GOLDSBORO

city, seat of Wayne county, east central North Carolina, U.S., near the Neuse River. Settled in 1838, it was named for Matthew T. Goldsborough of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad and developed as a trade-shipping centre for farm produce. After the Battle at Bentonville (18 miles west), one of the last major engagements of the Civil War, Federal armies under generals William Sherman and John Schofield united at Goldsboro before the final advance to Durham. The city is now a tobacco market, with some light manufactures, notably textiles and furniture. Mental health facilities, including Cherry Hospital and O'Berry School for retarded children, serve the eastern third of the state. Wayne Community College (1957), and Seymour-Johnson Air Force Base are also in Goldsboro. Inc. 1847. Pop. (1990) 40,709; (1996 est.) 40,801.