Laurinburg is a city in and the county seat of Scotland County, North Carolina, United States. Located in southern North Carolina near the South Carolina 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. Laurinburg 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. It was declared the seat of Scotland County in 1900 and the first courthouse was erected the following year. In 1904, a black preparatory school called the Laurinburg Institute was founded. Main Street in Laurinburg was paved in 1914. Beginning in 1929, the Great Depression severely impacted Laurinburg, causing two banks to fail. A new courthouse was built in 1964. Laurinburg's downtown suffered an economic decline beginning in the 1980s when the Belk department store moved to a shopping center further away. The downtown was heavily impacted by Hurricane Florence in 2018.
Historic sites
Several sites in Laurinburg are listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Scotland County, North Carolina, including:
John Blue House
Mag Blue House
Central School
Dr. Evan Alexander Erwin House
E. Hervey Evans House
Thomas J. Gill House
Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church
Laurinburg Commercial Historic District
St. Andrews University
Stewart-Hawley-Malloy House
Laurinburg Institute
Villa Nova
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which 12.4 square miles (32.1 km2) is land and (1.27%) is water.
Laurinburg is located northeast of Bennettsville, east of Rockingham, west of Lumberton, and southwest of Fayetteville.
Climate
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 14,978 people, 5,712 households, and 3,544 families residing in the city.
2000 census
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
High school
Scotland High School
College
The city is home to St. Andrews University, formerly known as St. Andrews Presbyterian College.
Media
Laurinburg is served by the local newspaper, The Laurinburg Exchange.
The local radio station is WLNC.
Notable people
Russ Adams, former MLB infielder for the Toronto Blue Jays
Megan Brigman, former professional women's soccer player
Brent Butler, former MLB infielder
Bucky Covington, country musician and American Idol Season 5 finalist
Wes Covington, former MLB outfielder
Robert Dozier, professional basketball player
Lorinza Harrington, former NBA player
Joseph Roswell Hawley, four-term U.S. Senator, two-term U.S. Congressman, Governor of Connecticut, and Union Army Major General
Harriet McBryde Johnson, activist for the disabled
Samantha Joye, oceanographer known for her work studying the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Terrell Manning, NFL player
William S. McArthur, former United States Army colonel and NASA astronaut
Bejun Mehta, countertenor
James Dickson Phillips Jr., United States Court of Appeals judge
William R. Purcell, physician and politician
Travian Robertson, NFL defensive end
Kelvin Sampson, college basketball coach
Terry Sanford, former Governor of North Carolina and U.S. Senator
Charlie Scott, NBA All-Star and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill player, Olympic gold medalist in 1968, and valedictorian at Laurinburg Institute
Woody Shaw, hard-bop (jazz) trumpeter
Franklin Stubbs, MLB player
Hilee Taylor, NFL defensive end
Leonard Thompson, PGA Tour golfer
Ben Vereen, actor, dancer, and singer
Jacoby Watkins, former NFL cornerback and North Carolina football player
Sister cities
Laurinburg has one sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International:
Oban, Argyll and Bute, Scotland
