Is the Mount Tabor area in Winston-Salem named after the church, or is the church named after the area? (home)

[DSS94]

This is a debate I recently got into with my aunt. My opinion was that the neighborhood, and by extension all the shops and the high school, was named after Mount Tabor United Methodist Church. My reasoning is that the church has been standing since 1845, and seems to predate any other buildings that stand in the neighborhood. Also, since Mount Tabor is a biblical location, it seemed to make the most sense that the church was named Mount Tabor first.

My aunt had her own points, namely that the proximity to Old Town means that it was possible the area had been built up before 1850, and that with the city being settled by Moravians and other relgious folks, they could have just named the area they were settling after a holy site in Christianity.

So, do any local history experts have an answer to this burning question?

[MrRational]

The church use of the name goes back to 1851.
It's fair to say that anything else in the area that uses the name stems from that.
This would include all the secular "development" around the area too.

As regards the high school in particular...
which didn't even show up until 115 years after the church...
no, it didn't get it's name from the church. That's too far a reach.

As to the congregation choosing an Old Testament name...
that seems pretty much self evident.

[Since72]

Mount Tabor United Methodist Church - Winston-Salem, NC

"The story of Mt. Tabor United Methodist Church starts with a Muddy Creek, "a brush heap," and a few noisy Methodists making themselves at home on somebody else's land."

I see it as a combination of both. The church was named something else before becoming Mt Tabor. I would say that as the area grew it was called Mt Tabor after the church. As people would identify it as the area near the church. The school got it's name from the area.

[balatro]

Mount Tabor HS was named after the area which dashers (or whatever name you prefer for long time residents of Winston-Salem) called that general in Winston-Salem so indirectly yes, it was named after the church.