Moving to Tabor City, NC: Living in Tabor City Guide

Tabor City is a small farm town sitting right on the North Carolina–South Carolina line in southern Columbus County. It calls itself the “Land of the Yam,” it throws one of the region’s best-known small-town festivals every October, and its downtown Main Street still has the look of an old tobacco-market town. It is also about as close to Myrtle Beach as you can live in North Carolina while paying small-town prices.

Tabor City suits people who want a quiet, rural place with room to breathe: retirees stretching a budget, families who want land, and workers who commute to Loris, Conway or the Grand Strand. Home values run far below the beach towns and well below the state average. The tradeoff is fewer stores and restaurants in town, and longer drives for big shopping, hospitals and airports.

Planning a move to Tabor City? Call our NC & SC team at 910-758-0081 or get your price online.

Where Is Tabor City?

Tabor City is the southernmost town in Columbus County, just north of the South Carolina state line and just north of Loris, SC. The town covers about 3.2 square miles and sits roughly 30 miles inland from the Atlantic. U.S. 701 runs north–south through town and N.C. 904 runs east–west; the two cross in the center of town. N.C. 410 starts at the state line and runs north through Tabor City toward Chadbourn.

Approximate driving distances and times from downtown Tabor City:

Loris, SC: about 6.9 miles, roughly 11 minutes
Whiteville (county seat): about 18.5 miles, roughly 28 minutes
Conway, SC: about 26.2 miles, roughly 41 minutes
North Myrtle Beach, SC: about 29 miles, roughly 42 minutes
Calabash, NC: about 31.7 miles, roughly 47 minutes
Myrtle Beach, SC (downtown): about 37.4 miles, roughly 1 hour
Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR): about 41.6 miles, roughly 1 hour 7 minutes
Wilmington, NC: about 66 miles, roughly 1 hour 30 minutes
Raleigh, NC: about 137 miles, roughly 2 hours 50 minutes
Charlotte, NC: about 163 miles, roughly 3 hours 25 minutes

Myrtle Beach International is the closest commercial airport. Wilmington International (ILM) is about 72 miles away if you find a better fare there.

Tabor City Population & Demographics

Tabor City had 3,781 residents at the 2020 Census, up from 2,511 in 2010. One thing to know when you read the numbers: a state prison sits in the Tabor City area, and inmates are counted as residents. That is why the 2020 Census shows about 191 males for every 100 females, and it also pulls down the town’s income and education figures. The surrounding Columbus County numbers below give a fuller picture of the area’s households.

Measure (ACS 2020–2024)	Tabor City	Columbus County	North Carolina	United States
Population	3,777	50,140	10,730,404	334,922,500
Median age	41.2	42.6	39.1	38.9
Median household income	$38,714	$49,442	$72,388	$80,734
Bachelor’s degree or higher (age 25+)	12.0%	14.6%	35.7%	35.7%
Homeownership rate	59.7%	71.1%	66.6%	65.2%
Median home value	$115,900	$146,000	$288,900	$332,700
Median gross rent	$809	$824	$1,228	$1,413

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024), via Census Reporter. 2020 and 2010 counts are from the decennial Census.

Is Tabor City Safe?

We did not find a current, reliable crime report for Tabor City specifically, so we won’t guess. Small towns can swing a lot from year to year in crime statistics, and the prison population makes per-capita comparisons tricky here. The best move is to call the Tabor City Police Department or the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office and ask about the specific street you are considering. They can tell you what calls look like in that part of town.

Cost of Living in Tabor City

Home Prices

Housing is the big draw. Zillow’s Home Value Index put the typical Tabor City home at about $189,600 as of August 2026, up 5.6% from a year earlier. That is in line with Columbus County as a whole (about $190,150) and far below the North Carolina typical value of about $334,800. Census data tells the same story: the town’s median owner-occupied home value is $115,900 (2020–2024), versus $288,900 statewide.

For buyers coming from the Myrtle Beach area or Brunswick County, that gap is the whole point. You give up the short drive to the sand, but you can often get more house, more land and lower property taxes for the money. Many homes here are older, so budget for inspections and updates.

Rent

The median gross rent in Tabor City is $809 a month (ACS 2020–2024), compared with $1,228 across North Carolina and $1,413 nationally. The rental market is small, though. Expect mostly single-family homes, duplexes and manufactured homes rather than big apartment complexes, and start looking early if you need a rental by a certain date.

