Editing Raeford, North Carolina

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name            = Raeford, North Carolina
| settlement_type          = [[City]]
| nickname                 = 
| motto                    = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline            = Raeford, North Carolina.jpg
| imagesize                = 
| image_caption            = Downtown Raeford, 2019
| image_seal               = Raeford, NC City Seal.png
| image_map                = NCMap-doton-Raeford.PNG
| mapsize                  = 250x200px
| map_caption              = Location of Raeford, North Carolina
| image_map1               = 
| mapsize1                 = 
| map_caption1             = <!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name         = United States
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1        = [[North Carolina]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in North Carolina|County]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Hoke County, North Carolina|Hoke]]
| government_footnotes     = 
| government_type          = City Council
| leader_title             = Mayor
| leader_name              = John Knox McNeill III
| leader_title2            = 
| leader_name2             = 
| established_title        = 
| established_date         = <!-- Area -->
| unit_pref                = Imperial
| area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=September 20, 2022}}</ref>
| area_magnitude           = 
| area_total_km2           = 11.15
| area_land_km2            = 11.10
| area_water_km2           = 0.06
| area_total_sq_mi         = 4.31
| area_land_sq_mi          = 4.28
| area_water_sq_mi         = 0.02

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes     = <ref name="Census 2020"/>
| population_total         = 4559
| population_density_km2   = 410.87
| population_density_sq_mi = 1064.19

<!-- General information -->| timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset               = -5
| timezone_DST             = EDT
| utc_offset_DST           = -4
| elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft             = 256
| coordinates              = {{coord|34|58|51|N|79|13|45|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]s
| postal_code              = 28361, 28376
| area_codes               = [[Area codes 910 and 472|910, 472]]
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info               = 37-54580<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 2404587<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2404587}}</ref>
| website                  = {{URL|www.raefordcity.org}}
| footnotes                = 
| pop_est_as_of            = 
| pop_est_footnotes        = 
| population_est           = 
}}

'''Raeford''' is a city in [[Hoke County, North Carolina]], United States. Its population was 4,559 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDP2020.DP1?g=160XX00US3754580 |title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2020 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Raeford city, North Carolina |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=February 25, 2024}}</ref> It is the [[county seat]] of Hoke County.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=2011-06-07|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref>

==History==

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.{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}} The McRae family, who lived at the "ford of the creek", was at one time made up primarily of old [[Scottish Highlands|Highland Scot]] families. Likewise, the Upper [[Cape Fear River|Cape Fear]] Valley of North Carolina was, in the 18th and 19th centuries, the largest settlement of [[Scottish Gaelic|Gaelic]]-speaking Highland Scots in North America.{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}} 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|Lumbee Indian]] families have moved northward from [[Robeson County, North Carolina|Robeson County]] and now constitute a significant element of the population that is otherwise European and African American.

The [[Hoke County Courthouse]] and [[Raeford Historic District]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

==Geography==
Raeford is located in central Hoke County and is bordered to the northeast by [[Rockfish Creek (Cape Fear River tributary)|Rockfish Creek]], an east-flowing tributary of the [[Cape Fear River]]. The southern part of the city drains to Toneys Creek, a south-flowing component of the [[Lumber River]]–[[Pee Dee River]]–[[Waccamaw River]] watershed.

[[U.S. Route 401]] runs through the north and west sides of Raeford, leading east {{convert|22|mi}} to [[Fayetteville, North Carolina|Fayetteville]] and southwest {{convert|20|mi}} to [[Laurinburg, North Carolina|Laurinburg]]. [[Special routes of U.S. Route 401#Raeford business loop|U.S. 401 Business]] passes through the center of town as Harris Avenue and East Central Avenue. [[North Carolina Highway 20]] leaves the center of Raeford as St. Pauls Drive, leading southeast {{convert|19|mi}} to [[St. Pauls, North Carolina|St. Pauls]]. [[North Carolina Highway 211]] runs through the center of Raeford, entering from the south on Main Street and leaving to the west on Prospect Avenue; NC-211 leads south {{convert|30|mi}} to [[Lumberton, North Carolina|Lumberton]] and northwest {{convert|17|mi}} to [[Aberdeen, North Carolina|Aberdeen]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|11.1|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|0.06|km2|order=flip|2}}, or 0.53%, is covered by water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{Cite web| url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US3754580| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Raeford city, North Carolina| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| work=American Factfinder| access-date=December 20, 2017| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213094905/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US3754580| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Climate===
{{Weather box   <!-- Infobox begins -->
| single line = Y
| location    = Raeford, North Carolina (1991–2020)
<!-- Average high temperatures -->
| Jan high F  =52.9
| Feb high F  =56.6
| Mar high F  =64.6
| Apr high F  =73.5
| May high F  =79.9
| Jun high F  =86.4
| Jul high F  =89.5
| Aug high F  =87.9
| Sep high F  =82.7
| Oct high F  =73.1
| Nov high F  =63.8
| Dec high F  =56.1
<!-- Mean daily temperature -->
| Jan mean F  =41.3
| Feb mean F  =43.7
| Mar mean F  =51.3
| Apr mean F  =60.0
| May mean F  =68.0
| Jun mean F  =75.8
| Jul mean F  =79.3
| Aug mean F  =77.8
| Sep mean F  =72.0
| Oct mean F  =61.0
| Nov mean F  =50.6
| Dec mean F  =44.4
<!-- Average low temperatures -->
| Jan low F  =29.7
| Feb low F  =30.8
| Mar low F  =38.0
| Apr low F  =46.5
| May low F  =56.1
| Jun low F  =65.2
| Jul low F  =69.2
| Aug low F  =67.7
| Sep low F  =61.4
| Oct low F  =48.8
| Nov low F  =37.5
| Dec low F  =32.6
<!-- Total precipitation, this should include rain and snow. -->
| precipitation colour    =  green
| Jan precipitation inch  =3.71
| Feb precipitation inch  =3.66
| Mar precipitation inch  =3.92
| Apr precipitation inch  =3.18
| May precipitation inch  =3.80
| Jun precipitation inch  =4.72
| Jul precipitation inch  =4.86
| Aug precipitation inch  =5.05
| Sep precipitation inch  =5.27
| Oct precipitation inch  =3.29
| Nov precipitation inch  =3.55
| Dec precipitation inch  =3.55
<!-- Snowfall -->
| Jan snow inch  =1.6
| Feb snow inch  =0.8
| Mar snow inch  =0.0
| Apr snow inch  =0.0
| May snow inch  =0.0
| Jun snow inch  =0.0
| Jul snow inch  =0.0
| Aug snow inch  =0.0
| Sep snow inch  =0.0
| Oct snow inch  =0.0
| Nov snow inch  =0.0
| Dec snow inch  =0.4
<!-- Mandatory fields, source -->
| source = NOAA<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/us-climate-normals/#dataset=normals-monthly&timeframe=30&station=USC00317056 |title=NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access |publisher=NOAA |access-date=2025-03-05 }}</ref>
}}<!-- Infobox ends -->

