Rocky Mount, North Carolina - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Rocky Mount, North Carolina From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Battleboro, NC ) Jump to: navigation , search City of Rocky Mount Seal Location of Rocky Mount within North Carolina Coordinates: 72ᄚ572143N, 77ᄚ482203W Country United States U.S. state North Carolina County(s) Edgecombe , Nash Founded Circa March 22 , 1816 Incorporated February 28 , 1867 Government - Mayor Frederick E. Turnage Area - City 35.8 sq mi (92.7 kmᄇ ) - Land 35.6 sq mi (92.1 kmᄇ) - Water 0.2 sq mi (0.5 kmᄇ) - Urban 41 sq mi (106 kmᄇ) - Metro 1,050 sq mi (2,718 kmᄇ) Elevation 100 ft (31 m ) Population ( 2000 ) - City 55,893 - Density 1,571.4/sq mi (606.7/kmᄇ) - Urban 61,657 - Metro 143,026 - Metro Density 136/sq mi (53/kmᄇ) Time zone EST ( UTC-5 ) - Summer ( DST ) EDT ( UTC-4 ) [[ ZIP Code ]] 27801 Website: www.ci.rocky-mount.nc.us Rocky Mount is a city of the coastal plains of North Carolina . Although it was not formally incorporated until February 28 , 1867 , the North Carolina community that became the city of Rocky Mount dates from the beginning of the 19th century, and the first post office in the area opened in 1816. The city straddles the county line, with part of it in Nash County and part of it in Edgecombe County . In 1996 the town of Battleboro merged with the city of Rocky Mount. It is the principal city of the Rocky Mount, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area which population as of 2000 was 143,026 and encompasses all of both Edgecombe and Nash counties and Rocky Mount. As of the 2006 census, the city had a total population of about 56,000. The city is about 45 to 35 minutes away from the city of Raleigh, which population is over 300,000 and is the capital of North Carolina. The City of Rocky Mount has a growing arts community. The City operates an Arts Center, a Children's Museum & Science Center, and a Community Theatre at the Imperial Centre for the Arts & Sciences