Best Neighborhoods in Tabor City

Downtown and the Main Street Area

The blocks around Main Street and 5th Street are the historic core, with older homes on shaded lots, churches and the downtown storefronts that host the Yam Festival parade. It suits buyers who want to walk to a local diner, the library or festival events. Homes here tend to be older, so look closely at roofs, wiring and HVAC before you buy.

Along the U.S. 701 Bypass

The areas near the 701 Bypass on the edge of town put you close to the grocery store, fast food and the quickest route south toward Loris and Conway. It is a practical choice for commuters who work in South Carolina or on the Grand Strand. Expect a mix of newer ranch homes and older houses on larger lots.

Rural Tabor City (Outside Town Limits)

Much of the Tabor City mailing area is farmland and wooded land, with homes on acreage along roads like N.C. 904 and N.C. 410. This is the pick for people who want space for a shop, a garden or animals. Many rural properties use wells and septic systems, so ask about both, and check driveway access for a moving truck before move day.

Weather & Climate

Tabor City has a humid subtropical climate: hot, sticky summers and short, mild winters. The closest NOAA station with a full set of 1991–2020 normals is Whiteville 7 NW, about 19 miles north. There, July averages a high of 90.1°F and a low of 69.5°F, and January averages a high of 54.8°F and a low of 31.9°F. The annual average temperature is 61.8°F.

The station averages 50.88 inches of precipitation a year. September is the wettest month at 6.64 inches, followed by August at 5.91 inches. Snow is rare, averaging 1.2 inches a year. The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, and inland towns still get heavy rain, flooding and downed trees from tropical storms. Spring also brings heavy pine pollen that coats cars and porches.

Best months to move: April (average high 73.9°F), May (80.6°F) and October (74.8°F). If you move in October, check the Yam Festival date first; downtown streets fill up on festival day.

Things to Do in Tabor City

North Carolina Yam Festival

The big event of the year. The festival began as “Tater Days,” ran from 1947 to 1961, and was revived in 1985. Festival week includes a scholarship pageant, a sweet potato cook-off and an art and photography show, and festival Saturday brings vendors, a classic car show, “Yam Row,” a free KidZone and live music. The 2026 festival is set for Saturday, October 24, and admission is free.

Downtown Main Street and the Ritz Center

Downtown Tabor City has a Centennial Clock on Main Street and the Ritz Center, a community arts center built inside the rebuilt shell of the old Ritz theater and completed in 2014. The town also hosts a Spring Fling festival that started in 2013 and a Fourth of July celebration honoring past and present military members.

A Town With Pulitzer History

The local weekly, the Tabor City Tribune (now the Tabor-Loris Tribune), shared the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service with the Whiteville News Reporter for editor W. Horace Carter’s campaign against the Ku Klux Klan. They were the first weekly newspapers to win a Pulitzer. It is a proud piece of local history worth reading up on after you arrive.

Lake Waccamaw State Park

About a 45-minute drive northeast, Lake Waccamaw State Park sits on the largest Carolina bay, one of the few that holds open water. The lake has a 14-mile shoreline, and the park offers about 10 miles of hiking trails, paddling, fishing, picnicking and tent camping, plus a visitor center with exhibits.

The Grand Strand Beaches

North Myrtle Beach is about 29 miles away and downtown Myrtle Beach about 37 miles, so a beach day is easy without living in beach traffic. The area around Tabor City also has more than 100 golf courses within 40 miles.

Where to Eat in Tabor City

Betty & Buddy’s Restaurant (North Main Street)

A hometown restaurant at 101 N. Main Street, right downtown. It is the kind of place where you will run into neighbors, and it is an easy stop for a hot meal while the boxes are still stacked in the living room.

Dale’s Seafood (U.S. 701)

Dale’s Seafood on U.S. 701 is a long-running local seafood spot and one of the better-known restaurants in town. Go for a fried seafood plate after a long day of unloading.

Adam’s Seafood & Steaks (U.S. 701 Bypass)

Adam’s, at 211 N. U.S. 701 Bypass, serves seafood and steaks for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. on weeknights and 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. It is a good sit-down choice when family comes to help with the move.

Jobs & Economy

Tabor City’s economy grew up around tobacco. By the 1920s the town had several auction warehouses, and tobacco stayed dominant until the 1990s. Today the local economy leans on agriculture (sweet potatoes are still a point of pride), light manufacturing, retail, tourism and a large state prison that provides many local jobs.

