KINSTON

city, seat of Lenoir county, east central North Carolina, U.S., head of navigation on the Neuse River. Settled as a planters' trading post in 1740 by William Heritage, it was incorporated as Kingston in 1762. When reincorporated in 1784, zealous patriots dropped the g from its name. Richard Caswell, the first governor of North Carolina, lived there and was one of its original trustees. Kinston was the construction site of the Confederate ram Neuse, an ironclad gunboat sunk by its crew in 1865; its hull, salvaged (1963), lies on the river bank, which has been designated a state historic site. An important tobacco market and shipping point for farm products, Kinston also has diversified manufactures, including textiles and chemicals. Lenoir Community College was opened there (1958). Pop. (1990) 25,295.