Relocating to Whiteville, NC Columbus County and want to buy a home?
What to do when you relocate to Whiteville, NC
Quiet, small town, country living is what you get when moving to Whiteville. Now learn more about what Columbus County has to offer you as a home buyer or visitor that is new to the area. There is so much right in your back yard or just a short commute!
Top 9 Reasons to Move to Whiteville, NC or Columbus County
- Whiteville NC Manufacturing, medical, and government jobs
- Dining options – For a small area, we have lots of options!
- All of Columbus County is eligible for 100% financing
- Proximity to the beaches
- Outdoor life
- Sports
- Educational resources
- Affordable Living
- Excellent home loan options such as no money down
Employment Opportunities in Whiteville, NC / Columbus County
Are you considering a relocation for employment around Whiteville, NC? Columbus County employment, you will find, is heavily based in manufacturing and county / state type jobs. The largest employers in the area are Columbus Board of Education, International Paper, Columbus Regional Healthcare System, Columbus County, and the NC Department of Correction.
Even though there are major employers in Columbus County, many people also live here for the affordable living but take the short drive to Wilmington, Lumberton, or Myrtle Beach. Below is the list of major employers in Columbus County.
Largest Manufacturing Employers
| Name | Product | Employment |
| International Paper | Pulp & Paper Products | 750 |
| National Spinning Co. | Yarn | 250 |
| West Fraser Timber Co. | Dimension Lumber | 196 |
| Atlantic Corporation | Printing & Paper | 181 |
| Top Tobacco | Tobacco | 120 |
| Wayne E. Bailey Produce Co. | Produce | 90 |
| Black’s Tire Service | Tire & Wheel Distributors | 88 |
| The Council Tool Company | Non-powerd Hand Tools | 55 |
| Filtec Precise | Synthetic Yarn | 43 |
| Honeycutt Produce | Wholesale Produce | 38 |
| Kroy Building Products | Vinyl Fencing | 37 |
| The News Reporter | Publishing/Newspapers | 30 |
| Atlantic Automotive Enterprises | Power-steering Products | 25 |
| Gore’s Trailer Mfg. | Horse Trailers | 20 |
| Nice Blends | Food Products | 17 |
Largest Non-Manufacturing Employers
| Name | Category | Employment |
| Columbus County Board of Education | Education | 1000+ |
| NC Department of Correction | Public Administration | 500-999 |
| Columbus Regional Healthcare System | Health Services | 500-999 |
| Columbus County | Public Administration | 500-999 |
| BB&T | Financial Services | 250-499 |
| Whiteville City Schools | Education | 250-499 |
| Southeastern Community College | Education | 250-499 |
| Wal-Mart | Retail | 250-499 |
Where to Dine in Whiteville, NC
For a small area in population, we sure have a lot of places to eat which is good for you! Whiteville has numerous restaurants to offer, many chain eateries, but for a true flavor experience you need to visit as many of these local spots at some point while passing through or during your stay. The most upscale, yet casual place to go, is The Chef and the Frog. It is a dining experience like no other. From tender steak, shrimp and grits, crab cakes, and even several pasta options, you will not be dissatisfied with any choice.
Another local favorite is Joe’s Barbeque. Go in and order chicken and barbeque off the menu or simply say “I’ll have the buffet” and the choices are endless as well as the plates. Got a craving for some good ole pizza? Check out one of the oldest in town, Pizza Village, and owner “Pete”. He offers a daily lunch buffet that is a hit all week. Also in the pizza category is Franco’s Pizza for a New York style experience and Anthony’s Italian Pizza located in old downtown.
How about just a good ole burger? Be ready to stand in line but it is worth it and you might want to go ahead and get some to take home for later. Ward’s Grill will not let you down. Simple and quick. You go in, order, pay with cash, and get your food, and then you leave. It is not a sit down and eat place, but as soon as you get in your car, the aroma of the burgers and hotdogs will have you eating right away. Go in during breakfast hours and he will put you a fried egg on top of that burger if you want.
Whiteville Mexican Restaurants
Whiteville also has three Mexican restaurants that are always busy and should definitely get a mention. You can’t go wrong with San Juan, San Jose, or Panchito’s.
