Bostic is a town in Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 355 at the 2020 census.
History
The area was originally named Black Oak, before being named Bostick and eventually Bostic. It was named after George T. Bostic, a prominent businessman and member of the community. His son, William Chivous Bostic Sr., became an accomplished doctor and researcher of infectious disease.
In 1904, George W. Jones founded the Valdesian Nurseries in Bostic. The nurseries were originally situated on two acres but had expanded to two hundred acres in less than twenty years. The nursery primarily produced ornamental and rare plants for wholesale. The grounds included space for offices, storage, and greenhouses. It was located adjacent to the railroad.
The Bostic Charge Parsonage, Melton-Davis House, and Washburn Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
As of the census
Rail
thumb|Bostic Lincoln Center and [[Seaboard Coast Line Railroad|SCL caboose]]
Bostic has long been a stop for the Seaboard Air Line (later Seaboard Coast Line), now CSXT, to exchange crews with the former Clinchfield Railroad. CSXT also operates the former SAL/CRR yard, located just northwest of town. Bostic has only three caution signals and no red lights. There is a Seaboard Coast Line caboose on display at the center of town. The caboose is painted in the 1970s Family Lines System scheme.
Bostic was nearly the terminus for the Clinchfield Railroad before Spartanburg, South Carolina was chosen as the terminus.