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Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the most populous city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most-populous city. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 94,589, up from 83,393 in the 2010 census. It is the principal city in the three-county Asheville metropolitan area, which had an estimated population of 417,202 in 2023.

Origins
Before the arrival of the Europeans, the land where Asheville now exists lay within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation, which had homelands in modern western North and South Carolina, southeastern Tennessee, and northeastern Georgia. A town at the site of the river confluence was recorded as Guaxule by Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto during his 1540 expedition through this area. His expedition comprised the first European visitors, who carried endemic Eurasian infectious diseases that killed many in the native population.

The Cherokee had traditionally used the area by the confluence for open hunting and meeting grounds. They called it Untokiasdiyi or Tokiyasdi (ᏙᎩᏯᏍᏗ in Cherokee), meaning "Where they race", until the middle of the 19th century.

European Americans began to settle in the area of Asheville in 1784, after the United States gained independence in the American Revolutionary War. In that year, Colonel Samuel Davidson and his family settled in the Swannanoa Valley, redeeming a soldier's land grant from the state of North Carolina made in lieu of pay. Soon after building a log cabin at the bank of Christian Creek, Davidson was lured into the woods and killed by a band of Cherokee hunters resisting white encroachment. Davidson's wife, child, and female slave fled on foot overnight to Davidson's Fort (named after Davidson's father General John Davidson) 16 miles away.

In response to the killing, Davidson's twin brother Major William Davidson and brother-in-law Colonel Daniel Smith formed an expedition to retrieve Samuel Davidson's body and avenge his murder. Months after the expedition, Major Davidson and other members of his extended family returned to the area and settled at the mouth of Bee Tree Creek.

The U.S. Census of 1790 counted 1,000 residents of the area, excluding the Cherokee Native Americans as a separate nation. Buncombe County was officially formed in 1792. In the 1800 US Census, some 107 settlers in the county were slaveholders, owning a total of 300 slaves. Total county population was 5,812.

The county seat, named "Morristown" in 1793, was established on a plateau where two Indian trails crossed. In 1797, Morristown was incorporated and renamed "Asheville" after North Carolina Governor Samuel Ashe.

In the 1800s, James McDowell established land for burial of slaves belonging to his and the Smith families in Asheville. His son William Wallace McDowell continued this practice, setting aside about two acres of land for this purpose.

Civil War
On the eve of the Civil War, James W. Patton, son of an Irish immigrant, was the largest slaveholder in the county, and had built a luxurious mansion, known as The Henrietta, in Asheville. Buncombe County had the largest number of prominent slaveholders in Western North Carolina, many in the professional class based in Asheville, numbering a total of 293 countywide in 1863.

Asheville, with a population of about 2,500 by 1861, remained relatively untouched by battles of the Civil War. The city contributed companies to the Confederate States Army and to the Union Army. For a time, an Enfield rifle manufacturing facility was located in the town.

The war did not reach Asheville until early April 1865, when the "Battle of Asheville" was fought at the present-day site of the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Union forces withdrew to Tennessee, which they had occupied since 1862. They had encountered resistance in Asheville from a small group of Confederate senior and junior reserves, and recuperating Confederate soldiers in prepared trench lines across the Buncombe Turnpike. The Union force had been ordered to take Asheville only if they could accomplish it without significant losses.

An engagement was fought later that month at Swannanoa Gap, as part of the larger Stoneman's Raid throughout western North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee. Union forces retreated in the face of resistance from Brig. Gen. James Green Martin, commander of Confederate troops in western North Carolina. Later, Union forces returned to the area via Howard's Gap and Henderson County. In late April 1865, North Carolina Union troops from the 3rd North Carolina Mounted Infantry, under the overall command of Union Gen. George Stoneman, captured Asheville. After a negotiated departure, the 2,700 troops left town, accompanied by "hundreds of freed slaves."

Later, the federal troops returned and plundered Asheville, burning a number of Confederate supporters' homes in Asheville.

