Whiteville

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. The name Whitesville was officially changed to Whiteville by the U.S. Post Office in 1889. 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. Whiteville has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa) with long, hot summers and short, mild winters.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Classical Charter Schools of Whiteville
  Elementary · Whiteville · 879 students · 33.8:1 ratio
• Whiteville High
  High · Whiteville · 662 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• Williams Township
  Elementary · Whiteville · 644 students · 15:1 ratio
• Whiteville Primary
  Elementary · Whiteville · 501 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• Central Middle
  Middle · Whiteville · 462 students · 13.2:1 ratio
• Edgewood Elementary
  Elementary · Whiteville · 454 students · 13:1 ratio
• Hallsboro-Artesia Elementary
  Elementary · Hallsboro · 362 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• Columbus Career and College Academy
  High · Whiteville · 249 students · 19.2:1 ratio