Originally known as White's Crossing, the town was laid out in 1810 on James B. White's land, and after he served as the first state senator from the county the name was changed to Whiteville and it was named the county seat. The town was chartered in 1873, and J.A. Maultsby was its first mayor. The city of Chadbourn was started in 1882 and incorporated in 1886. The first charter stipulated that there should be no legalized sale of whiskey in the town, and Chadbourn has the distinction of never having had liquor stores in it. Many other towns and cities sprang up along the way.
Tabor City is world famous for producing yams along the South Carolina border.
On the other side of the county, Riegelwood is famous for its paper mill.