Johnston County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 168,878. Its county seat is Smithfield.Johnston County is included in the Raleigh, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Combined Statistical Area, which has a population of 1,998,808 as of U.S. Census 2012 Population Estimates.

Smithfield is a town in and the county seat of Johnston County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 10,966, and in 2019 the estimated population was 12,985. Smithfield is home to the Ava Gardner Museum and is situated along the Neuse River, where visitors enjoy the annual Smithfield Ham and Yam Festival, walks along the Buffalo Creek Greenway, and the historic downtown district. The town is located near North Carolina's Research Triangle and is approximately 30 miles (48 km) southeast of downtown Raleigh. The Raleigh-Durham-Cary Combined Statistical area has a population of over 2 million residents.

Fayetteville () is a city in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city. Fayetteville has received the All-America City Award from the National Civic League three times. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 200,564, with an estimated population of 211,657 in 2019. It is the 6th-largest city in North Carolina. Fayetteville is in the Sandhills in the western part of the Coastal Plain region, on the Cape Fear River. With an estimated population in 2019 of 526,719 people, the Fayetteville metropolitan area is the largest in southeastern North Carolina, and the fifth-largest in the state. Suburban areas of metro Fayetteville include Fort Bragg, Hope Mills, Spring Lake, Raeford, Pope Field, Rockfish, Stedman, and Eastover. Fayetteville's mayor is Mitch Colvin, who is serving his second term.

Sampson County is the second-largest county, by land area, in the U.S. state of North Carolina by area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 63,431. Its county seat is Clinton.