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. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

is divided into 100

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

. North Carolina ranks 28th in size by area, but has the seventh-highest number of counties in the

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

. Following the

restoration of the monarchy Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state. This may refer to: *Conservation and restoration of cultural property **Audio restoration **Conservation and restoration of immovable cultural property **Film restoration ** Image ...

in 1660, King Charles II rewarded eight persons on March 24, 1663, for their faithful support of his efforts to regain the throne of England. He gave the eight grantees, called

Lords Proprietor A lord proprietor is a person granted a royal charter for the establishment and government of an English colony in the 17th century. The plural of the term is "lords proprietors" or "lords proprietary". Origin In the beginning of the Europe ...

, the land called Carolina, in honor of King Charles I, his father. The

Province of Carolina The Province of Carolina was a colony of the Kingdom of England (1663–1707) and later the Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1712) that existed in North America and the Caribbean from 1663 until the Carolinas were partitioned into North and Sou ...

, from 1663 to 1729, was a North American

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

(1663–1707), then

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

(from 1707 union with Scotland) colony. In 1729, the

Province of North Carolina The Province of North Carolina, originally known as the Albemarle Settlements, was a proprietary colony and later royal colony of Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712 to 1776.(p. 80) It was one of the five Southern col ...

became a separate entity from the

Province of South Carolina The Province of South Carolina, originally known as Clarendon Province, was a province of the Kingdom of Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712 to 1776. It was one of the five Southern colonies and one of the Thirteen Colonies i ...

. The establishment of North Carolina counties stretches over 240 years, beginning in 1668 with the creation of

Albemarle County Albemarle County is a United States county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, which is an independent city entirely surrounded by the county. Albemarle County is part of the Ch ...

and ending with the 1911 creation of Avery and Hoke counties. Five counties have been divided or abolished altogether, the last being Dobbs County in 1791. The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS), which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify states and counties, is provided with each entry. North Carolina's FIPS code is 37, which when combined with the county code is written as 37.

List

Historic counties

For several months in 1784, Cumberland County was known as Fayette County and sent representatives to the North Carolina General Assembly of April 1784 under this name.

Proposed counties

In the state's history, two counties have officially been proposed, but not created—Hooper County and Lillington County, in 1851 and 1859, respectively. The former was to be created from parts of Richmond and Robeson Counties, and the latter was to be created from parts of New Hanover County. Both of the proposals failed in their respective referendums. Later on, Scotland County would be created in the area where Hooper County was proposed, and Pender County would fill the area where Lillington County was proposed.

References

Works cited

* Corbitt, David Leroy. ''The Formation of the North Carolina Counties, 1663–1943''. Raleigh: State Dept. of Archives and History, 1950. Reprint, Raleigh: Division of Archives and History, North Carolina Dept. of Cultural Resources, 1987. * Powell, William S. ''The North Carolina Gazetteer''. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1968. Reprint, 1985. {{North Carolina North Carolina, counties in *

Counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

List

Historic counties

Proposed counties

See also

References

Further reading

Works cited