The stadium's name comes from its location – the stadium property is located in Wake County, within 5 miles (8.0 km) of Franklin, Nash, Johnston, and Wilson counties.

When Columbus Mudcats owner Steve Bryant moved the club to North Carolina in 1991, he wanted a new facility that was deemed to be outside the territories of other minor league clubs in the state (including the Carolina League's Greensboro Hornets, which he also owned) while also being easily accessible by the public.

A site was chosen in Zebulon, which was as close to Raleigh as the Mudcats could get without infringing on the territorial rights of the Durham Bulls.

To construct the ballpark quickly, the builders opted for metal seating rather than the traditional concrete.

The Double-A Mudcats moved to Pensacola in 2011, and the Carolina League's Kinston Indians moved to Zebulon and continued as the Mudcats at Class A-Advanced[6][7] until being reorganized to Low-A for the 2021 season.