Robeson, Bladen, Columbus County Community Network

The Robeson, Bladen, Columbus County Community Network covers the three Southeastern counties in North Carolina. Bladen County also known as the “Mother County” once included 55 of North Carolina’s 100 counties. The county is the fourth largest land mass in the state, spanning 887 square miles. It’s an ideal destination for hiking, swimming, fishing, hunting, and camping. The workforce opportunities include manufacturing, food processing, retail, tourism, and agribusinesses. Robeson County is located bisected by I-95 and state-of-the art labor force training is available at Robeson Community College and the University of North Carolina Pembroke. The county is also known for Lumbee Homecoming and other culture driven opportunities. Columbus county is bordered by Bladen, Robeson, Pender and Brunswick. There are several large lakes in the county including Lake Tabor, and Lake Waccamaw.  The Green Swamp is the home of unique and endangered species such as the Venus flytrap and Brown Marsh Swamp has a portion of the giant longleaf pine forest.

The Waccamaw Siouan and Lumbee Indian Tribes both currently and historically have made significant contributions to the counties in this Community Network. 

Hurricanes and other adverse weather conditions have caused many challenges for all these counties, but they are continuing to look to the future and make moves to grow and benefit their current and future residents. The Robeson, Blade, Columbus County Community Network will work in partnership with the community and local leaders to identify opportunities for investment to help this region prosper and drive economic and community development.