Johnston
County, North Carolina,
(estimated population 151,330 in 2007) has always
been a market-driven agricultural area. According to
the
U.S. Census Bureau, there were 55,000 households in Johnston County. The average household size was
2.7 people. Families made up 73 percent of the
households in Johnston County.
Located in the
Piedmont Crescent
between Goldsboro and
Charlotte,
Johnston County offers balmy summer evenings and a
pleasant climate. Four distinct seasons with very
little snow and enough sun year-round encourage a
three-season growing climate and golf all year.
The Civil War brought agony and
high tragedy to
Johnston County.
Almost all of the eligible men in the county's
population fought in the war, and a third of them
died. Most who survived had physical disabilities,
and they returned to a county that had been sacked,
plundered and devastated in the 1865 wake of the
Union Army. Johnston's
first townships: Bentonsville, Beulah, Boon Hill,
Clayton, Elevation, Ingrams, Meadow, O'Neals,
Pleasant Grove,
Selma,
Smithfield,
and Wilders, were created in 1869 in an atmosphere
of want and deprivation. By 1913, with the creation
of
Wilson's Mills, Cleveland, Banner, Pine Level, and Micro
townships,
Johnston
County had ensured
survival and was staking a claim on prosperity.
History buffs will love
Atkinson’s Milling Co.,
(240 years old and still operating),
Selma Union Depot
(originally built in 1924 - restored and
operational),
Bentonville Battleground, and the
Tobacco Farm Life Museum. These are
only a few of the
historic properties in this area. Visit the
Johnston
County Visitors Bureau
Web site when planning your trip here and do not
miss the
American Music
Jubilee.
Golfers enjoy the local
pleasures of Neuse Golf Club, Pine Hollow Golf Club,
and Riverwood Golf Club, as well as the easy access
to most of
North Carolina's
championship golf courses.
Shoppers will be amazed at the
variety and quality of the
Johnston
County merchants. From
Carolina Premium Outlets, an 83-store outlet center,
to North Carolina’s
furniture, local crafts and food products, and Selma's world-renowned
uptown antique stores, there is something for
everyone here.
Johnston
County
is the birthplace of Ava Gardner and the home of the
Ava Gardner
Museum.
Located in
Smithfield, North Carolina, this extensive collection of
artifacts representing Ava Gardner's life and
career, was predominately assembled by one man. In
1939, while enrolled in secretarial school in
Wilson, NC, Ava Gardner kissed Tom Banks (age 12) on
the cheek, beginning a life-long devotion on the
part of Mr. (later, Doctor) Banks. Dr. Banks, with
the aid of his wife, even bought the house where Ava
lived from age 2 to 13, for his museum.
Dr. Banks suffered a stroke at
the
Ava Gardner Museum
in 1989 and died within days; Ms Garner died five
months later and was buried in Johnston County
in The
Town of Smithfield.
Mrs. Banks donated the collection to the Town of Smithfield.
"Grabtown Girl"
is a book about Ava Gardner's childhood in rural "Grabtown"
(Smithfield) and Johnston County.
Johnston County Schools
and the
Johnston Community College
have excellent reputations, and
Duke University,
and
North Carolina State University in Raleigh are within easy commuting
distance.
Job opportunities abound here. Nearby
Research Triangle Park
is the largest planned research park in the
United States, and corporate
giants in Johnston County,
such as Bayer, Andrew, Eaton and Caterpillar, employ
over 25,000 county residents.
Transportation is excellent with
Johnston
County's excellent road
system,
Johnston County Airport, and Amtrak available.
The
Johnston County Courthouse is located at 207 E Johnston St., Smithfield,
NC 27577.
Domestic issues such as divorce, child support,
custody, visitation, and division of the marital
property are considered civil issues and all actions
relating to family issues are handled in the
District Court division of the courthouse.
Cases assigned to Family Court include juvenile
delinquency charges; neglect and abuse charges;
termination of parental rights and adoptions;
domestic violence; child custody and visitation
rights; divorce and related financial issues like
child support, alimony, or equitable distribution of
property; abortion consent waivers, paternity;
involuntary commitments and guardianships.
Judges who hear domestic cases can provide referrals to mediators,
counselors, or classes that may help families reach
their own resolutions without having a judge make
the decision for them. The judge becomes the last
resort if there is no resolution. All issues
involving one family are assigned to one judge, and
a case manager helps families negotiate their way
through the system. This is beneficial for families
dealing with difficult issues such as child custody
and visitation rights; divorce, child support, and
alimony. The case manager also assures that cases
comply with the Family Court time standards for
disposition of the case.
