Lumberton, North Carolina

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. 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.

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 incorporated in 1859.

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

David Lynch's 1986 film Blue Velvet was set in Lumberton, though it was actually filmed about 70 mi southeast in Wilmington. This situation raised some problems during filming, so Lynch filmed a small sequence in Lumberton and was subsequently allowed to use the name.

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

Alice Faye Williams - a.k.a. Afeni Shakur, a prominent member of the Black Panther Party and, more famously, the mother of rapper Tupac Shakur - was born in Lumberton on January 10, 1947.

The late Tupac Shakur - (Son of Alice Faye Williams - a.k.a. Afeni Shakur) and part of his ashes were also buried in Lumberton on 2003. The rest of his ashes have been divided among other family members.

Dr. Johnny Hunt, who was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention in 2008, was born in Lumberton.

Geography
Lumberton is located at 34.62724°N, -79.01195°W.

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

Lumberton is located on the Lumber River in the state's Coastal Plains region. The Lumber River State Park, 115 mi of natural and scenic waterway, flows through Lumberton. The river was designated as a National Wild and Scenic River and is part of the North Carolina Natural and Scenic River System. The Lumber River has been classified as natural, scenic and recreational. Recreation includes canoeing and boating, fishing, hunting, picnicking, camping, nature study, swimming, biking, jogging, crafts and fossil and artifact hunting.

Demographics


Lumberton is the larger principal city of the Lumberton-Laurinburg CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Lumberton (Robeson County) and Laurinburg (Scotland County micropolitan areas, which had a combined population of 159,337 at the 2000 census.

As of the census of 2000, there were 20,795 people, 7,827 households and 5,165 families residing in Lumberton. The population density was 1,322.4 people per square mile (510.8/km2). There were 8,800 housing units at an average density of 559.6 per square mile (216.1/km2). 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. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3.30% of the population.

Of the 7,827 households, 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.

The city's 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 Lumberton 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.