George Avery was among 40 enslaved people known to have traveled with the troops to Tennessee. There he enlisted in the U.S. Colored Troops. He returned to Asheville after being discharged in 1866. After the war, he was hired by his former master William W. McDowell to manage the South Asheville Cemetery, a public place for black burials. This is the oldest and largest black public cemetery in the state. By 1943, when the last burial was conducted, it held remains of an estimated 2,000 people.

1880s
On October 3, 1880, the Western North Carolina Railroad completed its line from Salisbury to Asheville, the first rail line to reach the city. Almost immediately it was sold and resold to the Richmond and Danville Railroad Company, becoming part of the Southern Railway in 1894. With the completion of the first railway, Asheville developed with steady growth as industrial plants increased in number and size, and new residents built homes. Textile mills were built to process cotton from the region, and other plants were set up to manufacture wood and mica products, foodstuffs, and other commodities.

The 21 mile distance between Hendersonville and Asheville of the former Asheville and Spartanburg Railroad was completed in 1886. By that point, the line was operated as part of the Richmond and Danville Railroad until 1894 and controlled by the Southern Railway afterward.

Asheville had the first electric street railway lines in the state of North Carolina, the first of which opened in 1889. These were replaced by buses in 1934.

1900s
In 1900, Asheville was the third-largest city in the state, behind Wilmington and Charlotte. Asheville prospered in the decades of the 1910s and 1920s. During these years, Rutherford P. Hayes, son of President Rutherford B. Hayes, bought land, and worked with the prominent African-American businessman Edward W. Pearson Sr. to develop his land for residential housing known as the African-American Burton Street Community. Hayes also worked to establish a sanitary district in West Asheville, which became an incorporated town in 1913, and merged with Asheville in 1917.

The Asheville Masonic Temple was constructed in 1913, under the direction of famed architect Richard Sharp Smith, a Freemason. It was the meeting place for local Masons through much of the 20th century.

On July 15–16, 1916, the Asheville area was subject to severe flooding from the remnants of a tropical storm which caused more than $3 million in damage. Areas flooded included part of the Biltmore Estate, and the company that ran it sold some of the property to lower their maintenance costs. This area was later developed as an independent jurisdiction known as Biltmore Forest, which is now one of the wealthiest in the country.

The Great Depression hit Asheville quite hard. On November 20, 1930, eight local banks failed. Only Wachovia remained open with infusions of cash from Winston-Salem. Because of the explosive growth of the previous decades, the per capita debt owed by the city (through municipal bonds) was the highest in the nation. By 1929, both the city and Buncombe County had incurred over $56 million in bonded debt to pay for a wide range of municipal and infrastructure improvements, including City Hall, the water system, Beaucatcher Tunnel, and Asheville High School. Rather than default, the city paid those debts over a period of fifty years.

From the start of the depression through the 1980s, economic growth in Asheville was slow. During this time of financial stagnation, most of the buildings in the downtown district remained unaltered. As a result, Asheville has one of the most impressive, comprehensive collections of Art Deco architecture in the United States.

In 1959, the City Council purchased property partially located in neighboring Henderson County for the development of Asheville Regional Airport. The North Carolina General Assembly passed a bill to redraw the boundaries of Buncombe and Henderson counties to include the proposed airport property entirely in Buncombe, allowing Asheville to annex the complete site.

The last passenger train to serve Asheville, a coach-only remnant of the Southern Railway's Carolina Special, made its last run on December 5, 1968.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, urban renewal displaced much of Asheville's African-American population. Asheville's neighborhoods of Montford and Kenilworth, now mostly white, used to have a majority of black home owners.

Since the late 20th century, there has been an effort to maintain and preserve the South Asheville Cemetery, in the Kenilworth neighborhood. It is the largest public black cemetery in the state, holding about 2000 burials, dating from the early 1800s and slavery years, to 1943. Fewer than 100 of the graves are marked by tombstones.

2000s to present
In 2003, Centennial Olympic Park bomber Eric Robert Rudolph was transported to Asheville from Murphy, North Carolina, for arraignment in federal court.

