Pembroke, North Carolina
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Pembroke is a town in
Robeson County Robeson County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of North Carolina and is its largest county by land area. Its county seat is and largest city is Lumberton. The county was formed in 1787 from part of Bladen County and named in ...
,
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
, United States. It is about 90 miles inland and northwest from the Atlantic Coast. The population was 2,973, at the 2010 census. The town is the seat of the state-recognized
Lumbee The Lumbee are a Native American people primarily centered in Robeson, Hoke, Cumberland and Scotland counties in North Carolina. They also live in surrounding states and Baltimore, Maryland. The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is a state-rec ...
tribe of
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
, as well as the home of The
University of North Carolina at Pembroke The University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP or UNC Pembroke) is a public university in Pembroke, North Carolina. UNC Pembroke is a master's level degree-granting university and part of the University of North Carolina system. Its history i ...
.


Geography

Pembroke is located at (34.681949, -79.195765). According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the town has a total area of , all land.


Demographics


2020 census

As of the
2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 2,823 people, 879 households, and 529 families residing in the town.


2000 census

According to the 2000
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
, there were 2,399 people, 961 households, and 611 families residing in the town. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 1,023.9 people per square mile (395.8/km). There were 1,043 housing units at an average density of 445.1 per square mile (172.1/km). The racial makeup of the town was: * 88.90% Native American * 8.15%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
* 2.20%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
* 0.54%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
* 0.00%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
* 0.53% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
* 0.70% from two or more races. *
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race were 1.08% of the population. There were 961 households, out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.3% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 32.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.12. In the town, the population was spread out, with 34.8% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females, there were 75.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 64.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $18,355, and the median income for a family was $21,218. Males had a median income of $26,875 versus $21,510 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the town was $10,202. About 39.9% of families and 40.7% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 54.3% of those under age 18 and 34.1% of those age 65 or over. According to the 2010 US Census, the population was 2,937. Of this, 1,975 (66.43%) were American Indian or Alaska Native, 489 (16.45%) were White, 367 (12.34%) were Black or African American, 101 (3.40%) were two or more races, 18 (0.61%) were some other race, 17 (0.57%) were Asian, 6 (0.20%) were Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. 65 (2.19%) were Hispanic or Latino of any race.


History

In 1860, there existed Campbell's Mill in Robeson County. That year the
Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad The Carolina Central Railroad, was a railway company in the United States. It was incorporated in 1855 as the Wilmington and Charlotte Railroad and was renamed the Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad shortly after. It was reorganized as ...
constructed an east-west line through the area, but no strong community developed and no train station was erected, probably due to the proximity of the larger communities of Moss Neck and Pates. In 1892, the
Wilmington and Weldon Railroad The Wilmington and Weldon Railroad (W&W) name began use in 1855, having been originally chartered as the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad in 1834. At the time of its completion in 1840, the line was the longest railroad in the world with of track ...
proposed building a north-south line through Moss Neck, but at the opposition of a prominent citizen the line was moved a few miles west to Campbell's Mill. A train station was erected, and the Atlantic Land and Improvement Company plotted one square mile of streets centered around it. Lots were sold to private holders and the community quickly became a center for commerce. In 1895 the community's population stood at approximately 150 residents. It was incorporated that year as the town of Pembroke, named for railway worker Pembroke Jones. In 1909 the Croatan Normal School was moved there. The earliest buildings in the community were made of wood, with awnings built to cover their entrances. The first brick building was erected in 1922. Around that time, Pates Supply Company, a general store, was established and became the largest business in Pembroke. A highway was established in 1923 along the east-west railroad, and the first street was paved in 1932. Pembroke became a center for Lumbee commercial activity, though most kept to the rural areas of the county. Due to their predominance in the community, the town lacked strict adherence to many
Jim Crow The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Other areas of the United States were affected by formal and informal policies of segregation as well, but many states outside the Sout ...
norms common in the South in early 20th century. Under the town's incorporating act, its citizens elected a mayor and a board of commissioners every year. Politically, the town fell under the control of its white minority, though by 1917 the Lumbee community had grown rapidly and was challenging this state of affairs. A white delegation went to Raleigh and petitioned the
North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...
to alter the act. Under the new system, the Governor of North Carolina appointed the mayor and the commissioners. Due to an informal agreement the town usually had two Lumbee commissioners and two white commissioners under a white mayor. In 1945 a group of Lumbees petitioned the governor to support democratic reform in the municipal government. Two years later, the town returned to an elected government and Pembroke chose its first Lumbee mayor. The
Old Main Old Main is a term often applied to the original building present on college or university campuses in the United States. The building serves today as home to administrative offices, such as the president or provost, but in its early inception may ...
building at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and Pembroke High School, Former are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
.


Today

Pembroke is the tribal seat of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, the largest state-recognized tribe east of the Mississippi River. It is the largest state-recognized tribe that does not have a reservation. The origin of the Lumbee has been disputed historically, as the people are multi-tribal. Some tribes migrated from neighboring counties and states. In the 1950s, those who identified as Native American chose the name Lumbee, after what is now known as the Lumber River. Pembroke is home to the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, a master's level degree-granting university and one of the 17 schools that comprise the
University of North Carolina system The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sys ...
. It was incorporated within the
University of North Carolina system The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sys ...
in 1972 and officially became the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in 1996. UNC Pembroke's enrollment is 7,667 as of fall 2022. With an 18:1 student-to-faculty ratio, the average class size is 20. Pembroke is the safest campus among the UNC schools according to the '' U.S. News & World Report'' and is among the nation's most diverse. According to their motto, it's "Where learning gets personal."


Notable people

* Nate Andrews, former
MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
pitcher and 1944 All-Star selection *
Chris Chavis Chris Chavis (born June 8, 1961) is an American retired professional wrestler currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is part of the Lumbee tribe. He is best known for his work with the World Wrestling Federation (later known as Wo ...
, professional wrestler better known as "Tatanka" in the
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
* Lee McRae,
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
national champion sprinter and 1987 World champion in the 4x100 meter relay * Mike McRae, long jumper who represented the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
at the
1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...
* Ruth Revels, American Indian Activist and educator *
Kelvin Sampson Kelvin Dale Sampson (born October 5, 1955) is an American college basketball coach, currently the head coach for the University of Houston of the American Athletic Conference. Early life Sampson was born in the Lumbee Native American community of ...
, college
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
head coach * Harold Collins, former World's Strongest Native American.
Harold Collins (strongman) Harold "Iron Bear" Collins is a former professional strongman and world champion Powerlifter. Collins is a member of the Tuskarora Nation of Moratoc Indians in North Carolina, and calls himself the "World's Strongest Nati ...


See also

* The Lowry War


References


Works cited

* *


External links


Official website of Pembroke, NC
{{authority control Lumbee Towns in Robeson County, North Carolina Towns in North Carolina Populated places established in 1725 1725 establishments in North Carolina