OCinfosheet

Onslow County / Jacksonville, N.C.

"All American City"

History: Onslow County was formed in 1734 from New HanoverCountyand was named for Sir Arthur Onslow, speaker of the House of Commons inthe British Parliament. Records in the Register of Deeds office at theOnslow County Courthouse date back to 1713.

Onslow County is the ninth largest North Carolina county bypopulation.Jacksonville, the county seat, is located at the fourth historical siteof the Onslow County Courthouse. From a farming community in 1940,Jacksonvillehas become one of the largest regional shopping centers in EasternNorthCarolina.

Location: Onslow County is located in Southeastern NorthCarolina.The terrain is flat, gently rolling and sloping, from an altitude of 63ft. at Richlands to sea level. It is one of the few counties facingdirectlyon the ocean; however, the beaches are now separated from the mainlandby the Intra-Coastal Waterway. Through the heart of the county twiststhebeautiful New River, the only large river in North Carolina to havebothits headwaters and mouth in the same county. New River is 40 miles longand from 2 to 5 miles wide, most of its length below Jacksonville. TheWhite Oak River is the northeastern county border to the AtlanticOcean,where Swansboro is located.

Area: Onslow County is eleventh in size among the 100countiesin North Carolina. It is 756 square miles and Jacksonville is 39.98squaremiles. Its elevation is 23 feet above mean sea level. Onslow County hasa population of 154,000. The city of Jacksonville has a population of75,094.

Camp Lejeune: Jacksonville is home of Camp Lejeune MarineCorpsBase, "Home of Expeditionary Forces in Readiness." Camp Lejeune is thepermanent home of the Second Marine Division and Force Service SupportGroup, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic. Established in 1941, the UnitedStatesMarine Corps reservation occupies 170 square miles, and supportsapproximately123,500 Marines and sailors.

Climate: The climate of Onslow County is mild to moderate.Theaverage length of the freeze-free growing season in Jacksonville is 230days. The last freeze is about March 20^th, and the earliestfreeze is around November 15^th. Temperatures do not go below20 degrees more than once or twice a year. The annual average rainfallis 54 inches, and although a few flakes of snow are seen nearly everywinter,measurable amounts occur very rarely. The little snow that does fallusuallymelts within a short time. The average annual temperature is 63degrees,with the coldest month being January and the hottest month being July.