Map of Bladen County, North Carolina

Bladen County (/ˈbleɪdən/) is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,606. Its county seat is Elizabethtown. The county was created in 1734 as Bladen Precinct and gained county status in 1739.

Bladen County overview:
Name:	Bladen County
FIPS code:	37-017
State:	North Carolina
Founded:	1734
Named for:	Martin Bladen
Seat:	Elizabethtown
Largest town:	Elizabethtown
Total Area:	887 sq mi (2,300 km²)
Land Area:	874 sq mi (2,260 km²)
Total Population:	29,525
Population Density:	33.8/sq mi (13.1/km²)
Time zone:	UTC−5 (Eastern)
Summer Time Zone (DST):	UTC−4 (EDT)
Website:	bladennc.govoffice3.com

Bladen County location map. Where is Bladen County?

Bladen County location on the U.S. Map. Where is Bladen County. — Location of Bladen County in the the United States.

Bladen County location on the North Carolina map. Where is Bladen County. — Location of Bladen County in North Carolina.

History

Bladen County was formed in 1734 as Bladen Precinct of Bath County, from New Hanover Precinct. It was named for Martin Bladen, a member of the Board of Trade. With the abolition of Bath County in 1739, all of its constituent precincts became counties.

Bladen’s original residents included the Waccamaw people.

Bladen County began as a vast territory, with indefinite northern and western boundaries. Reductions in its extent began in 1750, when its western part became Anson County. In 1754 the northern part of what was left of Bladen County became Cumberland County. In 1764 the southern part of what remained of Bladen County was combined with part of New Hanover County to form Brunswick County. In 1787 the western part of the now much smaller county became Robeson County. Finally, in 1808 the southern part of Bladen County was combined with part of Brunswick County to form Columbus County. Bladen County is considered the “mother county” of North Carolina because of the 100 counties in North Carolina, 55 of them at one point belonged to Bladen County.

Bladen County Road Map

Bladen CountyStreet Map. — Street map of Bladen County, North Carolina. Source: OpenStreetMap (OSM)

Bladen CountyMap — Bladen Countypolitical map.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 887 square miles (2,300 km), of which 874 square miles (2,260 km) is land and 13 square miles (34 km) (1.4%) is water. It is the fourth-largest county in North Carolina by land area.

State and local protected areas

Bakers Lake State Natural Area
Bay Tree Lake State Natural Area
Bladen Lakes State Forest
Jones Lake State Park
Singletary Lake State Park
Suggs Mill Pond Game Land
Turnbull Creek Educational State Forest
White State Lake

Major water bodies

Bay Tree Lake
Slades Swamp
Black River, home of the oldest documented Taxodium distichum (bald cypress) at 2,648 years old
Cape Fear River
Jones Lake
Little Singletary Lake
Salters Lake
Singletary Lake
South River
White Lake

Adjacent counties

Cumberland County – north
Sampson County – northeast
Pender County – east
Columbus County – south
Robeson County – west

Major highways

US 701
US 701 Bus.
NC 11
NC 20
NC 41
NC 53
NC 87
NC 87 Bus.
NC 131
NC 210
NC 211
NC 211 Bus.
NC 242
NC 410

Major infrastructure

Curtis L. Brown Jr. Field
Elwell Ferry, river ferry across the Cape Fear River.