Laurinburg is a city in Scotland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Scotland County. Located in southern North Carolina near the South Carolina state border, Laurinburg is southwest of Fayetteville and is home to St. Andrews University. The Laurinburg Institute, a historically African-American school, is also located in Laurinburg. The population at the 2010 Census was 15,962 people.
History
Settlers arrived at the present town site around 1785. The settlement was named for a prominent family, the McLaurins.
In 1840, Laurinburg had a saloon, a store, and a few shacks. Laurinburgh High School, a private school, was established in 1852. The settlement prospered in the years following.
A line of the Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad was built through Laurinburg in the 1850s, with the first train reaching Laurinburg in 1861. The railroad's shops were moved to Laurinburg in 1865 in the hope they would be safer from Union Army attack, however, in March of that year Union forces reached Laurinburg and burned the railroad depot and temporary shops.
Laurinburg was incorporated in 1877, and the first courthouse in Scotland County was erected in Laurinburg in 1901. A new courthouse was built in 1964.
In 1904, a black preparatory school called the Laurinburg Institute was founded.
Main Street in Laurinburg was paved in 1914.
Historic sites
Several site in Laurinburg are listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Scotland County, North Carolina, including:
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.6 square miles (33 km2), of which 12.4 square miles (32.1 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (1.27%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,874 people, 6,136 households, and 4,221 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,280.2 people per square mile (494.3/km²). There were 6,603 housing units at an average density of 532.5 per square mile (205.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 50.54% White, 43.06% African American, 4.23% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.35% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.06% of the population.
There were 6,136 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were married couples living together, 23.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city, the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 81.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,064, and the median income for a family was $37,485. Males had a median income of $31,973 versus $25,243 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,165. About 19.7% of families and 23.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.5% of those under age 18 and 18.6% of those age 65 or over.
The state Scotland Correctional Institution, located near the airport, opened in 2003.
Education
Colleges
The city is home to St. Andrews University, formerly known as St. Andrews Presbyterian College. (University)
Media
Laurinburg is served by the local newspaper, The Laurinburg Exchange.
The local radio station is WLNC (Welcome Laurinburg).
Notable people
- Lorinza Harrington - former NBA basketball player Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Hornets, and Memphis Grizzlies
- Terry Sanford - former Governor of North Carolina and U.S. Senator
- Bucky Covington - American Idol Season 5 finalist and country musician
- Hilee Taylor - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill defensive end for the Carolina Panthers of the NFL
- Russ Adams - MLB Toronto Blue Jays infielder
- Brent Butler - former Major League Baseball infielder
- Robert Dozier, college basketball player for the Memphis Tigers, went to high school in Laurinburg
- Wes Covington - former Major League Baseball outfielder
- Kelvin Sampson, born in Laurinburg, NBA assistant coach for Milwaukee Bucks, former Indiana Hoosiers and Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball coach
- Woody Shaw - hard-bop (jazz) trumpeter
- Franklin Stubbs - 10-year Major League Baseball player
- Joseph Roswell Hawley - four-term US Senator, two-term US Congressman, Governor of Connecticut Union Brevet Major General during the American Civil War. Born near Laurinburg October 31, 1826.
- Leonard Thompson - golfer, PGA Tour
- Ben Vereen - actor, dancer, and singer
- Jacoby Watkins - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, former NFL cornerback
- William R. Purcell - physician and politician
- Terrell Manning - football player Atlantic Coast Conference, NC State Wolfpack, NFL - Green Bay Packers, San Diego Chargers, Minnesota Vikings
- Harriet McBryde Johnson, activist for the disabled
- Charlie Scott - University of North Carolina and NBA all-star, Olympic gold medalist in 1968, valedictorian at Laurinburg Institute
- McNair Evans - San Francisco based photographer
- James Dickson Phillips Jr. - United States Court of Appeals judge
Sister cities
Laurinburg has one sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International:
- Oban, United Kingdom
References
External links
- Official website
- Laurinburg-Scotland County Area Chamber of Commerce
Further reading
- Graham, Gael, “‘The Lexington of White Supremacy’: School and Local Politics in Late-Nineteenth-Century Laurinburg, North Carolina,†North Carolina Historical Review, 89 (Jan. 2012), 27â€"58.