If you’re in the mood for seafood, then Dale’s or Mark’s is your place. Both offer your traditional seafood menu. One of the best sub sandwich joints ever is Slugger’s Deli. You can get the freshest subs made in seconds. Let’s not leave out breakfast. Cooked to order, small and quaint, very affordable are Sue’s Diner, The Donut Shop, and Sophie’s. All three also offer great lunch choices as well. You say you’re full and can’t hold dessert? Stop in at SweeDeePie Cheesecakes and order for the road. They offer several different kinds and all are delicious.
If you’re driving through, chances are it is either breakfast, lunch, or dinner time, so stop in to as many of these named above and you’ll be sure to remember small town Whiteville, NC!
All areas in Columbus County, NC are eligible for 100% financing through our USDA Guaranteed Program:
A very favorable home loan for first time or move up buyers purchasing a primary residence that many forget about is a USDA Guaranteed Mortgage. To qualify for a USDA home loan, the property must be in an eligible area and the good thing about Columbus County is that the whole county including Whiteville and Lake Waccamaw are eligible.
Plus the median household income is well below the USDA household income limit ($86,850 for 1- 4 members, $114,650 for 5+ household size). So even if a buyer is looking to purchase a home for $400,000 in Lake Waccamaw or Timber Cove, it is possible that the buyer could use a USDA loan for 100% financing! There lots of other financing options like VA, Reverse Mortgages, vacation home financing, and much more.
Additional USDA Resources to read about:
Whiteville, NC is an Hour Drive to the Beach
If you love the beach, then you are in luck! You can live affordably in our area but drive less than one hour to Myrtle Beach or one of the many Brunswick County beaches such as Holden, Ocean Isle, Sunset, Oak Island, or Bald Head Island. Just think of the endless things to do at the beach like the wonderful seafood restaurants, the endless golf (often you can get a locals discount too), putt putt, and tons of recreation and shopping!
Usually when people ask where we are from, our answer is next to Myrtle Beach because everyone knows where that is. Our office group loves going to the beaches on the weekends and frequent places such as Broadway at the Beach, Barefoot Landing, Myabi’s, Joe’s Crabshack, Flamingo’s, and of course the malls. So, how about that? Live quietly and affordably during the week and visit the beaches on the weekends? Ready to move here yet?
What To Do Outside in Columbus County
Columbus County provides many options for the outdoorsman, whether it is recreationally or competitively. Here are just some of the exciting things for you. Lake Waccamaw: Something every visitor and resident should do is visit the Lake Waccamaw State Park which has picnic and camping areas, canoeing, long hiking trails, a pier on the lake, and a nice building to tell you the story of our lake. The lake also provides a large playground for water skiing, fishing, and sail boating.
Whiteville Area Golf Courses
Golf: If you love golf, we have Land O’ Lakes and the Whiteville Country Club and both offer low cost but quality golf for a rural community. Then, don’t forget you can also play many of the Brunswick County and Horry County golf courses at a local residents rate which gives you endless golfing possibilities.
Are you looking for a healthy challenge? Give “Take the Lake” a try. This is an event at Lake Waccamaw that built on the original Labor Day Swim across the lake and turned it into a weekend event. Take the Lake includes a 15 mile bike around the lake, 15 mile run or walk around the lake and state park, 14 mile kayak around the lake inside the poles, and finishing with a 4 mile swim across the lake. If you really want a challenge, do the Take the Lake Extreme where you do all 4 in a day. One of our team actually was the first to accomplish this feat. Our county takes pride in this event and uses it to promote a healthy lifestyle.
Columbus County Festivals
Columbus County loves its festivals and they include the famous Strawberry Festival, Watermelon Festival, Pecan Festival, Southern Farm Days, Barbecue on the Bluff, Columbus County Agriculture Fair, Waccamaw Siouan Pow Wow, Pine Tree Festival, and the Yam Festival.
If you love camping, you should visit Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park at Daddy Joe’s in Tabor City. They offer a bike track, fishing, 3 pools, water slide, water wars, an outdoor amphitheater, and so much more. It is truly a family vacation!
