Johnston County, North Carolina

Johnston County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina.  In 2020, 215,999 people lived there. Its county seat is Smithfield.

 History 
The county was made in 1746 from Craven County.  It was named for Gabriel Johnston, who used to be the governor of North Carolina.

In 1752 parts of Johnston County, Bladen County, and Granville County were combined to form Orange County.  In 1758 the eastern part of Johnston County became Dobbs County.  In 1770 parts of Johnston County, Cumberland County, and Orange County were combined to form Wake County.  And in 1855 parts of Johnston County, Edgecombe County, Nash County, and Wayne County were combined to form Wilson County.

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

 Connected Counties 
These counties are connected to Johnston County:
Nash County, North Carolina - north-northeast
Wilson County, North Carolina - northeast
Wayne County, North Carolina - southeast
Sampson County, North Carolina - south
Harnett County, North Carolina - southwest
Wake County, North Carolina - northwest

Major Roads
23px Interstate 40
23px Interstate 95
23px U.S. Highway 70
23px U.S. Highway 301
23px U.S. Highway 701

 Cities and towns 
These cities and towns are in Johnston County:
Benson
Clayton
Four Oaks
Kenly
Micro
Pine Level
Princeton
Selma
Smithfield
West Smithfield
Wilson's Mills
Zebulon

 Newspapers in Johnston County 
Clayton News-Star 
Kenly News
The Four Oaks-Benson News in Review
Princeton News Leader 
The Selma News
The Smithfield Herald
The Cleveland Post
The News & Observer
The Goldsboro News-Argus

References

Other websites
Johnston County government official website 
Johnston County Visitors Bureau, the official site for visitor information for Johnston County

Category:North Carolina counties
Category:1746 establishments
Category:1740s establishments in North Carolina