By Jheri Hardaway
Staff Writer
Harnett County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state. The ‘Old North State’ is experiencing rapid growth. North Carolina boasts 11 million residents as of July 2025, making it the 3rd fastest-growing state in the nation. Nearly 150,000 people have moved in over the past year, which makes 600,000 new residents since the 2020 Census.
A bedroom community to our capital county of Wake, Harnett boasts a slower-paced lifestyle and a more rural vibe. You can still drive through Harnett and see cows, horses, goats, and a menagerie of other animals and crops. Harnett County represents the heart of central North Carolina, also bordered by Johnston, Sampson, Cumberland, Hoke, Moore, and Lee counties.
We see the growth in our infrastructure, when you’re trying to get a DMV appointment or driving in our metropolitan areas, which now have traffic concerns that didn’t exist before. You’ll see it riding through rural areas where a series of developers have laid claim to what was once farmland or green spaces. The reminders of growth are present in the litter on the roadways, which was never as terrible as it is now. According to the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, “Between 2023 and 2024, 87 North Carolina counties experienced population growth. Notably, five of the nation’s 75 fastest-growing counties are in the state: Brunswick (14th), Franklin (52nd), Johnston (69th), Harnett (72nd), and Iredell (73rd).”
As Harnett grows, one important thing we can do is also look back. This reflection is timely as we celebrate the United States Semiquincentennial, also called the Bisesquicentennial, the Sestercentennial, America 250, or the Quarter Millennium. It will be the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence. While not a signer, Corneilous Harnett was an influential figure in the Revolution and the namesake of one of the centrally located and fastest growing counties, Harnett.
Details from America250.nc.gov outline his powerful impact. Cornelius Harnett (1723-1781) served North Carolina as a statesman and champion for independence during the Revolutionary War. Born in Chowan County to an Irish immigrant family, he built his early success as a Cape Fear merchant before entering politics in Wilmington in 1750.
Harnett rose to prominence by opposing the 1765 Stamp Act, helping to form the Sons of Liberty in Wilmington, and championing states’ rights. As chair of the committee that produced the 1776 Halifax Resolves, he helped make North Carolina the first colony to call for full independence from Britain. He later assisted in drafting the state’s first constitution. Corneilous Harnett served in the Continental Congress from 1777 to 1780 but was captured during a British raid on Wilmington in 1781 and died shortly after his release. Harnett County, established in 1855, honors this legacy of leadership and commitment to independence.
The motto of Harnett County is, “Strong Roots, New Growth.” Corneilous Harnett was never a resident or visitor of Harnett County. During his time, it would have still been a part of Cumberland County, becoming an independent county in 1855. Corneilous Harnett, in keeping with our contemporary values, honored his roots as an American and encouraged independence and growth. As the growth continues, let us never forget those who came before us and laid a path towards liberty and justice for all.
