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                                  UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                               450 Fifth Street NW
                             Washington, D.C. 29549

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                                    Form 8-K

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                       PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
                       THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):        September 13, 2005
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                                  First Bancorp
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             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

       North Carolina               0-15572                56-1421916
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(State or Other Jurisdiction      (Commission           (I.R.S. Employer
     of Incorporation)            File Number)       Identification Number)

341 North Main Street, Troy, North Carolina                   27371
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 (Address of Principal Executive Offices)                  (Zip Code)

                                 (910) 576-6171
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              (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

                                 Not Applicable
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          (Former Name or Former Address, if changed since last report)

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                                  First Bancorp
                                      INDEX

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Item 5.02. - Departure of Directors or Principal Officers;               3
Election of Directors; Appointment of Principal Officers

Item 9.01 - Financial Statements and Exhibits                            3

Signatures                                                               4

Exhibit 99 (a) - News Release dated September 13, 2005                    

Exhibit 99 (b) - Employment Agreement between First Bancorp and Jerry L.  
Ocheltree dated August 17, 1998

                                        2

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Item 5.02.  Departure of Directors or Principal Officers; Election of Directors;
            Appointment of Principal Officers.

      On September 13, 2005, First Bancorp announced that Jerry L. Ocheltree has
been named President of First Bank, the principal subsidiary of First Bancorp.
Mr. Ocheltree, age 45, has been with First Bank since 1998. The press release
issued to announce this news is attached hereto as Exhibit 99(a). Mr. Ocheltree
is currently employed pursuant to the terms of an employment agreement with
First Bancorp, a copy of which is attached as Exhibit 99(b). The complete terms
of Mr. Ocheltree's employment as President of First Bank, including
compensation, will be determined by the compensation committee and the board of
directors of First Bancorp at a later time.


Item 9.01 - Financial Statements and Exhibits

      Exhibit 99(a) - News Release dated September 13, 2005

      Exhibit 99(b) - Employment Agreement between First Bancorp and Jerry L.
Ocheltree dated August 17, 1998


Disclosures About Forward Looking Statements

      The discussions included in this document and its exhibits may contain
forward looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Act of 1995, including Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933. Such statements involve
known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual
results to differ materially. For the purposes of these discussions, any
statements that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be
forward looking statements. Such statements are often characterized by the use
of qualifying words such as "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates,"
"plans," "projects," or other statements concerning opinions or judgments of the
Company and its management about future events. The accuracy of such forward
looking statements could be affected by such factors as, including but not
limited to, the financial success or changing conditions or strategies of the
Company's customers or vendors, fluctuations in interest rates, actions of
government regulators, the availability of capital and personnel or general
economic conditions.



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                                   Signatures

      Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

                                           First Bancorp


      September 14, 2005               By: /s/ James H. Garner
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                                           James H. Garner
                                           President and Chief Executive Officer




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