| Official Name: | Caroleen, North Carolina |
| Settlement Type: | Unincorporated community |
| Pushpin Map: | North Carolina#USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Caroleen |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | North Carolina |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Rutherford |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 2.87 |
| Area Land Km2: | 2.87 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 1.11 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 1.11 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 560 |
| Population Density Km2: | 195.28 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 505.87 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation Ft: | 860 |
| Coordinates: | 35.2811°N -81.7914°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 28019 |
| Area Code: | 828 |
| Blank Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank Info: | 2628617 |
Caroleen is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 652 as of the 2010 census. Caroleen has a post office with ZIP code 28019.[2] [3] U.S. Route 221 Alternate passes through the community.
Caroleen is located on the Second Broad River. It was named in honor of Caroline, wife of industrialist Simpson B. Tanner Sr.
The Post Office Department ruled that Caroline was too similar to Carolina to be acceptable, so the name Caroleen was selected instead.
The communities of Avondale and Henrietta, founded in 1887 and named for Tanner's mother-in-law Henrietta McRae Spencer, lie directly south.[4]
Smoky Burgess Major League Baseball player, 9-time All-Star and 1960 World Series champion[5]