, as well as satellite locations ...

. Public schools are administered by the Wayne County Public Schools system. The public schools include nine high schools and college preparation schools, nine middle schools, fourteen elementary schools and one special education school. The county is also home to one charter public school and six

private schools An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British En ...

High schools

* Charles B. Aycock High School *

Eastern Wayne High School Eastern Wayne High School (EWHS) is a public high school located in Goldsboro, Wayne County, North Carolina, United States. It opened in 1969. It is classified as a 3-A school with enrollment estimated at 1100 students. The school mascot is the ...

* Goldsboro High School * Rosewood High School * Southern Wayne High School
''Spring Creek High School''

''Wayne Early/Middle College High School''

''Wayne Middle/High Academy''
* Wayne School of Engineering

Middle schools

* Brogden Middle School * Dillard Middle School * Eastern Wayne Middle School * Grantham Middle School * Greenwood Middle School * Mount Olive Middle School * Norwayne Middle School * Rosewood Middle School * Spring Creek Middle School

Elementary schools

* Brogden Primary School * Carver Elementary School * Carver Heights Elementary School * Eastern Wayne Elementary School * Fremont Stars Elementary School * Grantham Elementary School * Meadow Lane Elementary School * North Drive Elementary School * Northeast Elementary School * Northwest Elementary School * Rosewood Elementary School * School Street Early Learning Center * Spring Creek Elementary School * Tommy's Road Elementary School

Special Education Schools

* Edgewood Community Developmental School

Private schools

* Faith Christian Academy * Pathway Christian Academy * Wayne Christian School * Wayne Country Day School * St. Mary Catholic School * Wayne Preparatory Academy

Media

*
NewOldNorth.com''
* '' The Goldsboro News-Argus''
''Goldsboro Daily News''
* ''The Buzz Around Wayne County''
''Mount Olive Tribune''

''Wayne-Wilson News Leader''
* WGBR 98.3 FM / 1150 AM—Classic Hits * WFMC 105.7 FM / 730 AM—Gospel * WZKT 97.7 FM—Katie Country * WSSG 92.7 FM / 1300 AM - Hip Hop & R&B * “Eastbound & Downtown” magazine

Hospitals

* Wayne UNC Health Care, a medical facility located in Goldsboro, is the county's second-largest employer. *

Cherry Hospital Cherry Hospital is an inpatient regional referral psychiatric hospital located in Goldsboro, North Carolina, United States. As one of three psychiatric hospitals operated by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, it provides se ...

is a

psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociat ...

located in Goldsboro; it was founded in 1880 as a facility to treat mentally ill

s when all public facilities were segregated. A museum depicting its history is part of the hospital campus. * O'Berry Neuro-Medical Center is a North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services hospital providing rehabilitative services to the mentally retarded and people with developmental disabilities.

Communities

Map of Wayne County North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

City

* Goldsboro (county seat and largest city)

Towns

* Eureka * Fremont * Mount Olive * Seven Springs * Pikeville

Villages

* Walnut Creek

Census-designated places

* Brogden *

Dudley Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...

Elroy Elroy may refer to: Places in the United States * Elroy, North Carolina, a census-designated place * Elroy, Pennsylvania, a village in Franconia Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania * Elroy, Texas, an unincorporated community * Elroy, Wisc ...

* Mar-Mac * New Hope

Other unincorporated communities

* Faro *

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln a ...

* Hopewell * Nahunta *

Rosewood Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. True rosewoods All genuine rosewoods belong to the genus ''Dalbergia''. The pre-eminent rosewood appreciated ...

Townships

* Brogden * Buck Swamp *

Fork In cutlery or kitchenware, a fork (from la, furca 'pitchfork') is a utensil, now usually made of metal, whose long handle terminates in a head that branches into several narrow and often slightly curved tine (structural), tines with which one ...

* Fremont * Goldsboro * Grantham * Hood Swamp * Indian Springs * Nahunta * New Hope * Pikeville * Saulston * Stoney Creek

Notable people

* Ike Atkinson, drug trafficker *

Charles Brantley Aycock Charles Brantley Aycock (November 1, 1859 – April 4, 1912) was the 50th governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1901 to 1905. After starting his career as a lawyer and teacher, he became active in the Democratic Party during the pa ...

, politician * Bob Boyd, golfer * Moira Crone, author *

Ava Gardner Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress. She first signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew critics' attention in 1946 with her perform ...

, actress * Anne Jeffreys, actress * Carl Kasell, radio personality *

Martin Lancaster Harold Martin Lancaster, O.B.E. (born March 24, 1943) is an American politician who is the former President of the North Carolina Community College System and former Chair of the National Council of State Directors of Community Colleges. He was ...

, former President of the North Carolina Community College System * Manny Lawson, NFL linebacker *

Jerry Narron Jerry Austin Narron (born January 15, 1956) is an American professional baseball manager, coach, and former player. He most recently served as a major league instructor for the Chicago White Sox. He most recently served as the bench coach for ...

, MLB player, coach, and manager * Tony Schiffman, jeweler * John R. Smith, politician * Michale Spicer, NFL defensive end * Greg Warren, NFL long snapper * James B. Whitfield, lawyer *

Cadmus M. Wilcox Cadmus Marcellus Wilcox (May 20, 1824 – December 2, 1890) was a career United States Army officer who served in the Mexican–American War and also was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Early life and career Wilcox was ...

, Confederate general

References

External links

Wayne County government official website
{{authority control 1779 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1779