Whiteville, North Carolina

Whiteville is the county seat and the most populous city in Columbus County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,394 at the 2010 census.

History

Columbus County was created in 1808. In 1810, an act authorized James Bunbury White to "lay off a town on his own lands in the county of Columbus" and appointed five commissioners, Isaac Powell, John Wingate, Arthur Simpson, William Burney and Warren Baldwin, "for the purpose of laying off a town on the lands of the said James B. White, in the county aforesaid, at the place fixed on to erect the public buildings for said county; which town, when laid off by said commissioners, or a majority of them, shall be named Whitesville, and the lots thereof shall be for the sole benefit and disposal of the said James B. White." Whiteville has had a post office since 1821. The town was sacked by Union forces during the latter stages of the American Civil War. Its name was changed from Whitesville to Whiteville in 1881.

In 1950, Whiteville fielded a professional minor league baseball team in the Class D Tobacco State League. The Whiteville Tobs club lasted only one season before disbanding with the entire league.

The Columbus County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Geography

Whiteville is located in north-central Columbus County within the Carolina Border Belt, a regional network of tobacco markets and warehouses along both sides of the North Carolina-South Carolina border. Combined U.S. Routes 74 and 76 bypass the city on its north side and lead east to Wilmington. US 74 leads northwest to Lumberton, and US 76 leads west to Florence, South Carolina. U.S. Route 701 passes through the western side of Whiteville, leading north to Elizabethtown and southwest to Conway, South Carolina.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Whiteville has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Demographics

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,148 people, 2,191 households, and 1,336 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,450 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 60.51% White, 36.67% African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.56% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population.

There were 2,191 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were married couples living together, 20.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 77.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.9 males.

Less than a fourth of the citizens hold a bachelor's degree.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,455, and the median income for a family was $34,128. Males had a median income of $35,074 versus $23,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,337. About 19.0% of families and 26.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.0% of those under age 18 and 33.7% of those age 65 or over, resulting in over a third of the residents living in poverty.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,766 people, 2,153 households, and 1,337 families residing in the city. Between 2010 and 2020, the town lost 11.64 percent of its population.

Education

The Whiteville City School system includes the following schools:
* Whiteville High School
* North Whiteville Academy
* Central Middle School
* Edgewood Elementary School
* Whiteville Primary School

Whiteville High School, home of the Wolfpack, competes in the NCHSAA 2A sports division and has won 19 state championships: nine in baseball (1983, 1985, 1989, 1991, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018), four individual track championships, one in team golf (1986), two in football (1965 and 1987), and three in basketball (1969, 1999, and 2000).

Waccamaw Academy, a segregation academy which opened in 1968, closed in 2012.

Southeastern Community College is located a few miles to the west of Whiteville.

Arts and culture

The city is the site of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville, a satellite museum of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

Annual events include the North Carolina Pecan Harvest Festival. In addition, the state-recognized Waccamaw Siouan tribe holds an annual powwow in October with numerous public events.

'' The News Reporter,'' the official newspaper that serves Columbus County, is based in Whiteville. It has been published since 1896.

The stretch of U.S. Route 701 through Columbus County, known as James B. White Highway, is named for Whiteville's founder, James Bunbury White, who was elected as the first North Carolina senator from Columbus County.

Representation in other media

*Whiteville was the site of filming for the courthouse-burning scene in the 1996 ''Bastard out of Carolina'', adapted from Dorothy Allison's novel of the same name.

Transportation

Although the railroad tracks leading from west of town toward Lake Waccamaw have long been disconnected, Whiteville is served by the Columbus County Municipal Airport and several highways, which include U.S. Route 74, U.S. Route 76, U.S. Route 701, North Carolina Highway 130, and North Carolina Highway 131.

Notable people

* A. R. Ammons, poet
* Brooks Baldwin, MLB infielder
* Ulysses Currie, politician
* Dax Harwood, professional wrestler for AEW
* Dewey L. Hill, politician
* MacKenzie Gore, MLB pitcher
* Tommy Greene, MLB pitcher
* Pat Lennon, MLB outfielder
* Chester McGlockton, NFL defensive tackle
* Millie and Christine McKoy, conjoined twins
* Jane McNeill, stage, film, and television actress
* Ida Stephens Owens, first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in physiology from Duke University in 1967
* Charlie Ripple, MLB pitcher
* Reggie Royals, American Basketball Association player
* Ralph E. Suggs, retired rear admiral in the United States Navy
* Chris Wilcox, NBA player
* Maggie Will, professional golfer
* Harvey D. Williams, African-American U.S. Army major general
* Mike Wright, MLB pitcherMike Wright Stats
''Baseball-Reference''. Retrieved June 26, 2020.

References

Works cited

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External links

City of Whiteville official website

Greater Whiteville Chamber of Commerce

Whiteville City Schools

''The News Reporter''

WTOP News Coat Drive

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Cities in North Carolina
Cities in Columbus County, North Carolina
County seats in North Carolina