Town of Columbia
Economic need
Columbia, population 849, is the county seat and only municipality in tier one Tyrrell County. The unemployment rate is 9.3 percent, much of the employment is seasonal, and nearly a quarter of the people live in poverty.
Columbia prospered with the lumber and shipping industries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but began to decline after World War II. Young people left for better paying jobs, and hurricanes and flooding plagued the low-lying community. The town's hospital closed in the 1970s, and many businesses followed. The population has fallen from its heyday of 1,100.
History
Much of Columbia's history has focused on its location and the surrounding natural resources. It sits on the eastern bank of the Scuppernong River, just south of the Albemarle Sound. For more than a decade, Columbia has been engaged in a revitalization plan that builds on those same resources. It has improved the riverfront area and downtown streetscape and promoted ecotourism. Arts and crafts also play a role. The plan has been aided by establishment of the Pocosin National Wildlife Refuge nearby and the opening of a new Visitor's Center, operated by the Partnership for the Sounds.
Other developments offer promise. A new 4-H center, which is used as a retreat as well as youth camp, brings retail traffic. A new state prison work farm provides employment. In addition, the four-laning of U.S. 64 on the edge of town is improving traffic flow for people on their way to the beach—for residents who work on the Outer Banks as well as for vacationers passing through. One result is a proposal for a new subdivision with 200 to 250 homes.
Vision/Goals/Expectations
An inevitable tension has grown with the new development brought by U.S. 64 improvements. The highway creates a second commercial center in competition with downtown. And, although it welcomes new residents, the town seeks to remain a town with its own focus and not become a mere bedroom community to the Outer Banks.
Through STEP, Columbia seeks to determine how best to guide this residential and business growth. It hopes to engaged widespread town and county participation in a comprehensive planning effort. Among the issues to be address will be how to extend town services to new areas without burdening the existing population, which includes a high proportion of elderly residents on fixed incomes. Also on the agenda are maintaining the cultural and social fabric of the town and continuing the efforts already under way with more downtown improvements and amenities to attract ecotourists and arts enthusiasts.
Contact
Rhett B. White, Manager
P.O. Box 361, Columbia, NC 27925
Phone: 252-796-2781
Fax: 252-796-0082
E-mail: rhett_townofcolumbia@yahoo.com