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1910= 580
|1920= 1235
|1930= 1303
|1940= 1628
|1950= 2030
|1960= 3058
|1970= 3180
|1980= 3630
|1990= 3469
|2000= 3386
|2010= 4611
|2020= 4559
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Raeford racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US3754580&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=2021-12-10|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
|1,707
|37.44%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
|1,793
|39.33%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|201
|4.41%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|40
|0.88%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
|2
|0.04%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|225
|4.94%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|591
|12.96%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 4,559 people, 1,909 households, and 1,086 families residing in the city.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000,  3,386 people, 1,323 households, and 899 families resided in the city. The population density was {{convert|902.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The 1,440 housing units averaged 383.7 per square mile (148.3/km{{sup|2}}). The [[Race (United States Census)|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. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 4.16% of the population.

Of the 1,323 households, 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 not families. About 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 age distribution was 23.7% under 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 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 people==
<!--* [[Epignosis|Robert Brown]] — [[multi-instrumentalist]] musician{{Citation needed|date= December 2012}}MISSING CONNECTION TO Raeford-->
* [[Diamond and Silk]] — conservative Internet personalities<ref>{{cite web|url=https://voterrecords.com/voter/47402478/lynette-hardaway|title =Lynnette Hardaway's North Carolina Voter Registration | publisher= voterrecords.com|access-date= December 11, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://voterrecords.com/voter/47376456/rochelle-richardson|title =Rochelle Richardson's North Carolina Voter Registration | publisher= voterrecords.com|access-date= December 11, 2017}}</ref>
* [[Eric Maynor]] — selected 20th overall by [[Utah Jazz]] in [[2009 NBA draft]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/maynoer01.html|title =Eric Demarqua Maynor | publisher= Basketball-Reference.Com|access-date= December 10, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Gil McGregor]] — selected 89th overall by [[Cincinnati Royals]] in [[1971 NBA draft]]
* [[Terrell McIntyre]] — retired professional basketball player; two-time All-Euroleague First Team selection; reached Euroleague Final Four in 2008 with Montepaschi Siena
* [[Jim McMillian]] — selected 13th overall by [[Los Angeles Lakers]] in [[1970 NBA draft]]
* [[Kathy McMillan]] — former [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] [[long jump]]er representing the [[United States]]<ref>Friedlander, Brett. (May 21, 2020). [https://nsjonline.com/article/2020/05/100in100_hoke/ 100 in 100: Hoke County's Kathy McMillan, Olympic Silver Medalist]. ''North State Journal''. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.</ref>
* [[Detrez Newsome]], former [[NFL]] running back<ref>[https://catamountsports.com/sports/2018/4/28/211733081.aspx Catamount Tailback Detrez Newsome Signs with LA Chargers]. ''catamountsports.com''. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.</ref>
* [[Ted Thomas Sr.]] — cleric with the [[Church of God in Christ]]<ref>Ley, Ana. (Jul 1, 2020). [https://www.pilotonline.com/news/obituaries/vp-nw-ted-thomas-obit-20200701-757y7inqxnctjpkzs22urxeis4-story.html Ted Thomas Sr. was a prominent Portsmouth bishop — but drove people to church himself]. ''The Virginia Pilot''. Retrieved Jul 28, 2020.</ref>
* [[Earl Wolff]] — football safety for NFL's [[Washington Redskins]]; played college football at North Carolina State; selected by [[Philadelphia Eagles]] in the fifth round of the [[2013 NFL draft]]

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://www.raefordcity.org/ City of Raeford official website]
* [http://www.raefordhokechamber.com/ Raeford and Hoke Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.thenews-journal.com/ ''The News Journal'']

{{Hoke County, North Carolina}}
{{North Carolina county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Cities in Hoke County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:County seats in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Sandhills (Carolina)]]
[[Category:Fayetteville, North Carolina metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Scottish-American culture in North Carolina]]