It began as a largely black community in an unincorporated part of Richmond County near the city of Hamlet, with fewer than 1,000 residents.

[8] In the mid-1960s, a local minister founded the North Yard Improvement Association, which raised money to install streetlights along some of the main roads in the community.

[10][11] Two years later residents appealed for the city of Hamlet to annex the community, but the municipal government rejected the proposal, citing the economically depressed nature of the area.

[12] In 1983 Representative Hugh Lee of Rockingham introduced a bill in the North Carolina General Assembly to authorize a local referendum to decide on incorporation.

A black mayor and all-black city council were elected, and the officials successfully secured state and federal grants to improve local infrastructure, including the rehabilitation of streets and parks and equipment acquisitions for the fire department.