Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States, with a population of 19,900 as of the 2020 census.

Preceding the historic tribe, indigenous peoples of a variety of cultures had lived in the area for thousands of years.

Kinston was created by an act of the North Carolina General Assembly in December 1762 as "Kingston", in honor of King George III,[7] who had just recently ascended to the throne.

The bill to incorporate it was introduced by Richard Caswell, who made his home there and later served as the first governor of the state of North Carolina from 1776 to 1780.

After victory in the American Revolution, the citizens renamed the city "Kinston" in 1784 to show the population's disavowal of royalty.

To keep a lot, subscribers were required to build brick homes of specific dimensions within three years or lose their rights to the property.

[8] These men had been captured in the Battle of New Bern by Confederate troops, and were found to have previously served in North Carolina Partisan Ranger units.

Fifteen of these men were from Jones County and had all started their service in the 8th Battalion North Carolina Partisan Rangers.

A climate-controlled museum has been built on downtown Queen Street, and has moved the hulk there to prevent further deterioration of the original ship's remains.

On April 6, 1916, Joseph Black was taken from the Lenoir County Jail and lynched by a mob of armed men.

[9] New industries were founded, including lumber and cotton mills, as North Carolina businessmen invested in processing their own crops.

Hurricane Fran struck the North Carolina coast on September 5, 1996, and brought 16 inches (410 mm) of rain to the area,[10] causing the Neuse River to flood portions of the city.

2, Sumrell and McCoy Building, Trianon Historic District, Tull-Worth-Holland Farm, and Dempsey Wood House.

The hospital offers inpatient, outpatient and preventive healthcare services for the residents of Lenoir, Greene and Jones counties.

Specialized services include cardiology, pulmonology, oncology, radiology, urology, and vascular surgery.

From here, Bill Harrelson of Fredericksburg, Virginia, left and returned on his Guinness world record-setting "around-the-globe-over-the-poles" flight in his custom-built Lancair N6ZQ, between December 2014 and January 2015.

As with most of North Carolina, Kinston is predominantly Protestant with large concentrations of Baptists, Methodists, and various other evangelical groups.

[citation needed] The Roman Catholic community in Kinston has seen steady growth over the years with the migration of Hispanic workers to the area.

Catholic migrants have also come from the Northeastern United States who work for the North Carolina Global TransPark and in nearby Greenville.

[24] The Cultural Heritage Museum, built in 2000 on South Queen Street as a new economic development catalyst for Kinston and the surrounding areas of eastern North Carolina, was created to recognize the contributions of African Americans in numerous fields.

It pays tribute to the more than 200,000 Black soldiers and 7,000 White officers of the United States Colored Troops who fought with the Union forces in the Civil War.

The Chef & the Farmer, recipient of a James Beard Award, started by Vivian Howard and Ben Knight, is located in downtown Kinston.

Also a proponent of sustainable practices and local ingredients, Mother Earth Brewing was founded in Kinston in the summer of 2008.

The Galaxy of Sports recreational facility includes a bowling alley, skating rink, and health club.

In 2012, Woodmen of the World constructed the Woodmen of the World Community Center and Lions Water Adventure Park, a 53,000 sq ft (4,900 m2) facility that offers a cardio and strength-training center, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, several corporate reception areas, and conference rooms, as well as a quarter-mile elevated track and several sporting courts.

In 1956, Kinston was the site of a rare, perfect game of billiards, as Willie Mosconi sank 150 balls in a row in one inning against Jimmy Moore.

According to the ESPN article, one in 52.7 players on Kinston High School's varsity team makes the NBA.