[1] Its county seat is Goldsboro,[2] and it is home to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.

Wayne County comprises the Goldsboro, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area.

There was no general migration here until after 1750; as populations built up in the coastal areas, some settlers moved west for land.

In 1787 an act was passed establishing Waynesborough on the west side of the Neuse River, on the land of Andrew Bass.

[5] Wayne County's surface is level to gently rolling uplands with broad bottoms along the rivers and some creeks.

For the most part, these beds were deposited in seawater as the sea advanced and retreated during the geologic development of the Atlantic Coastal Plain.

Annual precipitation is about 50 inches of rainfall per year, with the major portion occurring in the late spring and summer.

North Carolina became a virtually one-party state, with whites generally voting for Democratic Party Candidates.

Following Congressional passage of major civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s, this county's white voters, like most across the South, gradually started to support Republican national candidates and ultimately changed parties, joining the Republicans.

Since 1972, the white majority of Wayne County has carried it for Republican presidential candidates in every election.

Wayne County is governed by a commissioner-manager system, consisting of seven members elected to four-year terms.

Wayne County's local industries are involved in a range of operations from simple assembly to complex manufacturing processes resulting in products ranging from bread and poultry feed to automobile parts and electric transformers.

The combination of a mild climate, a freeze-free growing season of about 225 days and a wide range of soil types contribute to a highly productive agricultural area.

Swine production has increased rapidly, making it the single largest source of farm income.