WAKE COUNTY

Wake was formed in 1771 from Johnston, Cumberland and Orange. The act became effective March 12,1771. It was named in honor of Margaret Wake, wife of William Tryon. It is in the east central section of the State and is bounded by Johnston, Harnett, Chatham, Durham, Granville and Franklin counties. The present land area is 831.92 square miles. The population from the 2010 Census was 900,993. Of that population, 597,546 were white, 186,510 were black or African American, 4,503 were American Indian, 48,553 were Asian, 387 were Pacific Islander and 40,928 were of a different race. Another 22,566 were reported to be of two or more races and 87,922 were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The first courthouse was erected at what is known as Bloomsbury. It was called Wake County Court House until 1792, when Raleigh was established and was made the capital of the State. Raleigh is the county seat.

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Most of Wake County is in the Neuse River Basin though some areas in the western and southwestern parts of the county are in the Cape Fear River Basin. It is considered a part of the Piedmont region of the state.

References:

"American Factfinder." 2011. U. S. Census Bureau. Online at http://factfinder2.census.gov/. Accessed 3/3/2011.

Corbitt, David L. 2000. The Formation of the North Carolina Counties, 1663-1943. Sixth printing. Raleigh: State Department of Archives and History.

Powell, William Stevens, and Michael R. Hill. 2010. The North Carolina gazetteer: a dictionary of Tar Heel places and their history. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Additional resources:

North Carolina Digital Collections (Government & Heritage Library and NC State Archives)

NC LIVE resources

NC Natural Heritage Program database

WorldCat (Searches numerous library catalogs)