Pikeville, NC

Pikeville is a Wayne County town in the Goldsboro metropolitan area, with 712 residents in the 2020 census. U.S. 117 and the town’s older trade routes run through the center, while the Neuse River and the surrounding farm country shape the wider setting. Wayne County Public Schools serve Pikeville through Northeast Elementary, Northwest Elementary, and Charles B. Aycock High School; Wayne Community College provides the nearby higher-education connection. The town’s best-known roadside landmark is Collier Motors, established in 1955 and still operating as an American Motors dealership.

The area was home to the Torhunta community before later settlers arrived, including members of the Religious Society of Friends. Nathan Pike operated a tavern and trading post, and the settlement became known as Pike’s Junction before incorporation on February 25, 1891. Wiley B. Fort donated land for homes, businesses, and the early school. Pikeville is also the birthplace of journalist Gene Roberts, whose leadership at The Philadelphia Inquirer helped the paper win 17 Pulitzer Prizes. The town’s old roads, dealership, schools, and agricultural surroundings all point back to its role as a place where people met and moved through.