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Welcome to Columbus County ...

Time Zone: Columbus County lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time.

The community of Whiteville is the Seat for Columbus County.

Columbus County was founded in 1808. Columbus was created by taking area from Bladen and Brunswick Counties.

From the Census Estimates for 2019, <1> Columbus had a population of 55,508 people. This is a decrease of 4.28% since the last Census (which gave a population of 57,992 people in 2010).

At the time of the 2010 Census, Columbus represented 0.61% of the total population of North Carolina.

Below are some of the communities located in Columbus County:

  • Boardman
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Boardman is located in Columbus County (NC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boardman
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 152 people
  • Bolton
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Bolton is located in Columbus County (NC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 632 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bolton <2>
  • Brunswick
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Cerro Gordo
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Cerro Gordo is located in Columbus County (NC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerro Gordo
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
  • Chadbourn
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Fair Bluff
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Fair Bluff is located in Columbus County (NC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Bluff
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 879 people
  • Lake Waccamaw
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Sandyfield
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Sandyfield is located in Columbus County (NC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandyfield
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 415 people
  • Tabor City
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Whiteville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)

Websites of Interest ...

Footnotes ...

<1>On a yearly basis, the US Census Bureau creates an estimate of the county's population. Keep in mind that this is an estimate and not an actual count. The last physical count was the 2010 Census and the next count will be for the 2020 Census.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.