Warren County is a county in North Carolina, United States, on the state’s northern line with Virginia in the northeastern Piedmont. It had a population of 18,642 at the 2020 census and covers 444 square miles (1,150 km2) — 429 square miles (1,111 km2) of land and 15 square miles (39 km2) of water — centred near 36°24′N 78°06′W.
Warrenton is the county seat; its postal code is 27589. The county has three incorporated towns (Macon, Norlina, Warrenton) alongside more than two dozen unincorporated communities, is divided into twelve townships, and runs on Eastern time.
Towns & Villages in Warren County
Warren County has three incorporated towns and about two dozen smaller unincorporated communities and crossroads settlements. Town means an incorporated municipality; Unincorp. means a community with no municipal government of its own.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warrenton | Town · seat | — | 27589 |
| Norlina | Town | — | 27563 |
| Macon | Town | — | 27551 |
| Afton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Arcola | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Axtell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Church Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Elams | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Elberon | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Embro | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Enterprise | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Five Forks | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Grove Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Inez | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Liberia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lickskillet | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Manson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Marmaduke | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oakville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Odell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oine | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Old Bethlehem | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Parktown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Paschall | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ridgeway | Unincorp. | — | 27570 |
| Rose Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Snow Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Soul City | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Vaughan | Unincorp. | — | 27586 |
| Vicksboro | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Warren Plains | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wise | Unincorp. | — | 27594 |
Townships
Warren County is divided into twelve townships, a historic civil-division scheme still used for census and record-keeping: Fishing Creek, Fork, Hawtree, Judkins, Nutbush, River, Roanoke, Sandy Creek, Shocco, Sixpound, Smith Creek and Warrenton. The Warrenton township contains the county seat; per-township population figures are not separately published in current census releases.
ZIP Codes
- 27589 — Warrenton (post office town)
- 27563 — Norlina (post office town)
- 27551 — Macon (post office town)
- 27594 — Wise (PO Box service)
- 27570 — Ridgeway (PO Box service)
- 27586 — Vaughan (PO Box service)
Most other unincorporated communities in the county receive mail through one of these six ZIP codes rather than having their own.
Geography
Warren County sits in the northeastern Piedmont, a rolling landscape of clay soils and mixed pine-hardwood forest crossed by the Roanoke River system, including Lake Gaston along its eastern edge. Roughly 3 percent of the county is water. The terrain is gentler than the mountains to the west, typical of the fall line between the Piedmont and the Coastal Plain.
Warren County borders Franklin County to the west, Vance County to the southwest, Nash County to the south, Northampton County to the southeast, and Halifax County to the east, all in North Carolina. Across the Virginia line to the north lie Brunswick County and, to the northwest, Mecklenburg County, Virginia.
Demographics
Warren County had a population of 18,642 at the 2020 census. Warrenton and Norlina are its two largest incorporated communities. The county’s median household income runs well below the North Carolina median of $70,804, reflecting its rural, historically agricultural economy. Population density is roughly 43 people per square mile, among the lower densities in the Piedmont.
Economy & Local Life
Warren County’s economy has shifted from tobacco and cotton farming toward manufacturing, government employment and services. Glen Raven, a textile manufacturer, is among the county’s larger private employers. Agriculture, timber and small-scale manufacturing remain significant, and Lake Gaston draws recreational and seasonal-home activity along the county’s eastern edge.
History
Warren County was formed in 1779 from the northern part of Bute County. It is named for Joseph Warren, a Massachusetts physician and Revolutionary War general killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill. The county was a major tobacco- and cotton-plantation economy before the Civil War, followed by decades of agricultural decline and later textile-mill employment. In 1982, protests over a PCB-contaminated landfill sited in the county’s mostly Black community of Afton are widely credited with helping launch the modern environmental justice movement.
Getting There
Interstate 85 crosses the county, along with US 1, US 158, US 401 and NC routes 4, 43, 58 and 903.
- Raleigh — 55 miles south
- Durham — 50 miles southwest
- Roanoke Rapids — 30 miles east
- Petersburg, Virginia — 60 miles north
The nearest commercial airport is Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU).
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Warren County, North Carolina?
It sits in the northeastern Piedmont on the state’s northern border with Virginia, northeast of Raleigh.
What is the population of Warren County?
It had a population of 18,642 at the 2020 census.
How big is Warren County?
It covers 444 square miles (1,150 km2), including about 15 square miles of water.
What is the county seat of Warren County?
Warrenton is the county seat.
How many towns are in Warren County?
Three incorporated towns — Warrenton, Norlina and Macon — plus roughly two dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Warren County?
27589 (Warrenton), 27563 (Norlina), 27551 (Macon), 27570 (Ridgeway), 27586 (Vaughan) and 27594 (Wise).
Why is Warren County significant to environmental history?
The 1982 protests against a PCB landfill in the Afton community are widely cited as the start of the modern environmental justice movement.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in North Carolina.