Ellerbe is a town in Richmond County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Ellerbe had a population of 864.
History
In the 1700s Scottish settlers held a fair every May and November in the present location of Ellerbe, leading locals to dub the place "the Fair Grounds". W. T. Ellerbe later developed a spa nearby called Ellerbe Springs, and thereafter the community took its name. A railroad was built to Ellerbe in 1910 and a depot was constructed. The town was incorporated the following year. At the time it only had a population of 50. By 1923 it had grown to a population of over 500, with several mills, two banks, three churches, a telephone exchange, and a hotel. The rail line remained in service until 1954, and the depot burnt down several years later.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
2020 census
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Ellerbe racial composition
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| White (non-Hispanic)
| 399
| 46.18%
|-
!scope="row"| Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
| 270
| 31.25%
|-
!scope="row"| Native American
| 21
| 2.43%
|-
!scope="row"| Asian
| 1
| 0.12%
|-
!scope="row"| Other/Mixed
| 63
| 7.29%
|-
!scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino
| 110
| 12.73%
|}
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 864 people, 398 households, and 284 families residing in the town.
2000 census
As of the census
Notable people
- Andre the Giant - world-famous professional wrestler. Owned a farm in Ellerbe for many years where his ashes were spread after his death in Paris, France, in 1993.
- L. G. DeWitt - Trucking company owner and pioneer and track owner (Rockingham Speedway)
- Henry Frye - first African American N.C. Supreme Court judge (born in Ellerbe, NC)
- Thomas M. McInnis - first Republican State Senator for the 25th District
- Benny Parsons - NASCAR driver and television analyst who won the 1973 Winston Cup Championship and the 1975 Daytona 500.