Raeford

History

John McRae and A.A. Williford operated a turpentine distillery and general store, respectively. Each took a syllable from his name and came up with the name Raeford for the post office they established. The McRae family, who lived at the "ford of the creek", was at one time made up primarily of old Highland Scot families. Likewise, the Upper Cape Fear Valley of North Carolina was, in the 18th and 19th centuries, the largest settlement of Gaelic-speaking Highland Scots in North America. Today, many of these old families continue to live in the area, though their presence is noticeably diminished by the great numbers of newcomers to the area as a result of Fort Bragg. Since World War II, many Lumbee Indian families have moved northward from Robeson County and now constitute a significant element of the population that is otherwise European and African American. The Hoke County Courthouse and Raeford Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Raeford is located in central Hoke County and is bordered to the northeast by Rockfish Creek, an east-flowing tributary of the Cape Fear River. The southern part of the city drains to Toneys Creek, a south-flowing component of the Lumber River–Pee Dee River–Waccamaw River watershed. U.S. Route 401 runs through the north and west sides of Raeford, leading east to Fayetteville and southwest to Laurinburg. U.S. 401 Business passes through the center of town as Harris Avenue and East Central Avenue. North Carolina Highway 20 leaves the center of Raeford as St. Pauls Drive, leading southeast to St. Pauls. North Carolina Highway 211 runs through the center of Raeford, entering from the south on Main Street and leaving to the west on Prospect Avenue; NC-211 leads south to Lumberton and northwest to Aberdeen. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.53%, is covered by water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,410
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  1,970
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  1,859
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  1,819
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,813
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,779
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,758
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,751

Largest nearby schools

• Hoke County High
  High · Raeford · 2,060 students · 16.6:1 ratio
• East Hoke Middle
  Middle · Raeford · 780 students · 15:1 ratio
• Upchurch Elementary
  Elementary · Raeford · 698 students · 15.9:1 ratio
• Don D Steed Elementary
  Elementary · Raeford · 677 students · 13:1 ratio
• Sandy Grove Middle
  Middle · Lumber Bridge · 645 students · 22.2:1 ratio
• Rockfish Hoke Elementary
  Elementary · Raeford · 627 students · 13.6:1 ratio
• Scurlock Elementary
  Elementary · Raeford · 619 students · 12.9:1 ratio
• Sandy Grove Elementary
  Elementary · Lumber Bridge · 578 students · 14.4:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2012-07-29
  7 km NNW of Wallace, South Carolina
• M 2.9 — 2011-03-21
  9 km S of Cordova, North Carolina
• M 3.7 — 2006-09-25
  7 km W of Rowland, North Carolina
• M 3.4 — 2006-09-22
  4 km WSW of Blenheim, South Carolina