Tabor City, North Carolina
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This article may contain original research. (September 2007) |
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This article does not cite any references or sources. (April 2007) |
| Tabor City, North Carolina | |
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| — Town — | |
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 Tabor City, North Carolina
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| Coordinates: 34°8′55″N 78°52′19″W / 34.14861°N 78.87194°WCoordinates: 34°8′55″N 78°52′19″W / 34.14861°N 78.87194°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Columbus |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Royce D. Harper |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.9 sq mi (7.6 km2) |
| • Land | 2.9 sq mi (7.6 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 105 ft (32 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 3,975 |
| • Density | 852.2/sq mi (329.0/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 28463 |
| Area code(s) | 910 |
| FIPS code | 37-66520[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0995822[2] |
| Website | Tabor City, NC |
Tabor City is a town in Columbus County, North Carolina, United States. It is the southernmost town in Columbus County which is North Carolina's largest county in land area.
It was named after Mount Tabor Baptist Church which was organized shortly after 1840 (now Tabor City Baptist Church), which itself is named after the biblical Mount Tabor. Originally named Mt. Tabor, the town adopted its current name after postal authorities confused it with Tarboro, North Carolina.
Once known as the "Yam Capital of the World", Tabor City pays tribute to the area's sweet potato crop with the annual North Carolina Yam Festival every fourth Saturday in October. The festival celebrates the sweet potato with crafts, train rides, arts and vendors. [1]
Business activity started in Taobr City in the mid-1850s with a saw mill, turpentine still, grocery store and dry goods store. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad located a terminus here in 1886. Tabor City was incorporated in 1905. The first tobacco warehouse was built in 1909, a crate factory was built in 1910 and Tabor City and Waccamaw Lumber Companies began in the 1940s. The railroad used the name Mt. Tabor and the post office used Tabor until the mid-1930s when both were changed to Tabor City.
A new state prison, the Tabor Correctional Institution, opened in 2007, and once fully populated, will house 1,500 inmates. In June 2013 a new facitiy will be added to house an additional 252 inmated and will create 70 new jobs to the area. TCI is located two miles (3 km) northwest from the center of Tabor City. [2]
The town also contains Lake Tabor, a 149 acre recreational lake.
The Tabor City Tribune was a weekly newspaper established by W. Horace Carter (a Stanly County native) in 1946. Along with the Whiteville News Reporter, the Tribune was awarded the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for its editorials against the Ku Klux Klan. The Pulitzer Prize citation stated that the newspapers were awarded the prize "for their successful campaign against the Ku Klux Klan, waged on their own doorstep at the risk of economic loss and personal danger, culminating in the conviction of over one hundred Klansmen and an end to terrorism in their communities." The newspapers were the first weeklies to win a Pulitzer Prize. The name of the Tabor City Tribune was changed to the Tabor-Loris Tribune in 1996. The small W. Horace Carter Newspaper Museum in Tabor City at the Tabor-Loris Tribune offices has exhibits on Carter's life and work. [3]
Tabor City is home to South Columbus High School. Prior to South Columbus High School was Tabor City High School, which closed in 1992. The former Tabor City High School facility now houses Tabor City Elementary School.
Geography
Tabor City is located at 34°8′55″N 78°52′19″W / 34.14861°N 78.87194°W (34.148621, -78.872073).[3]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.9 square miles (7.5 km2), all of it land. It is located on the border with South Carolina, about 30 miles (48 km) inland from the Atlantic, 28 miles (45 km) north of Myrtle Beach, and 65 miles (105 km) west of Wilmington. Mild winters and hot, humid summers are typical.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2010, there were 3,975 people, 1,095 households, and 627 families residing in the town. The population density was 852.2 people per square mile (329.5/km²). There were 1,239 housing units at an average density of 379.1 per square mile (146.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 59.2% White, 36.2% African American, 1.1% Native American, 0.02% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.5% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.3% of the population.
There were 1,095 households out of which 23% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.5% were married couples living together, 17.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the town the population was spread out with .4.2% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 20 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years.
The median income for a household in the town was $25,469, and the median income for a family was $40,044. Males had a median income of $32,528 versus $20,804 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,922. About 16.9% of families and 21.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.7% of those under age 18 and 22.5% of those age 65 or over.
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
External links
- Oral History Interview with Horace Carter from Oral Histories of the American South
- Greater Tabor City Chamber of Commerce
- FFAST.NET Leading Internet provider of Tabor City, NC
- Tabor City Webpage
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