The act establishing the county provided that the first court be held at the home of Micajah Thomas, and all subsequent courts at a place to be decided upon by the justices of the peace until the courthouse could be erected. The act also named commissioners to select a site for the county seat. This first courthouse was to be on "Peach Tree." In 1782, the funds for constructing the public buildings were inadequate and additional taxes were levied. The county seat was called Nash Court House. In 1815, an act was passed naming commissioners to locate the center of the county and purchase fifty acres of land on which to erect a courthouse. Other commissioners were named to lay out the town of Nashville and to have the courthouse constructed. Court was ordered to be held at the old courthouse until the new building was finished. There was much bickering and dissatisfaction among the citizens concerning the location of the courthouse between 1815 and 1825. Finally, Nashville was satisfactorily agreed upon and has continued to be the county seat to this day.

After the American Revolution, which touched the county only lightly, Nash County settled down to a pace that made it one of the state's leading farm areas. Since the Civil War, it has been known primarily as a leading agricultural county, but it has experienced steady industrial growth since that time. Currently, only 2.4% of the total employment within the county is classified as agricultural. However, Nash County ranks eighth in area devoted to farmland in North Carolina.