Lumberton, North Carolina | |
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 North Elm Street | |
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  Lumberton Location within the state of North Carolina Show map of North Carolina Lumberton Lumberton (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:34°37′52″N79°01′07″W / 34.63111°N 79.01861°W /34.63111; -79.01861 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Robeson |
| Named after | Lumber River[1] |
| Government | |
| Area | |
• Total | 17.84 sq mi (46.20 km2) |
| • Land | 17.76 sq mi (46.00 km2) |
| • Water | 0.077 sq mi (0.20 km2) |
| Elevation | 135 ft (41 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 19,025 |
| • Density | 1,071.3/sq mi (413.62/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 28358-28360 |
| Area codes | 910, 472 |
| FIPS code | 37-39700[4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2404974[3] |
| Website | www.ci.lumberton.nc.us |
Lumberton is a city in and thecounty seat ofRobeson County, North Carolina, United States.[5] As of2020, its population was 19,025.[6]
Located in southern North Carolina'sInner Banks region, Lumberton is located on theLumber River. It was founded in 1787 by John Willis, an officer in theAmerican Revolution. This was developed as a shipping point forlumber used by the Navy, and logs were guided downriver toGeorgetown, South Carolina. Most of the town's growth took place afterWorld War II.
David Lynch's 1986 filmBlue Velvet was set in Lumberton; however filming took place inWilmington.[7]
Robeson County,North Carolina, was formed in 1787. General John Willis, owner of the Red Banks plantation, lobbied to have the county's new seat of government located on his land. The site of Lumberton was chosen due to its central location in the county, proximity to a reliableford of the Lumber River, and as it was where several roads intersected. Willis turned over 170 acres, which were surveyed and disbursed in a lottery held under the auspices of the county court on August 14, 1787. As the site was heavily forested, trees were felled to make way for a courthouse, business and residential lots, streets, a commons, and a public square. The first courthouse was a wooden residence sold by Willis to the county and moved into place after the land was clear. Lumberton was formally created by an act of theNorth Carolina General Assembly on November 3, 1788, which granted the town a charter and the power to levy taxes. The community was named in homage to the Lumber River.[8]
Aside from the courthouse, the first buildings in Lumberton were a handful of brick structures built near the river, which included a hotel, stores, and warehouses, which were stocked by goods sent up the river from Georgetown, South Carolina.[8] The community's first school was established by Willis in 1791.[9] The town had a post office by 1796. It was formally incorporated in 1852 and granted a municipal government with a mayor and a board of commissioners.[8] The town was connected by rail withWilmington in 1860, which reduced its reliance on river trade from Georgetown. Much of the business district was burnt down in a fire in 1870 and another in 1876.[10]
For four seasons, 1947–50, Lumberton fielded a professional minor-league baseball team in theTobacco State League. Affiliated with theChicago Cubs, the team was known as the Lumberton Cubs in 1947 and '48, and the Lumberton Auctioneers in 1949 and '50.[11]
In 1970, Lumberton was named anAll-America City, presented by the National Civic League.[12] Many businesses left the downtown in the mid-1970s.[13] A1988 hostage crisis at the offices ofThe Robesonian and the 1993 murder ofJames R. Jordan Sr. nearby generated a negative national image for the city. In 1995, the city won the All-America City award a second time.[14]
In 2016, Robeson County was impacted byHurricane Matthew, leading to record flooding in Lumberton. In 2018, the county was struck byHurricane Florence, which broke the flooding record.[15] As a result of extensive damage to homes, entire streets in south and west Lumberton were left abandoned.[16]
TheBaker Sanatorium,Luther Henry Caldwell House,Carolina Theatre,Humphrey-Williams Plantation,Lumberton Commercial Historic District,Planters Building,Robeson County Agricultural Building,Alfred Rowland House, andUS Post Office-Lumberton are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[17][18]
Lumberton lies within the Carolina Border Belt, a regional network of tobacco markets and warehouses along both sides of theNorth Carolina-South Carolina border.[19]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.8 square miles (40.9 km2), of which 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) (0.44%) is covered by water.
Lumberton is located on the Lumber River in the state's Coastal Plains region. TheLumber River State Park, 115 miles (185 km) of natural and scenicwaterway, flows through Lumberton.
Lumberton is served byInterstate 95 andInterstate 74.
