This content is from the North Carolina Gazetteer, edited by William S. Powell and Michael Hill. Copyright © 2010 by the University of North Carolina Press. Used by permission of the publisher. For personal use and not for further distribution. Please submit permission requests for other use directly to the publisher.

Some place names included in The North Carolina Gazetteer contain terms that are considered offensive.

"The North Carolina Gazetteer is a geographical dictionary in which an attempt has been made to list all of the geographic features of the state in one alphabet. It is current, and it is historical as well. Many features and places that no longer exist are included; many towns and counties for which plans were made but which never materialized are also included. Some names appearing on old maps may have been imaginary, but many of them also appear in this gazetteer.

Each entry is located according to the county in which it is found. I have not felt obliged to keep entries uniform. The altitude of a place, the date of incorporation of a city or town, may appear in the beginning of one entry and at the end of another. Some entries may appear more complete than others. I have included whatever information I could find. If there is no comment on the origin or meaning of a name, it is because the information was not available. In some cases, however, resort to an unabridged dictionary may suggest the meaning of many names."

--From The North Carolina Gazetteer, 1st edition, preface by William S. Powell

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Place Description
Pattonsville

former community in Granville County W of the mouth of Tabb Creek on Tar River. Appears on the McRae map, 1833.

Paul Gamiels Hill

N end of Bodie Island in E Dare County. Site of lifesaving station est. in 1878-79. Lifesaving Service and Revenue Cutter Service joined to form U.S. Coast Guard in 1915. Active until after World War II.

Pauls Creek

rises in Virginia and flows S into Surry County, where it enters Stewarts Creek. Approx. 14 mi. long.

Pauls Gap

on the Haywood-Swain county line between Cataloochee Balsam and Sugar Tree Licks. Alt. approx. 5,100.

Paw Creek

rises in W Mecklenburg County and flows SW into Catawba River.

Paw Creek Township

former township in W central Mecklenburg County, now township no. 12.

Paw Paw Ridge

NW Swain County in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, extends SW from Cherry Knob on Jenkins Trail Ridge, lat. 35°30'50" N., long. 83°44'52" W.

Pawpaw Creek

rises in NW Rockingham County and flows SW into Mayo River.

Paxton Creek

rises in central McDowell County and flows SE approx. 2 mi. into Clear Creek. Formerly known as Poplar Cove Creek.

Payne Branch

rises in NW Swain County and flows SE into Fontana Lake.