Bladen County, North Carolina
| Bladen County, North Carolina | ||
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 Location in the U.S. state of North Carolina |
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 North Carolina's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1739 | |
| Named for | Martin Bladen | |
| Seat | Elizabethtown | |
| Largest town | Elizabethtown | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 887 sq mi (2,297 km2) | |
| • Land | 874 sq mi (2,264 km2) | |
| • Water | 13 sq mi (34 km2), 1.4% | |
| Population | ||
| • (2010) | 35,190 | |
| • Density | 40/sq mi (15/km²) | |
| Congressional district | 7th | |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website | www |
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Bladen /ˈbleɪdɛn/ County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 35,190. Its county seat is Elizabethtown. The county was created in 1734 as Bladen Precinct and gained county status in 1739.
Bladen County was formed in 1734 as Bladen Precinct of Bath County, from New Hanover Precinct. It was named for Martin Bladen, a member of the Board of Trade. With the abolition of Bath County in 1739, all of its constituent precincts became counties.
Originally, Bladen was a vast territory with indefinite northern and western boundaries. Reductions in its extent began in 1750, when its western part became Anson County. In 1752 the northern part of Bladen County was combined with parts of Granville County and Johnston County to form Orange County. In 1754 the northern part of what was left of Bladen County became Cumberland County. In 1764 the southern part of what remained of Bladen County was combined with part of New Hanover County to form Brunswick County. In 1787 the western part of the now much smaller county became Robeson County. Finally, in 1808 the southern part of Bladen County was combined with part of Brunswick County to form Columbus County. Bladen County is considered the "mother county" of North Carolina because of the 100 counties in North Carolina, 55 of them at one point belonged to Bladen County. It is also the fourth largest county in North Carolina.
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