472 Area Code 🌍☎️

Laurinburg is the county seat of Scotland County in south central North Carolina, located 41 miles southwest of Fayetteville near the South Carolina border, with a population of 14,978 according to the 2020 Census. Settlers arrived around 1785 and named the town after the prominent McLaurin family; it was incorporated in 1877 and designated Scotland County's seat in 1900 following the county's creation in 1899. The city's economy historically centered on the Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad, which established shops there in 1865 before relocating in 1894, and on cotton production until the Great Depression caused two bank failures beginning in 1929. Laurinburg was once home to St. Andrews University and is also known for the Laurinburg Academy, established in 1904 by local Black citizens as the Laurinburg Normal Industrial Institute. The downtown district experienced economic decline from the 1980s onward and was heavily impacted by Hurricane Florence in 2018. Rockingham is the county seat of Richmond County in south-central North Carolina's Piedmont region, with a population of 9,243 as of the 2020 census. Named after Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham - British Prime Minister who repealed the Stamp Act in 1766 - the city remains historically significant as a colonial-era settlement that influenced early American independence sympathies. The city features nine historic buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Richmond County Courthouse and multiple 19th-century mills and homes. Rockingham is currently undergoing economic revitalization through its ten-year "Shaping Our Future: 2023" plan, with new businesses opening downtown and the future arrival of Interstate 73/74 expected to boost regional development. Located 70 miles east of Charlotte and 83 miles south of Greensboro, the city serves as a gateway for beach traffic and has developed a Midtown business district with retail, dining, and residential offerings. Fayetteville is the county seat of Cumberland County in North Carolina and the sixth-most populous city in the state with a population of 208,501 as of the 2020 census, serving as the economic and administrative center of a metropolitan area with an estimated 392,336 residents in 2023. Located in the Sandhills region on the Cape Fear River, the city is home to Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation that significantly influences its economy and character. Founded in 1783 through the merger of Cross Creek and Campbelton, Fayetteville was the first American city named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, the French Revolutionary War hero who visited the city on March 4-5, 1825. The city played a pivotal role in early American independence, with residents drafting the "Liberty Point Resolves" in June 1775, more than a year before the Declaration of Independence. Fayetteville has earned the All-America City Award from the National Civic League four times, reflecting its civic achievements and community development.