Johnston County, North Carolina

Johnston County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 215,999. Its county seat is Smithfield.

Johnston County is included in the Raleigh-Cary, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC Combined Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 2,368,947 in 2023.

History
Johnston County and St. Patrick's Parish were established on June 28, 1746, from the upper part of Craven County. On March 1, 1752, part of Granville, Johnston, and Bladen counties were combined to form Orange County and St. Matthew's Parish. On November 23, 1758, Johnston County was divided between the Parish of St. Patrick and the Parish of St. Stephen, St. Patrick's Parish becoming Dobbs County. On December 5, 1770, parts of Johnston, Cumberland, and Orange counties were combined to form Wake County and St. Margaret's Parish. Finally, on February 13, 1855, parts of Edgecombe, Nash, Johnston, and Wayne counties were combined to form Wilson County.

Most early growers in Johnston County were subsistence farmers. A few grew tobacco as a cash crop or reared pigs and cattle, which were sold in Virginia. Smithfield was the westernmost freight port on the Neuse River, and in 1770 the colonial government erected a tobacco warehouse there to store the crop before it was shipped out. Eli Whitney's cotton gin was introduced in the county in about 1804, leading cotton to become the area's leading cash crop. Production for sale at markets remained low before the 1850s due to poor transportation links with other parts of the state. In 1856 the North Carolina Railroad was completed, connecting Johnston County with major urban areas. As result, farming for sale increased, lumber and turpentine industries developed, and the towns of Princeton, Pine Level, Selma, and Clayton were eventually created. About 1,500 Johnstonian men fought in the American Civil War, of whom about a third died. Lingering political tensions and the emancipation of slaves created social and economic turmoil. The new state constitution of 1868 created the county's first townships, which were altered up until 1913. In 1886 the "Short-Cut" line of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad was laid through Johnston, eventually giving rise to the towns of Kenly, Micro, Four Oaks, and Benson.

The Panic of 1893 caused cotton prices to sharply decline, leading area farmers to switch to bright leaf tobacco as their primary cash crop. A new tobacco market was established in Smithfield in 1898, and the county's first bank was created. Within several years, cotton mills were erected in Smithfield, Clayton, and Selma. During World War I, a brief surge in tobacco and cotton prices brought a boom to the local economy. As a result, the county embarked on a school-construction campaign and consolidated all public schools under a single county system. In the 1920s the state built the county's first two paved highways, and shortly thereafter many towns began paving their main streets. While local commerce enjoyed significant success during the decade, area farmers struggled due to drops in tobacco and cotton prices. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 and ensuing Great Depression caused all banks in the county close. Following the passage of a state bond issue in 1949, most roads in the county and town streets were paved.

Etymology
Johnston County was named after Governor Gabriel Johnston by an act of the General Assembly during the creation of the county in 1746.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 795.65 sqmi, of which 792.02 sqmi is land and 3.63 sqmi (0.46%) is water.

State and local protected areas

 * Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site
 * Clemmons Educational State Forest (part)
 * Flower Hill Nature Preserve (part)
 * Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center
 * Wild Bills Western Town - Shadowhawk

Major water bodies

 * Black Creek
 * Buckhorn Reservoir
 * Buffalo Creek
 * Hannahs Creek
 * Holts Lake
 * Little Creek
 * Little River
 * Middle Creek
 * Mingo Swamp
 * Mill Creek
 * Moccasin Creek
 * Neuse River
 * Sassarixa Swamp
 * Snipers Creek
 * Swift Creek

Adjacent counties

 * Wake County – northwest
 * Franklin County – north
 * Nash County – northeast
 * Wilson County – east
 * Wayne County – southeast
 * Sampson County – south
 * Harnett County – southwest

Major infrastructure

 * Johnston Regional Airport
 * Selma Union Depot

2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 215,999 people, 73,567 households, and 53,743 families residing in the county.

2000 census
At the 2000 census, there were 121,965 people, 46,595 households, and 33,688 families residing in the county. The population density was 154 /mi2. There were 50,196 housing units at an average density of 63 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 78.09% White, 15.65% Black or African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.53% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. 7.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 46,595 households, out of which 35.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% were married couples living together, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were non-families. 23.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.10% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 34.20% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 9.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,872, and the median income for a family was $48,599. Males had a median income of $33,008 versus $25,582 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,788. About 8.90% of families and 12.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.00% of those under age 18 and 19.40% of those age 65 or over.

Law and Government
The county is governed by the Johnston County Board of Commissioners, a seven-member board of County Commissioners, elected to serve four-year terms. The commissioners enact policies such as establishment of the property tax rate, regulation of land use and zoning outside municipal jurisdictions, and adoption of the annual budget. Commissioners generally meet each month.

