Exhibit 99(a)

     First Bancorp Announces Extension of Share Repurchase Authorization

    TROY, N.C., July 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- First Bancorp
(Nasdaq: FBNC), the parent company of First Bank, announced today that its
Board of Directors has approved the repurchase of an additional 250,000 shares
of the company's common stock upon the completion of the current 200,000 share
repurchase authorization that was announced on April 23, 2003.  Approximately
46,000 shares of the April 2003 authorization remain available for repurchase.
    These repurchases may take place in the open market or privately
negotiated transactions from time-to-time on an ongoing basis, depending upon
market conditions and subject to compliance with all applicable securities
laws and regulations.

    First Bancorp is a bank holding company based in Troy, North Carolina with
total assets of approximately $1.6 billion.  Its principal activity is the
ownership and operation of First Bank, a state-chartered community bank that
operates 59 branch offices, with 53 branches operating in a nineteen county
market area in the central piedmont region of North Carolina, 3 branches in
Dillon County, South Carolina, and 3 branches in Virginia (Abingdon, Radford,
and Wytheville), where First Bank does business as First Bank of Virginia.
First Bancorp's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ National Market under the
symbol FBNC.

    Please visit our website at http://www.firstbancorp.com .  For additional
information, please contact:

            Mr. James H. Garner
            President & Chief Executive Officer
            Telephone: (910) 576-6171

SOURCE  First Bancorp
    -0-                             07/30/2004
    /CONTACT:  James H. Garner, President & Chief Executive Officer of First
Bancorp, +1-910-576-6171/
    /Web site:  http://www.firstbancorp.com /
    (FBNC)

CO:  First Bancorp
ST:  North Carolina
IN:  FIN
SU: