Southern Pines, North Carolina

Founded as a winter health resort for Northerners,^[6] land for the establishment of a town was purchased in 1884^[6] and the town was incorporated on March 7, 1887.^[7][8]

As of 1898, it was a sundown town where African Americans were not allowed to reside or conduct business.^[9]

The James Boyd House, Shaw House, Southern Pines Historic District, Firleigh Farms, and Moore County Hunt Lands and Mile-Away Farms are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[10][11][12] The Southern Pines Golf Club was founded in 1906.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 15.5 square miles (40.2 km²), of which 15.4 square miles (39.8 km²) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.5 km²) (1.16%) is water.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15,545 people, 6,321 households, and 3,505 families residing in the town.

As of the 2010 census,^[5] there were 12,334 people, 5,866 households, and 3,304 families residing in the town. The population density was 806 inhabitants per square mile (311/km²). There were 6,859 housing units at an average density of 371 houses/condos per square mile (143.24/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 71.7% White, 24% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.3% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population.^[15]

Of the 5,866 households, 21% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 13% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.7 had a male householder with no female present, and 38.9% were non-families. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.75.^[15]

In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.9% aged 19 and younger, 4.7% from 20 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 27.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47. For every 100 females, there were 82 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.2 males.^[15]

The median income for a household in the town was $41,297 in 2011,^[16] and the median income for a family was $60,683.^[17] Males had a median income of $29,855 versus $23,920 for females. The per capita income for the town was $30,886.^[17] Of families, 9.26% were below the poverty level, along with 12.4% of the population poverty line, including 23.0% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

• The O'Neal School
• Pinecrest High School
• St. John Paul II Catholic School
• Episcopal Day School
• Sandhills Classical Christian School
• Academy of Classical Design - Fine Art Atelier
• Calvary Christian School
• Moore Montessori Community School
• Sandhills Community College
• North Moore High School
• Union Pines High School

• The Pilot (fka The Southern Pines Pilot)
• PineStraw Magazine
• WYBE Sandhills Lifetime TV 44
• WEEB Talk Radio 990 AM and 97.3 FM
• WIOZ Star 102.5 FM
• WMGU Magic 106.9 FM
• WMAG 99.5 Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High-Point
• WQSM 98.1 Q98 Fayetteville
• WZFX 99.1 Foxy 99
• WKML 95.7 KML Today's Country
• WUKS 107.7 The Bounce FM
• WFLB 96.5 KML BOB FM

The metro area has TV broadcasting stations that serve the Raleigh-Durham Designated Market Area (DMA) as defined by Nielsen Media Research.

• Camp Mackall, U.S. Army training facility
• Moore County Airport
• Southern Pines station

• James Baldwin — former All-Star pitcher for the Chicago White Sox
• PT Barnum — built a home for his family in Southern Pines at 285 N. Bethesda Rd.
• Peggy Kirk Bell – golf instructor, and founding member of the LPGA
• Jeff Capel II - An American National Basketball Association assistant coach and a college basketball head coach
• Bobby Collins — college basketball coach^[18]
• Sarah Dessen – New York Times bestseller author
• Denny Emerson - An American equestrian
• Charlie Engle — ultramarathon runner and author^[19]
• Augustus M. Gurney- United States general officer who retired here
• James Holshouser Jr. – former Republican Governor of North Carolina
• Sandy Koufax – Hall of Fame pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers formerly owned a home in Southern Pines
• Julien J. LeBourgeois — former vice admiral of the United States Navy
• Carwood Lipton — member 101st Airborne Division in World War II, portrayed in Band of Brothers, spent his retirement years in Southern Pines
• James Russell McGregor (James 3X Shabazz), a leader of the Nation of Islam and an associate of Malcolm X
• Armelia McQueen - actress
• Jeffrey Mims – artist, and founder of Academy of Classical Design
• Shannon Moore – professional wrestler
• Richard T. Morgan — North Carolina state legislator, businessman, and farmer
• Winant Sidle – U.S. Army Major General
• John Frank Stevens – railroad builder, discoverer of Stevens Pass, and lead engineer for the Panama Canal
• Michael Walsh — Horse Trainer and founder of the Stoneybrook Steeplechase, National Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee
• Toni Lynn Washington — blues singer^[20]

Southern Pines has one sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International:^[21]

• Newry/Mourne, County Down, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

• Town of Southern Pines Comprehensive Long Range Plan (PDF), Town of Southern Pines, March 8, 2016

• Town of Southern Pines
• Moore County Chamber of Commerce