Hunting: With so much of our county being wooded, we boast so much wildlife for hunting and you can either hunt on your own land or join one of the countless hunting clubs. In Hallsboro, there is even The Old 74 Fox Preserve which allows hunters to bring their love for hunting and book a fox and coyotes hunting adventure.
Something different? You have to visit the Maze Craze in Hallsboro. Jason and Alma Godwin are constantly improving on their fun adventure for the locals and so many schools even make the maze one of their staple field trips.
Whiteville, NC is Baseball Town USA & More
Many people didn’t know that Whiteville NC was called “Baseball Town USA” by ABC News and Sport Magazine back in the 80’s because of the high achievements of the schools and the high number of players that went to play in college and the pros. Scouts routinely came to watch baseball games and even practices. Even now, Whiteville and East Columbus High Schools have won many state championships together over recent years.
The softball, basketball, soccer, and football in our county are very strong as well competing regularly in the state playoffs. Even if the ole glory days have passed you by and you’re not a spring chicken anymore, there are adult softball leagues for both women and men throughout the county and you can find a church basketball league too.
Additionally, if you are moving to the area and you have a family that loves participating in sports, youth programs are a way of life around here and you will not have a problem finding top level youth baseball, softball, and soccer programs. Many of these teams even compete on a very high level with travel ball throughout the southeastern US and you will find most making the short weekend trip to the Myrtle Beach complexes for tournaments.
Educational Resources: Higher Learning at a Lower Cost
Whiteville, NC is the home to Southeastern Community College, a college offering college transfer courses, a popular & well respected nursing program, and many other technical degrees. One great attribute of SCC is the affordability. These days, education is at an all-time high cost and so is student loan debt, but a college student can obtain a 2 year degree or college transfer courses at a fraction of the 4 year universities by attending SCC. Many of our residents will even make the short drive to attend UNC Pembroke for a master’s degree or UNC Wilmington for their many programs. Several of our team attended SCC and UNCW.
Whiteville area secondary schools include Whiteville High, Central Middle School, Whiteville Primary, Edgewood, Columbus Christian Academy, Columbus Charter School, and others.
Affordable Living in Whiteville, NC and Columbus County
A great thing about buying a home in Columbus County is that you can buy a $75,000 small to medium sized home all the way up to a lake front home in Lake Waccamaw. Even land is very affordably priced so you can build you a home and have some area to give yourself some room. Because our county is so large as far a land size goes, you can choose from a wide variety of home settings.
If you take a drive down the country roads, you will anything from manufactured homes to country homes to very nice large homes with land. Popular neighborhoods in Whiteville include Timber Cove, Pecan Orchard, Whites Crossing and Land O’ Lakes, and many others which often do not even have HOA fees (another affordable area).
Then you have Lake Waccamaw which offers lake front living but also communities off the lake that offer affordable prices and are close to great outdoor amenities/activities. There is even a new construction community in Lake Waccamaw called Bristol Bay. If you are looking for homes that are under $200,000 you will find that you have plenty of options available to you, but even if you have a luxury home in mind there are plenty that will make you happy.
Now I Want to Buy a Home in Columbus County! Help me With a Mortgage to Make it Happen!
Whether you are a first time or other buyer looking for 100% financing, retired Veteran looking for no money down, a senior citizen looking to live comfortably in retirement, or someone looking to relocate to enjoy what Columbus County has to offer, we have the mortgage options to meet your needs.
Mortgage Options That Fit Perfectly for Columbus County Areas include:
- USDA – 100% financing available in the whole county
- VA – 100% financing up to $424,100 or VA Jumbo loans to purchase a high end property
- Reverse Mortgage – Seniors 62 or older can use a reverse mortgage to purchase or refinance a home with no payments required **
- Jumbo Loans – Buy a luxury home with a loan over $424,100
- FHA – A low down payment option available that is flexible on credit
- NC Housing Products – MCC Tax Credit up to $2000 per year or Down Payment Assistance
- Investment Properties – Build your investment portfolio with a rental property
- Purchase/Rehab – Found a home that needs work? Roll it all into one loan!
If you are looking to buy a home in Whiteville or Columbus County NC, give our local mortgage team a call today!
** borrowers must continue to pay property taxes and applicable insurances on the property.
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