Lumberton, North Carolina

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lumberton is a city in Robeson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 20,795 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Robeson County^GR6. Lumberton, located in southern North Carolina's Inner Banks region, is located on the Lumber River. Founded in 1787 by John Willis, an officer in the American Revolution, Lumberton was originally a shipping point for lumber used by the navy, which was sent downriver to Georgetown, South Carolina. Most of the town's growth, however, began shortly after World War II.

David Lynch's 1986 film Blue Velvet was set in Lumberton, though it was actually filmed in nearby Wilmington. This situation raised some problems during filming, so Lynch filmed a small sequence in Lumberton and was subsequently allowed to use the name.

On July 23, 1993, James R. Jordan, Sr., father of basketball legend Michael Jordan, was murdered at a rest stop off of Interstate 95 near Lumberton.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 External links

[edit] History

The City of Lumberton was created by an Act of the North Carolina General Assembly in 1787 and was named the County seat of Robeson County.

Lumberton was founded the same year that thirty-nine of the fifty-five delegates to the Constitutional Convention of Philadelphia signed and sent to Congress the Constitution of the United States.

Robeson County is located in the Coastal Plains region of southeastern North Carolina. The County was created from Bladen County in 1786 by two Revolutionary War heroes and residents of the area, General John Willis and Colonel Thomas Robeson. The county was named after Colonel Thomas Robeson and the land for the County seat was donated by General Willis who is also accredited with naming the County seat Lumberton. Lumberton was incorporated in 1859.

Throughout most of the 20th century, local financial services were provided to citizens of Lumberton, Fayetteville, and Spring Lake by Home Federal Savings and Loan Association. This long-time Fayetteville establishment was purchased by New South Bank in the 1990's, which later became First South Bank.

[edit] Geography

Lumberton is located at 34°37′38″N, 79°0′43″W (34.627239, -79.011947)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 40.9 km² (15.8 mi²). 40.7 km² (15.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.44%) is water.

Lumberton is located on the Lumber River in the coastal plains region of North Carolina. The Lumber River State Park, one hundred and fifteen miles of beautiful natural and scenic waterway, flows through Lumberton, North Carolina Lumber River was designated as a National Wild and Scenic River and is part of the North Carolina Natural and Scenic River System. The River has been classified as natural, scenic, and recreational and is considered one of the most highly prized recreation sites in North Carolina. Recreation includes canoeing and boating, fishing, hunting, picnicking, camping, nature study, swimming, biking, jogging, crafts and fossil and artifact hunting.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 20,795 people, 7,827 households, and 5,165 families residing in the city. The population density was 510.8/km² (1,322.4/mi²). There were 8,800 housing units at an average density of 216.1/km² (559.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 48.54% White, 35.44% African American, 12.79% Native American, 0.91% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.18% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.30% of the population.

There were 7,827 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 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 non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 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 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,782, and the median income for a family was $33,839. Males had a median income of $28,903 versus $24,503 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,504. About 23.9% of families and 25.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.4% of those under age 18 and 23.7% of those age 65 or over.