About the town » Kinston, Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States

Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 21,677 at the 2010 Census. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791 . Kinston is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. Kinston is home of the N.C. Global TransPark (GTP), a combined airport and industrial complex developed by the state in Lenoir County; Grainger Stadium, home to the Kinston Indians minor league baseball team through 2011; Caswell Center, a campus providing support services and boarding for mentally handicapped; and Lenoir Memorial Hospital. Kinstons' Bill Fay Park is home to the Annual Allen Pearson Foundation Softball Tournament held each year annually during the first weekend in October. Annual festivities in Kinston include the Sand in the Streets concert series held at Pearson Park, the popular train rides, nature center, and planetarium located at Neuseway Park, and the Festival on the Neuse. In 2009, it was announced that Kinston is a recipient of the prestigious All-America City Award. This marks the second time in twenty years the city has won the title, the last time being in 1988.