Kinston/Lenoir County, NC is centrally located in eastern NC approximately 75 miles east of Raleigh (our state’s capital) and 75 miles west of Morehead City (one of our seaports and the beautiful crystal coast). Our county is a blend of agriculture and manufacturing. Lenoir County has three incorporated municipalities: Kinston is the county seat, LaGrange, lies approximately 10 miles west of Kinston and Pink Hill approximately 15 miles south of Kinston.

Population / Labor Force - Lenoir County has a population of approximately 58, 000. We are also part of the NC’s Eastern Regional Partnership which represents 13 counties and over 982,000 people; which is comparable to Fresno County, California. The area has a median age of 36.8. The Region has a civilian labor force of over 452,000 professional, technical, skilled and semi-skilled workers in addition to access to four major military institutions. Military personnel estimated at 12,000 to 18,000 annually separating or retiring from these institutions provide an excellent, self-perpetuating labor source for the region. Read more here

Manufacturing - The Regions employment base is more manufacturing intensive than the national average. Lenoir County industries employ approximately 4,000 people.

Within the 13-county NC Eastern Region, approximately 780 manufacturing companies employing nearly 48,000 people. While the majority of these companies are based in the USA, there are fourteen other countries represented in the region. International businesses in NC’s Eastern Region represent the following countries: Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Read more NC's Eastern Region here

Quality of Life - Lenoir County has a very moderate climate with four distinct seasons that permit year-round enjoyment of all types of outdoor activities. Within a ninety-minute drive of Kinston/Lenoir County, there are miles of white sand beaches with some of the best fishing, boating, bird watching, and swimming anywhere on the Atlantic seaboard. Within the 13-county NC Eastern region, there are enough championship golf courses to challenge every level of proficiency plus and abundance of tennis courts public and private. Scenic biking and hiking trails will take you to the ancient 157,000-acre Croatan National Forest in neighboring Craven County. The City of New Bern, only 35 minutes from Kinston, has numerous historical homes, Tryon Palace, breathtaking gardens and parks. Water sports abound in more lakes, rivers, bays, and estuaries than you could explore in a lifetime. We are also within a five-hour drive of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina with outstanding scenery and skiing. Read more here

For sports fans, Kinston is the home of the Kinston Indians, a Class A baseball club and plays in one of the nicest ballparks in North Carolina. The Carolina Mudcats, a Class AAA baseball team, are located in Zebulon, NC and only a 60-minute drive. Eastern NC is the home of ACC Basketball with the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University, Wake Forest University and Duke University approximately 90 to 120 minutes away. Also East Carolina University, a member of Conference USA is within 30 minutes and is home of the East Carolina School of Medicine. Locally, we have the Neuse Way Nature Center / Planetarium and Campground; the CSS Neuse Battleship, a Performing Arts Center and an active Community Council for Arts, many Historic Battlefield sites and numerous other tourism venues. Read more here

Health Care - Located in Kinston is Lenoir Memorial Hospital with a 283-bed non-profit hospital dedicated to the community it serves by offering out patient and preventive healthcare services close to home. In addition, there are five other hospitals within 40 minutes of Kinston. Read more here

Colleges/Universities - Four major colleges/universities are located within the NC Eastern Region: East Carolina University/East Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville, NC; Mount Olive College, Mt. Olive, NC; Barton College, Wilson, NC and North Carolina Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount, NC.

These four educational institutions of higher learning, together with the 11 community colleges located in the region, are readily accessible regional centers for academic study, industrial training and scientific research and development. Lenoir Community College in Kinston is an excellent two-year college with strong technical and transfer programs. In addition, North Carolina State University, Duke University and the University of North Carolina are all located within two hours of Kinston.

Also, companies locating in Lenoir County can conveniently train their new employees at Lenoir Community College or at the TransPark Center, which has a new Machinist Training Center. Read more here

Business Climate - Kinston/Lenoir County is a community conducive to new business development, expansion and relocation. We have proactive governments, both state and local, seeking ways to encourage new companies to select North Carolina and Lenoir County as “the location” for their new facility. We have a very strong manufacturers’ association that would welcome an opportunity to discuss the advantages of locating in our community.

Transportation - Two deepwater ports that are in close proximity - Wilmington, NC and Morehead City, NC in which lay intra coastal waterways and inlets. A four-directional network of rail lines operated by Norfolk Southern, CSX and smaller regional operators serve the GTP region. Because of the area’s central location along the United States’ eastern seaboard, one-day trucking service is available to such major metropolitan markets as Atlanta, Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia and Jacksonville, Florida. Two-day motor freight service reaches deep into the Northeast, Midwest and Southeast, connecting the GTP Region with target cities like Boston, Miami, Chicago, and Pittsburgh. With the massive daily influx of supplies and products destined for the Region’s four major military bases, area companies have an opportunity to negotiate low “back haul” rates on their outbound freight. US 70 (4-lane divided highway) extends east/west from Morehead City to and beyond Raleigh. I-95 and I-40 are only 45 minutes from Kinston. The Kinston Regional Jetport is located at the Global TransPark with private and charter service. Airport facilities includes an 11,500 foot runway, FAA Control Tower and I ILS being upgraded to CAT III. The Raleigh-Durham International Airport is only 90 minutes west of Kinston.

Foreign Trade Zone - Lenoir County is the home of the NC Global TransPark, a new state of the art air cargo facility. Companies in the NC GTP Region gain a significant competitive advantage from the Global TransPark’s designation as a Foreign Trade Zone and its ability to establish sub-zones. The GTP is Zone No. 214.

Come visit Kinston/Lenoir County, North Carolina and experience for yourself all the natural and economic advantages that distinguish our location from other parts of the country. We are confident you will agree when we say, “I like calling North Carolina home”.

Economic Development Department new location - 101 North Queen St. Kinston, NC 28501