Tabor City, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
Tabor City is a town in Columbus County
, North Carolina
, United States
.
It was named after Mount Tabor Baptist Church (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
.
Notoriously known as Razor City in the mid-20th century, it has been called the "Yam
Capital of the World." Each October, the North Carolina Yam Festival is held, celebrating the sweet potato
with crafts, train rides, arts and vendors. http://www.ncfestivals.com/events/eventdetails.asp?event=194
Now a rural
area, it has suffered economic difficulties in recent years, with the loss of the tobacco
cash crop
and high unemployment
. A new state prison, the Tabor Correctional Institution, opened in 2007, and once fully populated, will house 1,500 inmates. TCI is located two miles (3 km) northwest from the center of Tabor City. http://www.taborcitync.org/correctionalfacility.asp
The town also contains Lake Tabor, a 500 acres (2 km²) 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 editorial
s 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. http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=863
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.
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 (48.3 km) inland from the Atlantic
, 28 miles (45.1 km) north of Myrtle Beach
, and 65 miles (104.6 km) west of Wilmington
. Mild winters and hot, humid summers are typical.
of 2000, there were 2,509 people, 1,020 households, and 637 families residing in the town. The population density
was 852.2 people per square mile (329.5/km²). There were 1,116 housing units at an average density of 379.1 per square mile (146.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 64.61% White, 32.88% African American, 0.72% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 1.16% from other races
, and 0.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.19% of the population.
There were 1,020 households out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples
living together, 17.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $22,551, and the median income for a family was $30,720. Males had a median income of $26,577 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $13,280. About 15.9% of families and 26.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.7% of those under age 18 and 36.7% of those age 65 or over.
Columbus County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 54,749 people, 21,308 households, and 15,043 families residing in the county. The population density was 58/sq mi . As of 2004, there were 24,668 housing units at an average density of 26/sq mi...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
It was named after Mount Tabor Baptist Church (now Tabor City Baptist Church), which itself is named after the biblical Mount Tabor
Mount Tabor
-Places:*Mount Tabor, a hill in Israel near Nazareth believed by many to be the site of the Transfiguration of ChristIn the United States:*Mount Tabor, Indiana, an unincorporated community...
. Originally named Mt. Tabor, the town adopted its current name after postal authorities confused it with Tarboro, North Carolina
Tarboro, North Carolina
Tarboro is a city located in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. It is part of the Rocky Mount, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the town had a total population of 13,121. It is the county seat of Edgecombe County. Tarboro is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region...
.
Notoriously known as Razor City in the mid-20th century, it has been called the "Yam
Sweet potato
The sweet potato is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. Of the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000 species of...
Capital of the World." Each October, the North Carolina Yam Festival is held, celebrating the sweet potato
Sweet potato
The sweet potato is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. Of the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000 species of...
with crafts, train rides, arts and vendors. http://www.ncfestivals.com/events/eventdetails.asp?event=194
Now a rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
area, it has suffered economic difficulties in recent years, with the loss of the tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
cash crop
Cash crop
In agriculture, a cash crop is a crop which is grown for profit.The term is used to differentiate from subsistence crops, which are those fed to the producer's own livestock or grown as food for the producer's family...
and high unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
. A new state prison, the Tabor Correctional Institution, opened in 2007, and once fully populated, will house 1,500 inmates. TCI is located two miles (3 km) northwest from the center of Tabor City. http://www.taborcitync.org/correctionalfacility.asp
The town also contains Lake Tabor, a 500 acres (2 km²) recreational lake.
The Tabor City Tribune was a weekly newspaper
Weekly newspaper
A weekly newspaper is a general-news publication that is published on newsprint once or twice a week.Such newspapers tend to have smaller circulations than daily newspapers, and are usually based in less-populous communities or small, defined areas within large cities; often, they may cover a...
established by W. Horace Carter
W. Horace Carter
Walter Horace Carter was an American newspaper publisher in Tabor City, North Carolina who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1953 for his reporting on the activities of the Ku Klux Klan and his editorials opposing it. Filmmaker Walt Campbell is making a documentary about Carter tentatively titled,...
(a Stanly County
Stanly County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 60,585 people. In 2000 there were 22,223 households, and 16,156 families residing in the county. The population density was 147 people per square mile . There were 24,582 housing units at an average density of 62 per square mile...
native) in 1946. Along with the Whiteville News Reporter, the Tribune was awarded the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service
Pulitzer Prize for Public Service
The Pulitzer Prize for Public Service has been awarded since 1918 for a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper or news site through the use of its journalistic resources. Those resources, as well as reporting, may include editorials, cartoons, photographs, graphics,...
for its editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
s against the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
. 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
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
. 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. http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=863
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 (34.148621, -78.872073).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, 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
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, about 30 miles (48.3 km) inland from the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, 28 miles (45.1 km) north of Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach is a coastal city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is situated on the center of a large and continuous stretch of beach known as the Grand Strand in northeastern South Carolina. It is considered to be a major tourist destination in the...
, and 65 miles (104.6 km) west of Wilmington
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
. Mild winters and hot, humid summers are typical.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,509 people, 1,020 households, and 637 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 852.2 people per square mile (329.5/km²). There were 1,116 housing units at an average density of 379.1 per square mile (146.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 64.61% White, 32.88% African American, 0.72% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 1.16% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.19% of the population.
There were 1,020 households out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 17.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $22,551, and the median income for a family was $30,720. Males had a median income of $26,577 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $13,280. About 15.9% of families and 26.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.7% of those under age 18 and 36.7% of those age 65 or over.