In September 2004, remnants of Hurricanes Frances and Ivan caused major flooding in Asheville, particularly at Biltmore Village. In 2006, the Asheville Zombie Walk was organized for the first time, starting a tradition that lasted until 2016.

In July 2020, the Asheville City Council voted to provide reparations to Black residents for the city's "historic role in slavery, discrimination and denial of basic liberties". The resolution was unanimously passed, and Asheville committed to "make investments in areas where Black residents face disparities". Also in 2020, efforts were made to remove or change several monuments in the city that celebrated the Confederate States of America or slave owners. Attorney Sean Devereux proposed renaming Asheville in honor of Arthur Ashe, whose ancestors were owned by Samuel Ashe, for whom the city was named. In June 2021, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer was one of 11 U.S. mayors to form Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity (MORE), a coalition of municipal leaders dedicated to starting pilot reparations programs in their cities.

Geography
Asheville is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains at the confluence of the Swannanoa River and the French Broad River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 45.86 sqmi, of which 45.47 sqmi is land and 0.39 sqmi (0.85%) is water.

Asheville is 68.44 miles west of Hickory, 99.51 northwest of Charlotte, and 133.84 miles southwest of Winston-Salem.

Climate
Asheville features a climate that borders between a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa) and an oceanic climate (Trewartha: Do) with noticeably cooler temperatures than the rest of the Piedmont region of the Southeast due to the higher elevation; it is part of USDA Hardiness zone 7a. The area's summers in particular, though warm, are not as hot as summers in cities farther east in the state, as the July daily average temperature is 73.8 °F and there is an average of only 9.4 afternoons with 90 °F+ highs annually; The last time a calendar year passed without a single 90 °F reading was as recently as 2009. Moreover, warm mornings where the low remains at or above 70 °F are much less common than 90 °F afternoons. Winters are cool, with a January daily average of 37.1 °F and highs remaining at or below freezing on 5.5 afternoons.

Official record temperatures range from −16 °F on January 21, 1985 to 100 °F on August 21, 1983; the record cold daily maximum is 4 °F on February 4, 1895, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is 77 °F on July 17, 1887. Readings as low as 0 °F or as high as 95 °F rarely occur, the last occurrences being January 7, 2014 and July 1, 2012, respectively. The average window for freezing temperatures is October 17 to April 18, allowing a growing season of 181 days.

Asheville is located in the Appalachian temperate rainforest and precipitation is relatively well spread, though the summer months are slightly wetter, and averages 49.6 in annually, but has historically ranged from 22.79 in in 1925 to 79.48 in in 2018. Snowfall is sporadic, averaging 10.3 in per winter season, but actual seasonal accumulation varies considerably from one winter to the next; accumulation has ranged from trace amounts in 2011–12 to 48.2 in in 1968–69. Freezing rain often occurs, accompanied by significant disruption. Hail is not uncommon during the spring and summer, accompanied by intense severe thunderstorms but the number of days with thunderstorms varies dramatically from year to year ranging from as low as 15 days in 2008 to as much as 44 in 2018. The month that usually experiences the most thunderstorms in Asheville is in July but number of days with thunderstorms in July has ranged from as much as 18 days in 2016 to as low as two days in 2008.

Neighborhoods

 * North – includes the neighborhoods of Albemarle Park, Beaverdam, Chestnut Hills, Colonial Heights, Five Points, Grove Park, Hillcrest, Kimberly, Klondyke, Montford, and Norwood Park. Chestnut Hill, Grove Park, Lakeview Park, Montford, and Norwood Park neighborhoods are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Montford and Albemarle Park have been named local historic districts by the Asheville City Council.
 * East – includes the neighborhoods of Kenilworth, Beverly Hills, Chunn's Cove, Haw Creek, Oakley, Oteen, Reynolds, Riceville, and Town Mountain.
 * West – includes the neighborhoods of Camelot, Wilshire Park, Bear Creek, Deaverview Park, Emma, East-West Asheville, Hi-Alta Park, Lucerne Park, Malvern Hills, Sulphur Springs, Burton Street, Haywood Road, and Pisgah View.
 * South – includes the neighborhoods of Ballantree, Biltmore Village, Biltmore Park, Oak Forest, Royal Pines, Shiloh, and Skyland. Biltmore Village has been named a local historic district by the Asheville City Council.

