Person County, North Carolina | ||
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Person County Courthouse
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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 | 1791 | |
Named for | Thomas Person | |
Seat | Roxboro | |
Largest city | Roxboro | |
Area | ||
• Total | 404 sq mi (1,046 km2) | |
• Land | 392 sq mi (1,015 km2) | |
• Water | 12 sq mi (31 km2) | |
Population | ||
• (2010) | 39,464 | |
• Density | 101/sq mi (39/km²) | |
Congressional district | 6th | |
Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
Website | www |
Person County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 39,464 at the 2010 census. The county seat is Roxboro.
Person County is included in the Durham-Chapel Hill Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Combined Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 1,998,808 in 2012. It is located in the Piedmont region of North Carolina.
The Hyco Lake area and southern portion of the county are the fastest growing with new businesses and subdivisions.
The colonial government established Person County as part of Edgecombe County in 1746. County designations kept changing, as it was part of Granville County from 1746–1752; included in Orange County until 1778; and part of Caswell County until 1791/1792. By dividing Caswell County into two squares–each side measuring approximately twenty (20) miles in length, the settlers formed two counties of 400 square miles (1,000 km2) each. The county was named after Brigadier General Thomas Person, a Revolutionary War patriot, who made significant contributions to Person County and surrounding areas.