Gazetteer
| Place | Description | 
|---|---|
| Purnell | community in N Wake County on the head of Mud Creek; formerly known as Purnell Crossroads. | 
| Purnell Crossroads | See Purnell. | 
| Purviance Creek | rises in E New Hanover County and flows E into Masonboro Sound. | 
| Purvis | community in W Robeson County. | 
| Push | community in S Person County near Aldridge Creek. | 
| Putnam | community in N Moore County. Called Johnson City for Harvell Johnson, local resident, until renamed for Israel Putnam (1718- | 
| Puzzle Creek | rises in E Rutherford County and flows SW into Second Broad River. Quicksand in the creek made it a "puzzle" to early settlers who wondered whether their horses could cross it. | 
| Pyatt Creek | rises in SW Avery County and flows E into North Toe River. | 
| Pyatte | community in central Avery County. | 
| P[ort] Box | appears on the Smith map, 1624, in Pamlico Sound, but the feature for which this name is intended is uncertain. |