Architecture
Notable architecture in Asheville includes its Art Deco Asheville City Hall, and other unique buildings in the downtown area, such as the Battery Park Hotel, the original of which was 475 feet long with numerous dormers and chimneys; the Neo-Gothic Jackson Building, the first skyscraper on Pack Square; Grove Arcade, one of America's first indoor shopping malls; and the Basilica of St. Lawrence. The S&W Cafeteria Building is also a fine example of Art Deco architecture in Asheville. The Grove Park Inn is an important example of architecture and design of the Arts and Crafts movement.

Asheville's recovery from the Depression was slow and arduous. Because of the financial stagnation, there was little new construction and much of the downtown district remained unaltered.

The Montford Area Historic District and other central areas are considered historic districts and include Victorian houses. Biltmore Village, located at the entrance to the famous estate, showcases unique architectural features. It was here that workers stayed during the construction of George Vanderbilt's estate. The YMI Cultural Center, founded in 1892 by George Vanderbilt in the heart of downtown, is one of the nation's oldest African-American cultural centers.

Metropolitan/combined statistical area
Asheville is the largest city in the Asheville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, as well as the Asheville-Waynesville-Brevard, NC Combined Statistical Area, which includes Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, and Transylvania counties, which had a combined population of 513,720 in 2023, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau.

Demographics
Asheville first appeared in the 1800 U S. Census with "Ashville" as the spelling. Only 38 inhabitants were recorded.

Asheville did not appear again until the 1850 U.S. Census with "Ashville" once again as the spelling. The population recorded was 502. Asheville did not report separately in 1860.

Asheville is the larger principal city of the Asheville-Waynesville-Brevard, NC Combined Statistical Area that includes the Asheville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area (Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, and Madison counties) and the Brevard, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area (Transylvania County),  which had a combined population of 469,015 at the 2020 census.

Asheville's East End/Valley Street stands as the oldest and most culturally significant black community in the city.

2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 94,589 people, 40,340 households, and 18,902 families residing in the city.

2000 census
At the 2000 census, there were 68,889 people, 30,690 households and 16,726 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,683.4 PD/sqmi. There were 33,567 housing units at an average density of 820.3 /sqmi. The racial composition of the city was: 77.95% White, 17.61% Black or African American, 3.76% Hispanic or Latino American, 0.92% Asian American, 0.35% Native American, 0.06% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 1.53% some other race, and 1.58% two or more races.

There were 30,690 households, of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.5% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.81.

Age distribution was 19.6% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.

The median household income was $32,772, and the median family income was $44,029. Males had a median income of $30,463, and $23,488 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,024. About 13% of families and 19% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.9% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Religion
There are a number of Baptist churches, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Churches of Christ, as well as a few non-Christian places of worship, such as Urban Dharma, a Tibetan Buddhist center of the Drikung Kagyu school. Asheville is the headquarters of the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina, which is seated at the Cathedral of All Souls. Asheville is an important city for North Carolinian Catholics, who make pilgrimages to the Basilica of St. Lawrence. There are several historical churches located throughout the city, including the First Baptist Church of Asheville.

Asheville is also home to a number of atheist, humanist, and ethical culture organizations.

Economy

Major corporations headquartered in the Asheville area include HomeTrust Bancshares, Ingles, Earth Fare, The Biltmore Company, Moog Music and the eastern headquarters for Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and New Belgium Brewing Company.

