Warrenton is a town in and the county seat of Warren County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 862 at the 2010 census. Warrenton, now served by U.S. 401 and U.S. 158, was founded in 1779. It became one of the wealthiest towns in the state from 1840 to 1860, as it was the trading center of an area of rich tobacco and cotton plantations. It has a large stock of historic architecture.