Nestled on the border of North Carolina and Virginia, Northampton was formed in 1741 out of Bertie County. Named for James Crompton, a nobleman and Earl of Northampton, the county was formed out of a need to establish a more accessible courthouse. The land initially called Northampton Courthouse became incorporated as Jackson in 1823 and was named after the future president. Three years later in 1826, Jackson became the county seat and would become a significant destination for horse racing and breeding. Sir Archie, the famous thoroughbred whom virtually every racehorse is said to have descended from, was housed at Mowfield Plantation in the county.

An abundance of waterways made Northampton attractive to early settlers. The introduction of the railroad in 1833 opened up trade between the county and neighboring Virginia. Agribusiness is and has been responsible for the majority of the county’s economic growth. In the 1700s, lumber was the county’s major producer, followed by cotton in the 1800s and peanuts in the 1900s.

Northampton, known for its natural beauty, is home to a portion of Lake Gaston and is referred to as a “sportsman’s paradise” due to a wide range of hunting and fishing opportunities.

Northampton is at the northern end of the country’s Black Belt, an area of fertile farming land that stretches from eastern Arkansas across the South into Southern Virginia and historically has the highest percentage of rural African Americans in the United States. Over the past century, the region has been home to some of the most egregious racial politics in America. Like many counties in the Black Belt and in rural Eastern North Carolina, Northampton has trended more Republican over the past few election cycles. It has seen modest growth over the last decade in GOP registrations and sizable growth among Unaffiliated voters. During that same time, Democratic voter registration dropped 17 points but Democrats still account for more than 60 percent of the county’s registered voters.