Largest employers
According to the city's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:

Sustainability and environmental initiatives
The city of Asheville is home to a Duke Energy Progress coal power plant near Lake Julian. This power plant is designated as having Coal Combustion Residue Surface Impoundments with a High Hazard Potential by the EPA. In 2012 a Duke University study found high levels of arsenic and other toxins in North Carolina lakes and rivers downstream from the Asheville power plants coal ash ponds. Samples collected from coal ash waste flowing from the ponds at the Duke Energy Progress plant to the French Broad River in Buncombe County contained arsenic levels more than four times higher than the EPA drinking water standard, and levels of selenium 17 times higher than the agency's standard for aquatic life. In March 2013 the State of North Carolina sued Duke Energy Progress in order to address similar environmental compliance issues. In July 2013 Duke Energy Corp. and North Carolina environmental regulators proposed a settlement in the lawsuit that stated coal ash threatened Asheville's water supply. The settlement called for Duke to assess the sources and extent of contamination at the Riverbend power plant in Asheville. Duke was to be fined $99,100. However, following the coal ash spill in Eden, NC, the North Carolina DENR cancelled all previous settlements with Duke Energy.

The city of Asheville claims a clear focus on sustainability and the development of a green economy. For Asheville, this goal is defined in their Sustainability Management Plan as: "Making decisions that balance the values of environmental stewardship, social responsibility and economic vitality to meet our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs." As part of the Zero Waste AVL initiative, which began in 2012, each resident receives "Big Blue," a rolling cart in which they can put all of their materials unsorted. Residents can recycle a great variety of materials and "in this first year of the program 6.30% of waste was diverted from the landfill for recycling."

The Asheville City Council's goal is to reduce the overall carbon footprint 80% by 2030. This means 4% or more reduction per year. In 2009 the reduction was made when the "City installed over 3,000 LED street lights, managed its water system under ISO 14001 standards for environmental management, improved the infrastructure and management of many of its buildings, and switched many employees to a 4-day work week (which saves emissions from commuting)." Asheville is recognized by the Green Restaurant Association as the first city in the U.S. to be a Green Dining Destination (significant density of green restaurants).

Music
Live music is a significant element in the tourism-based economy of Asheville and the surrounding area. Seasonal festivals and numerous nightclubs and performance venues offer opportunities for visitors and locals to attend a wide variety of live entertainment events.

Asheville has a strong tradition of street performance and outdoor music, including festivals, such as Bele Chere and the Lexington Avenue Arts & Fun Festival (LAAFF). One event is "Shindig on the Green," which happens Saturday nights during July and August on City/County Plaza. By tradition, the Shindig starts "along about sundown" and features local bluegrass bands and dance teams on stage, and informal jam sessions under the trees surrounding the County Courthouse. The "Mountain Dance & Folk Festival" started in 1928 by Bascom Lamar Lunsford is said to be the first event ever labeled a "folk festival". Another popular outdoor music event is "Downtown After 5," a monthly concert series held from 5 pm until 9 pm that hosts popular touring musicians as well as local acts. A regular drum circle, organized by residents in Pritchard Park, is open to all and has been a popular local activity every Friday evening.

Asheville is also home of the Moog Music Headquarters and the museum of the Bob Moog Foundation.

Asheville plays host to The Warren Haynes Christmas Jam, an annual charity event which raises money for Habitat For Humanity, and features notable musicians. DJ music, as well as a small, but active, dance community are also components of the downtown musical landscape. The town is also home to the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, the Asheville Lyric Opera, the Land of the Sky Symphonic Band, the Asheville Jazz Orchestra, the Smoky Mountain Brass Band, and the Asheville Community Band. There are a number of bluegrass, country, and traditional mountain musicians in the Asheville area. A residency at local music establishment the Orange Peel by the Smashing Pumpkins in 2007, along with the Beastie Boys in 2009, brought national attention to Asheville. The rock band Band of Horses have recorded two albums at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, as have the Avett Brothers (who have also traditionally played a New Year's Eve concert in Asheville). Christian vocal group the Kingsmen originated in Asheville.

Performing arts

The Asheville Community Theatre was founded in 1946, producing the first amateur production of the Appalachian drama Dark of the Moon. Soon after, the young actors Charlton Heston and wife Lydia Clarke took over the small theatre. The current ACT building has two performance spaces – the Mainstage Auditorium (and named the Heston Auditorium), and the more intimate black box performance space 35below.

