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Wilson County
Zone 8a, 236 frost-free days, farmland at $4,325 an acre. Top hazard: winter weather.
4.8 out of 10 overall, #72 of 100 NC counties with every factor weighted equally. Re-rank with your own weights
Scores out of 10, compared with the other 99 NC counties
- 7.3Land cost
- 5.4Rain
- 7.8Sun
- 9.3Growing
- 4.3Rules
- 1.4Clean
- 4.5Hazards
- 2.7Farm country
- 0.8Mesh
Land and living costs
| Farmland and buildings, per acre (2022) | $4,325 source |
|---|---|
| Median home value | $171,800 source |
| Median rent | $915/mo source |
| People | 78,648 source |
| Farms (2022) | 207 source |
Growing food
| Hardiness zone | 8a source |
|---|---|
| Last spring frost (typical) | Mar 22 source |
| First fall frost (typical) | Nov 12 source |
| Frost-free days | 236 source |
| Rain, April–September | 28.2 in source April–September |
| Rain, whole year | 49 in source |
| Prime farmland | 73% of soils source includes 'prime if drained/irrigated/protected' |
| July average high / January average low | 90.1°F / 31.2°F source |
Frost dates and season length come from the Wilson 3 Sw weather station: the 50% chance date for 32°F.
County rules: RVs, tiny homes, animals
Zoning: The county zones its unincorporated land. Wilson County zones its unincorporated area under a Unified Development Ordinance adopted 2026-03-03; the rural district is AR (40,000 sq ft minimum lot), with R-30, R-20 and R-10 residential districts. Wilson County Unified Development Ordinance (adopted 3/3/26), Table 7-1 and Table 8-1
These are rules for county land outside town limits. Towns have their own. Read on 2026-11-13.
Living in an RV on your landRestricted
Living in an RV is not a listed dwelling type in the permitted-use table (single-family, duplex, manufactured home only); campers are expressly barred as accessory dwellings, and campgrounds need a special use permit in AR. The only on-site trailer rule covers construction trailers during a building permit, not living in one.
“The use of travel trailers, campers or similar vehicles as an accessory dwelling unit shall be prohibited.”
§ 7.3.3(A)(3); Table 7-1; § 7.4.3(D), read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Wilson County before you buy land or build.
Tiny house on wheelsRestricted
Not defined in the UDO; a wheeled unit fits the RV definition (not designed as a permanent dwelling) and is not a permitted dwelling type.
“designed primarily not for use as a permanent dwelling, but as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel or seasonal use”
Appendix A definitions (Recreational Vehicle); Table 7-1, read 2026-11-13
Confirm with Wilson County before you buy land or build.
Small house on a foundationAllowed
Single-family dwellings are permitted by right in AR, R-30, R-20 and R-10. No minimum dwelling floor area found; AR requires a 40,000 sq ft lot, 100 ft width, 40 ft front setback.
“Dwelling, Single Family 1 P P P P”
Table 7-1 Permitted Uses by District; Table 8-1, read 2026-11-13
State law: farm buildings outside town limits skip the building code (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-138(b4)).
State law: homes on 10+ acres in farm districts (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-903(b)).
State law: building permits (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-1110).
Confirm with Wilson County before you buy land or build.
ChickensNot addressed
The UDO's use and accessory-use tables do not list poultry or backyard animals (only horse stables). Bona fide farms are exempt from the UDO (§ 1.4.3).
Table 7-1, Table 7-3 (whole UDO searched for poultry/chicken/fowl), read 2026-11-13
State law: real farms are exempt from county zoning (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-903(a), (a1)).
State law: right to farm (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 106-701(a)).
Confirm with Wilson County before you buy land or build.
Goats and livestockNot addressed
Goats and general livestock are not listed. Horses only: a stable accessory to a home is permitted in AR (special use in R-30) with one acre of pasture per horse and 300 ft from neighbors' dwellings.
“One (1) acre of pasture or grazing land shall be provided for each horse or pony maintained in the stable”
§ 7.3.3(L); Table 7-3, read 2026-11-13
State law: real farms are exempt from county zoning (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-903(a), (a1)).
