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Lumberton, North Carolina
North Elm Street
North Elm Street
Official seal of Lumberton, North Carolina
Seal
Lumberton, North Carolina is located in North Carolina
Lumberton, North Carolina
Lumberton, North Carolina
Location in North Carolina
Lumberton, North Carolina is located in the United States
Lumberton, North Carolina
Lumberton, North Carolina
Location in the United States
Country United States
State North Carolina
County Robeson
Named for Lumber River
Area
 • Total 17.84 sq mi (46.20 km2)
 • Land 17.76 sq mi (46.00 km2)
 • Water 0.08 sq mi (0.20 km2)
Elevation
135 ft (41 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 19,025
 • Density 1,071.29/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
GNIS feature ID 2404974
Website www.ci.lumberton.nc.us

Lumberton is a city in Robeson County, North Carolina, United States. As of 2020, its population was 19,025. It is the seat of Robeson County's government.

Located in southern North Carolina's Inner Banks region, Lumberton is located on the Lumber River. It was founded in 1787 by John Willis, an officer in the American Revolution. This was developed as a shipping point for lumber used by the Navy, and logs were guided downriver to Georgetown, South Carolina. Most of the town's growth took place after World War II.

David Lynch’s 1986 film Blue Velvet was set in Lumberton; however filming took place in Wilmington.

History

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 reliable ford 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 the North 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.

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. The community's first school was established by Willis in 1791. 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. The town was connected by rail with Wilmington 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.

Robeson County Courthouse, 1948
Robeson County Courthouse in Lumberton, 1948

For four seasons, 1947–50, Lumberton fielded a professional minor-league baseball team in the Tobacco State League. Affiliated with the Chicago Cubs, the team was known as the Lumberton Cubs in 1947 and '48, and the Lumberton Auctioneers in 1949 and '50.

In 1970, Lumberton was named an All-America City, presented by the National Civic League. Many businesses left the downtown in the mid-1970s. A 1988 hostage crisis at the offices of The Robesonian and the 1993 murder of James 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.

In 2016, Robeson County was impacted by Hurricane Matthew, leading to record flooding in Lumberton. In 2018, the county was struck by Hurricane Florence, which broke the flooding record. As a result of extensive damage to homes, entire streets in south and west Lumberton were left abandoned.

The Baker Sanatorium, Luther Henry Caldwell House, Carolina Theatre, Humphrey-Williams Plantation, Lumberton Commercial Historic District, Planters Building, Robeson County Agricultural Building, Alfred Rowland House, and US Post Office-Lumberton are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Lumberton lies within the Carolina Border Belt, a regional network of tobacco markets and warehouses along both sides of the North Carolina-South Carolina border.

According to the United 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. The Lumber River State Park, 115 miles (185 km) of natural and scenic waterway, flows through Lumberton.

Lumberton is served by Interstate 95 and Interstate 74.

Climate

Lumberton experiences a humid 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)
Average precipitation 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

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
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
Lumberton-Laurinburg CSA
Location of the Lumberton-Laurinburg CSA and its components:      Lumberton Micropolitan Statistical Area      Laurinburg Micropolitan Statistical Area

Lumberton is the larger principal city of the Fayetteville-Lumberton-Pinehurst, NC Combined Statistical Area that includes the Lumberton (Robeson County) and Laurinburg (Scotland County) micropolitan areas. The CSA had a combined population of 520,378 at the 2020 census.

2020 census

Lumberton racial composition
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 the 2020 United States census, 19,025 people, 7,142 households, and 4,536 families resided in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 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.

Education

Public Schools of Robeson County operates public schools.

Notable people

  • Peggi Blu (1945-2024), entertainer and 1986 Female Vocalist Grand Champion, Star Search

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Lumberton (Carolina del Norte) para niños

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