The Asheville Lyric Opera celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2009 with a concert featuring Angela Brown, David Malis, and Tonio Di Paolo, veterans of the Metropolitan Opera. The ALO has typically performed three fully staged professional operas for the community in addition to its vibrant educational program.

The Fringe Arts Festival features alternative performances.

Visual arts

 * Flood Fine Arts Center, a non-profit contemporary art institution formerly in the River Arts District and now in nearby Black Mountain
 * Asheville Art Museum, located on Pack Square in downtown Asheville, which reopened on November 14, 2019, after a $24 million renovation
 * Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center, located on Pack Square in downtown Asheville, which presents exhibitions, performances and other public programs related to the history and influence of Black Mountain College
 * The Southern Highland Craft Guild's Folk Art Center, dedicated to Appalachian craft traditions
 * The YMI Cultural Center, exhibiting art related to the heritage of African Americans in the area

Film and television
The Asheville Film Festival completed its sixth year, but the City of Asheville ceased to fund it, putting its future in doubt. The city is an annual participant in the 48-Hour Film Project.

The Twin Rivers Media Festival is an independent multi-media film festival held annually in downtown Asheville. The festival held its 20th annual event in May 2013.

Places of worship
Places of worship in Asheville include the Roman Catholic Basilica of St. Lawrence, the Episcopal Cathedral of All Souls and St. Luke's Church, and the Jewish Congregation Beth Israel.

Restaurants
Asheville was the first U.S. city recognized by the Green Restaurant Association as a Green Dining Destination (significant density of green restaurants).

Notable local restaurants include Plant, an upscale vegan restaurant, and Tupelo Honey Cafe.

In 2022, two Asheville restaurants were given the James Beard Award. Chai Pani received Outstanding Restaurant and Cúrate received the award for Outstanding Hospitality. Asheville is also home to Cantonese chef J Chong who was a finalist on the HBO cooking competition, The Big Brunch.

Points of interest

 * The Arras, tallest structure in Asheville
 * Biltmore Estate, largest privately owned house in the United States, and listed as U.S. National Historic Landmark
 * Blue Ridge Parkway, a national parkway noted for its scenic beauty, known as "America's Favorite Drive"
 * Botanical Gardens at Asheville, non-profit botanical gardens initially designed by Doan Ogden
 * Demens-Rumbough-Crawley House, "Hanger Hall", built by Peter Demens, listed on the National Register of Historic Places
 * Grove Park Inn, hotel listed on U.S. National Register of Historic Places
 * Jackson Building, first skyscraper in western North Carolina
 * McCormick Field, one of the oldest minor-league stadiums still in regular use
 * North Carolina Arboretum, arboretum and botanical garden located within the Bent Creek Experimental Forest
 * Smith-McDowell House, the city's first mansion and oldest surviving house, and the oldest brick structure in Buncombe County
 * Thomas Wolfe House, boyhood home of American author Thomas Wolfe, and a U.S. National Historic Landmark

Other sports
Area colleges and universities, such as the University of North Carolina at Asheville, compete in sports. UNCA's sports teams are known as the Bulldogs and play in the Big South Conference. The Fighting Owls of Warren Wilson College participate in mountain biking and ultimate sports teams. The college is also home of the Hooter Dome, where the Owls play their home basketball games. The Blue Ridge Rollergirls, Asheville's first women's flat-track roller derby team, was established in 2006.

Parks and recreation
Asheville is a major hub of whitewater recreation, particularly whitewater kayaking, in the eastern US. Many kayak manufacturers have their bases of operation in the Asheville area. Some of the most distinguished whitewater kayakers live in or around Asheville. In its July/August 2006 journal, the group American Whitewater named Asheville one of the top five US whitewater cities.

Asheville is also home to numerous disc golf courses.

Soccer is another popular recreational sport in Asheville. There are two youth soccer clubs in Asheville, Asheville Shield Football Club and HFC.