Current (2024) members of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners are:
 * R.S. "Butch" Lawter, Jr., chairman
 * Patrick E. Harris, vice-chairman
 * Richard D. Braswell
 * Ted Godwin
 * Fred J. Smith, Jr.
 * April Stephens

Rick Hester is the county manager.

Johnston County is a member of the regional Triangle J Council of Governments.

In 2011, the Johnston County 911 Communications Center became one of four 911 agencies in the world to hold an Accredited Center of Excellence status from the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch in fire, police, and EMD protocols (giving them a Tri-ACE status). The dispatch has been re-accredited three times with the most recent being in 2017.

Politics
For most of the time after the Civil War, Johnston County was a classic Solid South county, going Democratic in all but three elections from 1880 to 1964. However, from 1968 onward it has turned increasingly Republican, with the only breaks in this tradition being its support for third-party candidate George Wallace in 1968 and for Democrat Jimmy Carter in 1976. Carter's unsuccessful bid for reelection in 1980 is the last time that a Democrat has managed even 40 percent of the county's vote.

Higher education
Johnston County is home to Johnston Community College (JCC), a public, two-year, post-secondary college located in Smithfield. The college has off-campus centers throughout Johnston County.

Primary and secondary education
Public K-12 education in all of Johnston County is managed by the Johnston County School District, which has 46 schools and has more than 35,400 students. In addition, three charter schools and five private schools are located in the county.

Libraries
The Johnston County Public Affiliated Library system operates six branches throughout the county. The library system keeps books, periodicals and audio books and has recently expanded the selection to include downloadable e-books. The Hocutt-Ellington Memorial Library in Clayton left the Johnston County affiliated library system in 2015.

Culture
The Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site is the largest Civil War battlefield in North Carolina. The Battle of Bentonville was fought in 1865, and was the only Confederate offensive targeted to stop General Sherman's march through the South.

The Tobacco Farm Life Museum in Kenly has been collecting artifacts and showcasing the heritage of the Eastern North Carolina farmer for over 35 years. The site includes a museum and restored farmstead, blacksmith shop, and one-room school house.

The Ava Gardner Museum, located in Smithfield, contains a collection of artifacts such as scripts, movie posters, costumes and personal belongings of actress Ava Gardner, who was born and raised in Johnston County. The museum holds an annual festival.

The Johnston County Heritage Centers in Smithfield contains county artifacts and genealogical records.

The Johnston County Arts Council promotes arts in the county and its schools. Smithfield is the location of an annual Ava Gardner Festival, which celebrates the life of the actress.

The Meadow community is the location of Meadow Lights, an annual display of Christmas lights.

Radio and Television
Johnston County is located in the Raleigh-Durham radio market, ranked by Nielsen as the 37th largest in the United States. Johnston County's first radio station, WMPM, 1270 AM, in Smithfield, signed on in 1950. The county is also home to WPYB, 1130 AM in Benson, WHPY, 1590 AM in Clayton, WTSB, 1090 AM in Selma, and WKJO, 102.3 FM in Smithfield.

The county is also part of the larger, 23-county Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville Designated Market Area—the nation's 24th-largest. WNGT-CD, (virtual channel 34.1) a Class A low-powered TV station licensed to both Smithfield and Selma. The station began frequency sharing with Raleigh's WRAL-TV in November 2020, greatly expanding its coverage. Goldsboro-licensed CBS affiliate WNCN, virtual channel 17/RF channel 8, originally known as WYED-TV, signed on from studios and a transmitter in Clayton in 1988 before moving to Raleigh studios in 1995.

Newspapers

 * Clayton News-Star
 * Kenly News
 * Four Oaks-Benson News in Review
 * Princeton News Leader
 * The Selma News
 * Pine Level News
 * Johnstonian News
 * The Daily Record
 * The Smithfield Herald
 * The Cleveland Post
 * The Garner-Cleveland Record
 * The News & Observer

Towns

 * Archer Lodge
 * Benson
 * Clayton (largest community)
 * Four Oaks
 * Kenly
 * Micro
 * Pine Level
 * Princeton
 * Selma
 * Smithfield (county seat)
 * Wilson's Mills

Townships

 * Banner
 * Bentonville
 * Beulah
 * Boon Hill
 * Brogden
 * Clayton
 * Cleveland
 * Elevation
 * Ingrams
 * Meadow
 * Micro
 * O'Neals
 * Pine Level
 * Pleasant Grove
 * Selma
 * Smithfield
 * Wilders
 * Wilson Mills

Unincorporated communities

 * Allens Crossroads
 * Bagley
 * Blackmans Crossroads
 * Cleveland
 * Emit
 * Flowers
 * Grabtown
 * Hocutts Crossroads
 * Jordan
 * McGee's Crossroads
 * Peacocks Crossroads
 * Powhatan
 * Spilona
 * Stancils Chapel
 * West Smithfield
 * Willow Spring (part)