Guilford County, North Carolina

Guilford County Education, Geography, and History

Guilford County is a county located in the state of North Carolina. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 488,406, making it the third-most populous county in North Carolina. Its seat is Greensboro. Since 1938, an additional county court has been located in High Point, North Carolina. The county was formed in 1771.

Guilford County is included in the Greensboro-High Point, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, NC Combined Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Guilford County Name

It was named in honor of Francis North who was Earl of Guilford. He was the father of Lord North who was Prime Minister under George III during the Revolution. Lord North afterward succeeded his father as Earl of Guilford.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Guilford County History

Guilford was formed in 1771 from Rowan and Orange. The act creating Guilford became effective April 1, 1771. It was named in honor of Francis North who was Earl of Guilford. He was the father of Lord North who was Prime Minister under George III during the Revolution. Lord North afterward succeeded his father as Earl of Guilford. It is in the north central section of the State and is bounded by Alamance, Randolph, Davidson, Forsyth and Rockingham counties. The present land area is 649.42 square miles and the population was 421,048. The first court was ordered held at the home of Robert Lindsay and provided for the commissioners to buy the land of John Campbell for the courthouse site. In 1785 Martinsville was laid out as the courthouse. It was named in honor of Alexander Martin, governor of North Carolina, 1782-1785 and 1789-1792. The courthouse had been called Guilford Court House until the passage of this act. Commissioners were named by the act of 1807 to select a place at the center of the county for the erection of a new courthouse, as the old one was badly in need of repair and not conveniently located. Commissioners were also named to purchase 30 acres of land and have the new courthouse erected. They were to sell the old courthouse. In 1808 the new county seat was named Greensborough in honor of Nathaniel Greene. Today Greensboro is the county seat.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 658 square miles (1,700 km²), of which 646 square miles (1,670 km²) is land and 12 square miles (31 km²) (1.8%) is water.

The county is drained, in part, by the Deep and Haw Rivers.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Rockingham County (north)
• Alamance County (east)
• Randolph County (south)
• Davidson County (southwest)
• Forsyth County (west)

Education

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