The Asheville Hockey League provides opportunities for youth and adult inline hockey at an outdoor rink at Carrier Park. The rink is open to the public, and pick-up hockey is also available. The Asheville Civic Center has held recreational ice hockey leagues in the past.

Local government
The City of Asheville operates under a council–manager government, via its charter. A mayor and a six-member city council are elected at-large for staggered four-year terms. The City Council appoints a city manager, a city attorney, and a city clerk. The City Council appoints a vice-mayor from among its members. In the absence or disability of the mayor, the vice-mayor performs the mayoral duties. City Council determines the needs to be addressed and the degree of service to be provided by the administrative branch of city government.

In 2005 Mayor Charles Worley signed the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and in 2006 the City Council created the Sustainable Advisory Committee on Energy and the Environment. In 2007 the Council became the first city on the East Coast to commit to building all municipal buildings to LEED Gold Standards and to achieve 80 percent energy reduction of 2001 standards by 2040. Also in 2007 the Council signed an agreement with Warren Wilson College stating the intent of the city and college to work together toward climate partnership goals.

Following President Donald Trump's decision to remove the United States from the Paris Agreement, Mayor Esther Manheimer was one of the original 61 mayors to commit to uphold the agreement in the city.

On July 14, 2020, the Asheville City Council voted unanimously to approve reparations to the city's Black citizens. The move came during the 2020 George Floyd protests. The resolution called for increased investment in Black communities in the city. The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners soon followed the adoption of the measure. The protest also started a move to remove and replace the Vance Monument in the city; that decision is still underway.

City Council members

 * Mayor: Esther E. Manheimer (2013–present; councilor 2009–present)
 * Vice mayor: Sandra Kilgore (2022–present; councilor 2020–present)
 * Councilor: S. Antanette Mosley (2020–present)
 * Councilor: Kim Roney (2020–present)
 * Councilor: Sheneika Smith (2017–present)
 * Councilor: Sage Turner (2020–present)
 * Councilor: Maggie Ullman (2022–present)

Controversy
In 2009, a group of Asheville citizens challenged the legitimacy of Cecil Bothwell's election to the City Council, citing the Constitution of North Carolina, which does not permit atheists to hold public office. Bothwell has described himself as a "post theist" rather than an atheist, and is a member of a local Unitarian Universalist congregation. The opponents to his election never filed suit. In response to the charge, legal scholars explained that the U.S. Supreme Court held in Torcaso v. Watkins that religious tests for political office are unconstitutional.

Bothwell served his four-year council term and was re-elected in 2013. He was defeated in the primary when he ran for a third term in 2017.

While the city council elections are non-partisan, party politics may enter into play, as Republican and Democratic party members back their registered members' candidacy. An effort by the council to return to partisan elections was defeated by voters in a referendum held in November 2007.

Law enforcement
The Asheville Police Department (APD) was created in 1849. It has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies since 1994.

State government
In the North Carolina Senate, most of Asheville is in the 49th district, represented by Julie Mayfield (D), and a small portion of the eastern part of the city is in 46th district, represented by Warren Daniel (R). In North Carolina House of Representatives, Asheville is split between the 114th, 115th, and 116th districts, represented by J. Eric Ager (D), Lindsey Prather (D), and Caleb Rudow (D), respectively.

Federal government
In the 2012 presidential election, Barack Obama won the entirety of Buncombe County with 55% of the vote. Obama visited the city on a few occasions. In April 2010, he and his family vacationed in the city.

In the United States presidential election of 2016, Hillary Clinton won 54% of the vote in Buncombe County and Donald Trump 40%, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections. In 2020, Joe Biden won 59.74% of the vote in Buncombe County and Donald Trump 38.63%.

Asheville is a college town that, similar to many other American college towns, has seen its partisan lean since 2000 shift from Republican leaning to solidly Democratic — where George W. Bush won the county by 11 points in 2000, Joe Biden won the county by 21 points in 2020 — a 32-point swing in two decades.

