Columbus

Formed January 1, 1808 (61^st county)

Columbus County (58,098), Whiteville (5,394)                

The Classical Revival facility was erected in 1913 in a city circle on Jefferson and Pinckney streets.  United States Highway 701 is Pinckney Street in this part of the town.  Joseph F. Leitner provided the building designs.  The red brick building was renovated in 1967.  It features columns.  A County Administration Building was built in 1974.  A basic 1852 courthouse preceded this one.  Whiteville has always been the county seat.  Columbus County was organized on January 1, 1808 from parts of Bladen and Brunswick counties as the 61^st county.  It is named for explorer Christopher Columbus.  He is also the source name for the county seat of Tyrrell County.  The county seat is named for settler James White. 

Columbus County government consists of a manager, a register, a sheriff, an attorney, and a clerk (executive).  It has 7 Commissioners (legislative.)  Fourteen Superior Court Judges serve Columbus, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Craven, Duplin, Greene, Jones, Lenoir, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Robeson, Sampson, and Wayne counties, Ten District Court Judges serve Columbus, Bladen, and Brunswick counties and a court clerk serves Columbus County (judicial.)  Columbus County is in the southeast part of the state on the border with South Carolina.  Fayetteville, North Carolina is north and Charlotte, North Carolina is northwest of the county.  The county center is 6.9 miles South-Southeast of Whiteville nearer Brunswick.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Bladen, Pender, and Brunswick counties and South Carolina and Robeson County. 

The area of the county is 954 square miles.  It is 6 out of 100 in the state.  It ranks 48 out of 100 in population in the state.  It has a density of 60.90 persons per square mile making it 73 out of 100 in the state.  Columbus County has 25.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 74 comes into the county from Brunswick County, east, and goes to Robeson County, northwest.  United States Highway 76 enters joined with United States Highway 74 from Brunswick County, splits and exits west into South Carolina.  United States Highway 701 travels north to south from Bladen County to South Carolina.  The county resembles an animal head.  Whiteville is located in the northwest quarter of the county.  Whiteville is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 9.3% of the county population.

Whiteville