Randolph County

Located directly in the middle of the state about 75 miles west of NC State’s main campus, Randolph County (pop. 143,416) is one of 12 counties in the Piedmont Triad region. It was established on Feb. 12, 1779.

The county seat is Asheboro, home of the North Carolina Zoological Park, the world’s largest zoo and an NC State educational partner.

The county’s most profitable agricultural product is poultry/eggs, while the largest product by acreage is forage-land for grain production, mostly soybeans. By total number, the largest livestock is meat-type chickens.

The largest manufacturer and second largest employer is Technimark, which manufactures custom rigid plastic molds and employs more than 1,000 workers.

Randolph ranks 35^th among the state’s 100 counties in tourism, with visitors spending approximately $138 million in the county, thanks primarily to the zoo, which is the state’s No. 3 tourist attraction.

The county is served by the Randolph Community College, part of the 58-campus North Carolina Community College System. It opened in 1963 and currently has about 10,000 total students.

NC State is Here

The North Carolina Zoological Park, world’s largest zoo, relies on NC State College of Veterinary Medicine graduate Jb Minter to keep its 1,600 animals healthy and safe for the enjoyment of the park’s 700,000 annual visitors.

Named the zoo’s chief veterinarian and the director of the Hanes Veterinary Medical Center in 2016, Minter is also serves as a CVM adjunct professor.