Raeford, North Carolina

Raeford, North Carolina
City
Hoke County Courthouse
Location of Raeford, North Carolina
Land	Vereinigte Staaten
State	North Carolina
County	Hoke
Regierung
• Mayor	Devin Pierce
Area
• Total	3.8 sq mi (9.8 km2)
• Land	3.8 sq mi (9.7 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	259 ft (79 m)
Population  (2009)
• Total	3,400
• Density	902.3/sq mi (348.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	28361, 28376
Area code	910
FIPS code	37-54580Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1022137Template:GR

Raeford is a city in Hoke County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,386 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hoke CountyTemplate:GR. The county was named after Confederate General Robert F. Hoke, as Tar Heel native.

John McRae and A.A. Williford operated a turpentine distillery and general store respectively. Each took a syllable from his name and came up with the name Raeford for the post office they established. The MacRae family who lived at the 'ford of the creek' was at one time made up primarily of old Highland Scot families. Likewise, the Upper Cape Fear Valley of North Carolina was in the 18th and 19th Century the largest settlement of Gaelic speaking Highland Scots in North America. Today many of these old families continue to live in the area, though their presence is noticeably diminished by the great numbers of newcomers to the area as a result of Fort Bragg. Since World War II many Lumbee Indian families have moved northward from Robeson County and now constitute a significant element of the population that is otherwise European and African-American.

Geography

Raeford is located at 34°58′54″N 79°13′39″W (34.981800, -79.227469)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²), of which, 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²) of it is land and 0.27% is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 3,386 people, 1,323 households, and 899 families residing in the city. The population density was 902.3 people per square mile (348.6/km²). There were 1,440 housing units at an average density of 383.7 per square mile (148.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 52.75% White, 40.93% African American, 2.86% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.09% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.16% of the population.

There were 1,323 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 18.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,306, and the median income for a family was $33,772. Males had a median income of $27,060 versus $26,050 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,093. About 18.6% of families and 22.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.6% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable inhabitants

• Charles O'Neal, film and television screenwriter and novelist
• Tim D'Annunzio, Former Congressional Candidate and Paraclete XP Owner
• Eric Maynor, Drafted 20th overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2009 NBA Draft.
• Epignosis, multi-instrumentalist musician who has released two albums.

External links

• Official website of Raeford, NC
• Raeford and Hoke Chamber of Commerce (new website)
• The News-Journal, the local newspaper