Columbus County is a county in North Carolina, United States, on the state’s southeastern border with South Carolina. It had a population of 50,623 at the 2020 census and covers 938.1 square miles (2,430 km2) of land, centred near 34°16′N 78°38′W.
Whiteville is the county seat, and its postal code is 28472. The county has 10 incorporated cities and towns, 4 census-designated places, and dozens of smaller unincorporated communities spread across 15 civil townships. Columbus County is in the Eastern time zone, and its FIPS code is 37047.
Towns & Villages in Columbus County
Columbus County’s population centres range from Whiteville, its only incorporated city, down to small crossroads communities that never organised as towns. Type key: City · seat = the county seat; Town = incorporated town; CDP = census-designated place with no local government; Unincorp. = unincorporated community or crossroads.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whiteville | City · seat | Whiteville | 5,349 | 28472 |
| Tabor City | Town | — | 3,900 | 28463 |
| Chadbourn | Town | Chadbourn | 1,647 | 28431 |
| Fair Bluff | Town | Fair Bluff | 810 | 28439 |
| Lake Waccamaw | Town | Waccamaw | 1,467 | 28450 |
| Bolton | Town | Bolton | 587 | 28423 |
| Cerro Gordo | Town | Cerro Gordo | 171 | 28430 |
| Brunswick | Town | — | 325 | 28424 |
| Boardman | Town | — | 139 | — |
| Sandyfield | Town | — | — | — |
| Delco | CDP | — | 269 | 28436 |
| Evergreen | CDP | — | 289 | 28438 |
| Hallsboro | CDP | — | 603 | 28442 |
| Riegelwood | CDP | — | 722 | 28456 |
| Nakina | Unincorp. | — | — | 28455 |
| Clarendon | Unincorp. | — | — | 28432 |
| Acme | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Antioch | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Armour | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Artesia | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Bethel | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Bug Hill | Unincorp. | Bug Hill | — | — |
| Butler Crossroads | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Byrdville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cedar Grove | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cherry Grove | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cypress Creek | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Dothan | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| East Tabor | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Farmers Union | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Freeman | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Goose Hollow | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Gooseneck | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Honey Hill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ironhill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mount Olive | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| New Berlin | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Old Dock | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pireway | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pleasant Plains | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ricefield | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Riverview | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sidney | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Snowhill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| South Whiteville | Unincorp. | Whiteville | — | — |
| Vinegar Hill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wananish | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Williams | Unincorp. | Williams | — | — |
A number of names on older gazetteers for the county — trailer-park and crossroads labels such as Barb Crest Trailer Park, Country Club MH Park, Country Side MH Park, and a long run of “X Crossroads”/”X Crossing” farm-road junctions — are too minor and undocumented to verify individually and are omitted here; see notes.md for the full drop list. South Whiteville is a separate community adjoining the city of Whiteville, not a neighbourhood within its limits.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Whiteville | — | Whiteville, South Whiteville |
| Chadbourn | — | Chadbourn |
| Waccamaw | — | Lake Waccamaw |
| Bolton | — | Bolton |
| Cerro Gordo | — | Cerro Gordo |
| Fair Bluff | — | Fair Bluff |
| Bug Hill | — | Bug Hill community |
| Williams | — | Williams community |
| Bogue | — | rural, unincorporated |
| Lees | — | rural, unincorporated |
| Ransom | — | rural, unincorporated |
| South Williams | — | rural, unincorporated |
| Tatums | — | rural, unincorporated |
| Welch Creek | — | rural, unincorporated |
| Western Prong | — | rural, unincorporated |
North Carolina’s civil townships are historical land divisions used mainly for record-keeping today; the Census Bureau does not publish separate 2020 population counts for them, so the figures above are omitted rather than estimated.
ZIP Codes
- 28472 — Whiteville
- 28463 — Tabor City
- 28431 — Chadbourn
- 28456 — Riegelwood
- 28423 — Bolton
- 28450 — Lake Waccamaw
- 28436 — Delco
- 28442 — Hallsboro
- 28432 — Clarendon
- 28455 — Nakina
- 28438 — Evergreen
- 28430 — Cerro Gordo
- 28439 — Fair Bluff
- 28424 — Brunswick
Small unincorporated communities without a listed ZIP above use the nearest post office town’s code.
Geography
Columbus County lies in North Carolina’s inner coastal plain, largely flat and low-lying, with extensive pocosin wetlands and pine flatwoods. The Waccamaw River flows south through the county past Lake Waccamaw, a natural Carolina bay lake and the centrepiece of Lake Waccamaw State Park; the Cape Fear River forms part of the county’s northeastern edge. The county covers 955 square miles in total, of which 938.1 square miles is land and about 17 square miles is water.
Columbus County borders Bladen County to the north, Pender County to the northeast, Brunswick County to the east, Robeson County to the west, and Horry County and Dillon County in South Carolina to the south.
Demographics
Columbus County had 50,623 residents at the 2020 census, about 54 per square mile. Whiteville and Tabor City are its two largest communities. Median household income in the county runs well below the North Carolina median of $70,804, consistent with the county’s rural, agriculture- and manufacturing-based economy; a meaningful share of the county’s official population count is institutional, including inmates at the state prison facilities in the Tabor City and Whiteville areas.
Economy & Local Life
Columbus County’s economy runs on agriculture (tobacco, corn, soybeans, hogs and poultry), forestry, and manufacturing. International Paper’s Riegelwood mill is among the county’s largest employers, and Columbus Regional Healthcare System anchors medical jobs in Whiteville. Southeastern Community College, based in Whiteville, is the county’s public two-year college. The North Carolina Strawberry Festival is held each spring in Chadbourn, historically a major produce-shipping town.
History
Columbus County was formed on December 15, 1808, from parts of Bladen and Brunswick counties, and named for Christopher Columbus. Whiteville, laid out in the 1810s, became the county seat. The county’s economy historically centred on naval stores (turpentine and tar from its pine forests), cotton, and later tobacco and timber. Like much of eastern North Carolina, it saw Ku Klux Klan activity into the 1950s and, decades later, the “Colcor” federal corruption investigation of 1980–82 that led to convictions of several local officials.
Getting There
US Highways 74, 76 and 701 cross the county, along with a network of NC state routes; a future extension of Interstate 74 is planned through the area. Nearest cities and airports:
- Wilmington — about 35 miles east
- Myrtle Beach, South Carolina — about 35 miles south
- Lumberton — about 25 miles west
- Wilmington International Airport (ILM) is the nearest commercial airport
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Columbus County, North Carolina?
It is in the southeastern part of the state, on the South Carolina border, between Wilmington and Lumberton.
What is the population of Columbus County?
50,623 at the 2020 census.
How big is Columbus County?
938.1 square miles (2,430 km2) of land, one of the larger counties in North Carolina.
What is the Columbus County seat?
Whiteville is the county seat.
How many towns are in Columbus County?
Ten incorporated cities and towns, plus four census-designated places and numerous smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Columbus County?
Fourteen ZIP codes, including 28472 (Whiteville), 28463 (Tabor City) and 28431 (Chadbourn).
What is Lake Waccamaw?
A natural Carolina bay lake in the county’s north, the centrepiece of Lake Waccamaw State Park and the town of the same name.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in North Carolina.