Across Columbus County, health care and social assistance is the largest industry by employment, with 2,593 workers in 2023, and the county’s top single employer is the Columbus County Board of Education (500–999 employees), according to the NC Rural Center. Columbus Regional Healthcare System, based in Whiteville, is the area’s main hospital system. The county’s 2023 unemployment rate averaged 4.0%, and the average weekly wage was $877.

Because Loris, Conway and the Grand Strand are close, many residents commute into South Carolina for work in health care, hospitality, retail and construction. If you plan to do the same, drive the route at rush hour before you commit to a house.

Schools in Tabor City

Public schools are run by Columbus County Schools, which had 5,440 students in 12 schools in 2024–2025, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). In town, Tabor City School on Stake Road serves pre-K through 8th grade (598 students), and South Columbus High School on Stallion Drive serves grades 9–12 (669 students). South Columbus High also hosts the Stallion Classic band competition on Yam Festival day.

For college, Southeastern Community College has its 246-acre main campus between Whiteville and Chadbourn and offers more than 100 certificates, diplomas and associate degrees. Coastal Carolina University in Conway is about 26 miles south.

Tabor City Quick Facts

County	Columbus County, NC
ZIP code	28463
Area code	910
Population (2020 Census)	3,781
Land area	About 3.2 square miles
Main highways	U.S. 701, N.C. 904, N.C. 410
Nearest commercial airport	Myrtle Beach International (MYR), about 42 miles
Public schools	Columbus County Schools
Nearest community college	Southeastern Community College (Whiteville area)
Signature event	North Carolina Yam Festival (October)

Moving to Tabor City: Tips From Our Crew

Plan around Yam Festival week. Festival Saturday brings a parade, vendors and big crowds downtown. If your new home is near Main Street, pick another weekend or move early in the morning.
Measure rural driveways. Many homes outside town sit on long dirt or gravel drives. Tell us about soft ground, low branches or tight turns so we can send the right size truck and avoid getting stuck after a rain.
Know which side of the state line you are on. Tabor City is minutes from Loris, SC. Addresses, utilities, vehicle registration and school zones all depend on the state you live in, so double-check before you sign.
Beat the summer heat. July highs average about 90°F with high humidity. Summer moves go best with a 7 or 8 a.m. start, plenty of water and the AC running at the new house before the truck arrives.
Watch the tropics in late summer. August and September are the wettest months. If a storm is forecast, keep your moving date flexible; we never charge a rescheduling fee.
Consider storage between homes. Older homes often need work before move-in. If you need a gap between closing and moving in, our storage keeps your things safe until you are ready.

Frequently Asked Questions About Moving to Tabor City

How much does it cost to hire movers in Tabor City?

It depends on how much you are moving, how far, and whether you need packing, storage or special items like a piano. The fastest way to get a real number is to call our NC & SC team at 910-758-0081 for a free quote. An owner calls you back within 15 minutes between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Is Tabor City a good place to retire?

For many people, yes. Home values are a fraction of the state typical value, the pace is slow, and the Grand Strand beaches and golf courses are within about 30 to 40 miles. Keep in mind that major hospitals, big-box shopping and the airport all mean a drive.

How far is Tabor City from the beach?

North Myrtle Beach is about 29 miles away, roughly 42 minutes by car, and downtown Myrtle Beach is about 37 miles. On the North Carolina side, Calabash is about 32 miles and Ocean Isle Beach about 44 miles.

What county is Tabor City in?

Tabor City is in Columbus County, North Carolina. The county seat, Whiteville, is about 18.5 miles north. Loris, South Carolina, in Horry County, is only about 7 miles south across the state line.

Can you move me from South Carolina to Tabor City?

Yes. Our NC & SC office handles moves across the state line every week, including from Loris, Conway and the Myrtle Beach area. See our Tabor City movers page or call 910-758-0081.

Move to Tabor City With A & M Friendly Movers

A & M Friendly Movers has been family-owned since 2015. Our crews are background-checked, drug-tested W-2 employees, never subcontractors. With our Owner’s Promise, you talk to an owner, not a call center. If anything is damaged, an owner calls you the same day, and claims are resolved in 60–90 days. We handle local moves, long-distance moves with a binding estimate and a guaranteed delivery date, packing and unpacking, and junk removal when you are downsizing. Military families save 5%. See how our Tabor City moving team can help, or call our NC & SC office at 910-758-0081.

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