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History · Bostic

Bostic was first counted by the census in 1900, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Bostic Charge Parsonage. Below: maps from 1966 on and the census since 1900.

1900first census
1on the National Register
16%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Bostic began, and where its name came from

When was Bostic founded?

1900

Bostic first appears in the census in 1900.

First census: 97 in 19002020 census: 355126 years

How did Bostic get its name?

Bostic was named after George T. Bostic, a prominent businessman and member of the community.

Founding year: the first census. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Bostic’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Bostic are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 476 in 1980; 355 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bostic’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bostic’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Bostic, census by census

01002003004005001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 476

Peaked at 476 in 1980; 355 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bostic’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Bostic came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bostic.

Read it all →

The area was originally named Black Oak, before being named Bostick and eventually Bostic. It was named after George T. Bostic, a prominent businessman and member of the community. His son, William Chivous Bostic Sr., became an accomplished doctor and researcher of infectious disease.

In 1904, George W. Jones founded the Valdesian Nurseries in Bostic. The nurseries were originally situated on two acres but had expanded to two hundred acres in less than twenty years. The nursery primarily produced ornamental and rare plants for wholesale. The grounds included space for offices, storage, and greenhouses. It was located adjacent to the railroad.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Bostic, decade by decade

Today9 recent
Bostic-water-tower-nc2019Bostic-water-tower-ncBostic-from-hill-nc2019Bostic-from-hill-ncBostic-Town-Hall-nc2019Bostic-Town-Hall-ncBostic-TBRY-EMD-locomotives-nc2019Bostic-TBRY-EMD-locomotives-ncBostic-SCL-caboose-nc2019Bostic-SCL-caboose-ncBostic-RR-tracks-nc2019Bostic-RR-tracks-ncBostic-Lincoln-caboose-nc2019Bostic-Lincoln-caboose-ncBostic-Lincoln-Center-nc2019Bostic-Lincoln-Center-ncNCMap-doton-Bostic2004NCMap-doton-Bostic
On the map

Bostic on the map, 1966 to 2002

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bostic. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Bostic on the 1966 USGS mapBostic on the 1993 USGS mapBostic on the 2002 USGS map1966Forest City sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bostic.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Bostic

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
2012
Bostic Charge Parsonage
Bostic Charge Parsonage
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Bungalow1
Craftsman1
Bostic Charge ParsonageBungalow

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Questions about Bostic’s history

What year was Bostic founded?

The Bostic post office opened in 1900, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Bostic?

One place: the Bostic Charge Parsonage (listed 2012).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (9), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.