Fair Bluff, North Carolina

Fair Bluff is a town in Columbus County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 709 at the 2020 census.

History

Fair Bluff was the name originally given to a bluff overlooking the Lumber River. In 1807, plans were made to build a town upon the lands of John Wooton at the bluff to be known as Wootonton. The town was established but the name was never changed. The community was reincorporated in 1873.

The Powell House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Agriculture has always been a mainstay of the economy in the town. Tobacco was a major commodity grown in the area. By the 1980s, tobacco growing subsided. This caused a shift for the town and its citizens. The downtown continued to thrive until the late 1980s when a car dealership moved from the business district to another location. Haphazard town planning saw a mixture of residential, business, and industry all over town. Tens of millions in U.S. government grants poured into the city beginning in the mid-1980s until present day. But the town continued to decline and people left for better opportunities elsewhere. The decline in Fair Bluff was similar to neighboring towns of Tabor City, Boardman, Brunswick, Cerro Gordo, and Chadbourn. A town manager was hired to handle administrative duties of the town.

In 1999, Fair Bluff experienced a devastating flood event, caused by Hurricane Floyd.

thumb|left|Downtown Fair Bluff, largely deserted in 2020

In 2012, the Police Chief of Fair Bluff Marty Lewis was arrested, tried and convicted for selling and delivering oxycodone and possession with the intent to sell and conspiracy to traffic while acting as police chief. He was sentenced to a minimum of seven years in prison and fined $100,000. On April 9, 2015, Marty Lewis filled an appeal of his case. On November 3, 2015, the verdict was unanimously affirmed by the North Carolina Court of Appeals, leaving in place the 90 to 117-month prison sentence originally imposed. Lewis will not be eligible for parole before November 2022.

In October 2016, the town was devastated by flooding on the Lumber River caused by Hurricane Matthew, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of residents. Floodwaters reached the town hall, police department, fire department, a grocery store, and a school.

In September 2018, Fair Bluff was flooded again by the impact of Hurricane Florence, forcing evacuations and leaving the downtown area under water, destroying 72 homes. After Florence, many buildings in the downtown area of the town were left abandoned, with no plans to reoccupy or repair them. The town's only factory closed several months later, and hundreds of residents moved away. The federal government bought out residential properties in the community, straining the local government tax base.

Government

Fair Bluff has a part-time town manager, assisted by the elected town mayor and town council. The town manager also works for five other deteriorating towns in Columbus County. and in the 46th district for the North Carolina House of Representatives, where, as of September 2021, they are represented by Tabor City native and used car dealer Brenden Jones.

Geography

Fair Bluff is located at (34.311212, -79.032387), The town lies within the Carolina Border Belt, a regional network of tobacco markets and warehouses along both sides of the North Carolina-South Carolina border.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Fair Bluff town, North Carolina – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!% 2000

!% 2010

|White alone (NH)

|447

|314

|style='background: #ffffe6; |247

|37.85%

|33.02%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |34.84%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|700

|605

|style='background: #ffffe6; |416

|59.27%

|63.62%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |58.67%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8

|0.68%

|0.53%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.13%

|Asian alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0

|0.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%

|Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1

|0.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.14%

|Some Other Race alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3

|0.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.42%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |23

|0.76%

|0.74%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.24%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|17

|20

|style='background: #ffffe6; |11

|1.44%

|2.10%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.55%

|Total

|1,181

|951

|style='background: #ffffe6; |709

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

As of the census