Lumberton experiences ahumid subtropical climate with hot, humid summers and cool winters.
| Climate data for LUMBERTON MUNI AP, NC, 1991-2020 normals, extremes 1903-present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 82 (28) | 84 (29) | 96 (36) | 96 (36) | 101 (38) | 104 (40) | 108 (42) | 106 (41) | 104 (40) | 99 (37) | 87 (31) | 83 (28) | 108 (42) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 54.6 (12.6) | 58.6 (14.8) | 65.8 (18.8) | 74.7 (23.7) | 82.5 (28.1) | 88.8 (31.6) | 91.0 (32.8) | 89.1 (31.7) | 84.2 (29.0) | 75.9 (24.4) | 65.9 (18.8) | 57.5 (14.2) | 74.1 (23.4) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 44.9 (7.2) | 48.0 (8.9) | 54.5 (12.5) | 62.7 (17.1) | 71.0 (21.7) | 78.8 (26.0) | 81.6 (27.6) | 80.0 (26.7) | 74.5 (23.6) | 64.2 (17.9) | 54.1 (12.3) | 47.5 (8.6) | 63.5 (17.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 35.3 (1.8) | 37.4 (3.0) | 43.1 (6.2) | 50.7 (10.4) | 59.5 (15.3) | 68.7 (20.4) | 72.3 (22.4) | 70.9 (21.6) | 64.8 (18.2) | 52.5 (11.4) | 42.4 (5.8) | 37.5 (3.1) | 52.9 (11.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −1 (−18) | 3 (−16) | 9 (−13) | 22 (−6) | 29 (−2) | 40 (4) | 50 (10) | 44 (7) | 35 (2) | 20 (−7) | 12 (−11) | −2 (−19) | −2 (−19) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.55 (65) | 2.77 (70) | 3.26 (83) | 2.85 (72) | 3.41 (87) | 4.92 (125) | 4.61 (117) | 4.77 (121) | 4.93 (125) | 2.29 (58) | 2.95 (75) | 3.31 (84) | 42.62 (1,083) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 9.1 | 8.7 | 9.6 | 8.3 | 10.0 | 11.5 | 12.2 | 13.4 | 10.3 | 7.8 | 7.9 | 9.3 | 118.1 |
| Source: NOAA[20][21] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 615 | — | |
| 1880 | 533 | −13.3% | |
| 1890 | 584 | 9.6% | |
| 1900 | 849 | 45.4% | |
| 1910 | 2,230 | 162.7% | |
| 1920 | 2,691 | 20.7% | |
| 1930 | 4,140 | 53.8% | |
| 1940 | 5,803 | 40.2% | |
| 1950 | 9,186 | 58.3% | |
| 1960 | 15,305 | 66.6% | |
| 1970 | 16,961 | 10.8% | |
| 1980 | 18,241 | 7.5% | |
| 1990 | 18,601 | 2.0% | |
| 2000 | 20,795 | 11.8% | |
| 2010 | 21,542 | 3.6% | |
| 2020 | 19,025 | −11.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[22] | |||
Lumberton is the larger principal city of theFayetteville-Lumberton-Pinehurst, NCCombined Statistical Area that includes theLumberton (Robeson County) andLaurinburg (Scotland County) micropolitan areas.[23][24][25] The CSA had a combined population of 520,378 at the2020 census.[26]
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 6,657 | 34.99% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 6,764 | 35.55% |
| Native American | 2,500 | 13.14% |
| Asian | 379 | 1.99% |
| Pacific Islander | 23 | 0.12% |
| Other/mixed | 814 | 4.28% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,888 | 9.92% |
As of the2020 United States census, 19,025 people, 7,142 households, and 4,536 families resided in the city.
As of the2010 United States census, 21,542 people were living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 39.0% White, 36.7% Black, 12.7% Native American, 2.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from some other race, and 2.2% from two or more races. About 6.7% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
As of thecensus[4] of 2000, 20,795 people, 7,827 households and 5,165 families were residing in Lumberton. The population density was 1,322.4 inhabitants per square mile (510.6/km2). The 8,800 housing units had an average density of 559.6 per square mile (216.1/km2). Theracial makeup of the city was 48.54% White, 35.44% African American, 12.79% Native American, 0.91% Asian, 1.21% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3.30% of the population.
Of the 7,827 households, 32.2% had children under 18 living with them; 38.8% were married couples living together; 23.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were not families. About 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.44, and the average family size was 3.01. Children of high-school age (grades 9–12) attendLumberton High School, which is run by thePublic Schools of Robeson County,[28] as it is in Robeson County.
The city's age distribution was 26.3% under 18; 9.3% from 18 to 24; 28.2% from 25 to 44; 21.3% from 45 to 64; and 14.8% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in Lumberton was $26,782, and for a family was $33,839. Males had a median income of $28,903 versus $24,503 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $15,504. About 23.9% of families and 25.9% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 38.4% of those under age 18 and 23.7% of those age 65 or over.
Lumberton is headed by acouncil–manager government.[29] The city supplies electric utility services to its residents.[30]
Public Schools of Robeson County, the only school district in the county,[31] operates public schools.[32]
Municipalities and communities ofRobeson County, North Carolina,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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