State law: right to farm (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 106-701(a)).
Confirm with Wilson County before you buy land or build.
BeesNot addressed
Bees are mentioned only as 'beekeeping products' allowed at seasonal agricultural sales; keeping hives is not regulated in the UDO.
§ 7.4.3(C)(2) (whole UDO searched), read 2026-11-13
State law: real farms are exempt from county zoning (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-903(a), (a1)).
Confirm with Wilson County before you buy land or build.
Composting toiletNot addressed
Searched the full UDO for composting toilet and privy; nothing found. Left to state and health department rules.
Whole UDO searched, read 2026-11-13
State law: composting toilets are allowed, but you still need a septic permit (15A NCAC 18E .1001 (eff. Oct. 1, 2021)).
Confirm with Wilson County before you buy land or build.
What we couldn't confirm
- rv_living marked restricted because RVs are not a listed dwelling use and are barred as ADUs; the UDO has no sentence saying 'no living in an RV on your own lot', and § 7.1.4 lets the Ordinance Administrator interpret unlisted uses.
- The UDO PDF is blocked to scripted download (Akamai 'Access Denied'); its text was read in the browser from the county's own link.
- Did not read the Wilson County Animal Control Ordinance (Sheriff's office), which may limit poultry or livestock.
- Whether a few chickens or goats count as a 'customary accessory use' (permitted in all districts) is not settled by the text.
What breaks here
11 federal disaster declarations covered Wilson County in the last 10 years: 5 hurricane, 2 biological, 2 tropical storm, 1 severe storm, 1 winter storm. source
FEMA's biggest risks for the county: winter weather (relatively high), hurricane (relatively moderate), drought (relatively moderate). source
Gear that answers it
- Portable power station with solar panelRuns a freezer, fridge or medical device for a day or more when the grid is down, without fumesSee price on Amazon
- Stackable water storage (7-gallon)One gallon per person per day for drinking and cookingSee price on Amazon
- NOAA weather radio (hand-crank)Alerts when cell service and power are outSee price on Amazon
- Pocket mesh radioPairs with your phone to send texts over the meshFrom RAKwireless
We may earn from these links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Mesh radio coverage
| MeshCore radios heard (30 days) | 0 source |
|---|---|
| Repeaters | 0 source |
| County near a repeater | 8% source share of the county within 10 km of an active repeater — a rough line-of-sight guess, not a measured signal |
| Nearest repeater to the county centre | 23.9 km source from the county centre |
Most of Wilson County is out of range. A solar repeater on high ground near the red X would cover the biggest gap. Solar repeater kits
Data: MeshCore map. Coverage assumes about 10 km per repeater; real range depends on height and terrain. State gap map
Animals nearby
Livestock already in the county is a fair sign of feed stores, vets and neighbours who know how. Check the county rules above before you bring animals home.
| Laying hens | withheld by USDA to avoid disclosing individual farms source |
|---|---|
| Goats | 105 source |
| Cattle | 3,222 source |
| Hogs | withheld by USDA to avoid disclosing individual farms source |
| Bee colonies | 232 source |
- Chicken coop for 4–6 hensWhere chickens are allowed
- Beginner beehive kitBees help every garden
- Seed starting kit with heat matStart tomatoes and peppers indoors before your last frost
Clean ground, sun and power
| Active Superfund sites | None source |
|---|---|
| Toxics Release Inventory facilities | 32 source facilities registered with EPA's Toxics Release Inventory, active or open status |
| FEMA overall risk | Relatively Low source |
| Sun, kWh per m² per day | 4.47 source |
| Public EV charging stations | 16 source |
Rooftop solar credit depends on your utility. Duke Energy customers: see the state rules on the North Carolina page.
Nearby counties
| County | Overall |
|---|---|
| Nash | 5.1 |
| Greene | 6.5 |
| Wayne | 5.2 |
| Edgecombe | 5.2 |
| Johnston | 5.5 |
| Franklin | 4.8 |