Boiling Springs is a town in Cleveland County, North Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 3,866. It is home to Gardner-Webb University. The Broad River runs along the south of the township, where the Broad River Greenway is located, providing recreational facilities, activities and trails. The town is named after the natural springs that are found on University property and which feed a small on-campus lake. It is on the outskirts of Shelby and only several miles from the North Carolina and South Carolina state boundary. Charlotte, about 32 miles east, is the largest nearby city.