North Carolina is represented in the United States Senate by Thom Tillis (R–Huntersville) and Ted Budd (R–Advance). The city of Asheville is located in North Carolina's 11th congressional district, which is currently represented by Chuck Edwards (R–Flat Rock).

Education
Students (K–12) are assigned to one of two public school systems in the city of Asheville, Buncombe County Schools or Asheville City Schools, based on address.

Public Asheville City Schools include Asheville High School (known as Lee H Edwards High School 1935–1969), School of Inquiry and Life Sciences at Asheville, Asheville Middle School, Claxton Elementary, Randolph Learning Center, Hall Fletcher Elementary, Isaac Dickson Elementary, Ira B. Jones Elementary, and Lucy Herring Elementary.

The Buncombe County Schools System operates high schools, middle schools and elementary schools both inside and outside the city of Asheville. North Buncombe High School, T. C. Roberson High School and A. C. Reynolds High School are three Buncombe County schools located in Asheville.

Asheville was formerly home to one of the few Sudbury schools in the Southeast, Katuah Sudbury School. It is also home to several charter schools, including Francine Delany New School for Children (one of the first charter schools in North Carolina), ArtSpace Charter School, Invest Collegiate Imagine, and Evergreen Community Charter School, an Outward Bound-Expeditionary Learning School, recognized as one of the most environmentally conscious schools in the country.

Two private residential high schools are located in the Asheville area: the all-male Christ School (located in Arden) and the co-educational Asheville School. Other private schools include Carolina Day School, Veritas Christian Academy, Asheville Catholic School, Canongate Catholic High School, and Asheville Christian Academy.

Colleges
Asheville and its surrounding area have several institutions of higher education:

 * Asheville–Buncombe Technical Community College
 * Black Mountain College (Black Mountain: 1933–1957)
 * Blue Ridge Community College (Flat Rock)
 * Brevard College (Brevard)
 * Lenoir–Rhyne University, center for Graduate Studies of Asheville
 * Mars Hill University (Mars Hill)
 * Montreat College (Montreat)
 * South College (Asheville campus)
 * University of North Carolina at Asheville
 * Warren Wilson College (Swannanoa)
 * Western Carolina University (Cullowhee)

Media
Asheville is in the "Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson" television DMA and the "Asheville" radio ADI for the city's radio stations.

The primary television station in Asheville is ABC affiliate WLOS-TV Channel 13, with studios in Biltmore Park and a transmitter on Mount Pisgah as of 2024. Other stations licensed to Asheville include WUNF, a PBS (UNC-TV) station on Channel 33 and The CW affiliate WYCW on Channel 62. Asheville is also served by the Upstate South Carolina stations of WYFF Channel 4 (NBC), WSPA-TV Channel 7 (CBS), WHNS-TV Channel 21 (FOX), MyNetworkTV station WMYA Channel 40 and 3ABN station Channel 41. SCETV PBS affiliates from the Upstate of South Carolina are generally not carried on cable systems in the North Carolina portion of the DMA, though are accessible via an HD antenna in some areas.

The Asheville Citizen-Times is Asheville's daily newspaper, which covers most of Western North Carolina. The Mountain Xpress is the largest weekly in the area, covering arts and politics in the region. The Asheville Daily Planet is a monthly paper. Asheville Watchdog is an online-only publication.

The Biltmore Beacon is a weekly newspaper specifically written to be of interest to residents and businesses in the various Biltmore communities including Biltmore Forest, Biltmore Park, Biltmore Lake, and Biltmore Village.

WCQS: Blue Ridge Public Radio is Asheville's public radio station. It airs National Public Radio news and other programs, classical and jazz music. WYQS (BPR News) is the sister station to WCQS, offering local news and NPR programming.

Friends of Community Radio created WSFM-LP, a volunteer-based, grassroots community radio station. The station is licensed under the "Free Form" format. There are also a variety of broadcasts dedicated to poetry, interviews, selected topics, children's radio, and comedy. The staff have remote broadcast many local concerts including Monotonix from Israel, JEFF the Brotherhood from Nashville, Screaming Females from New Jersey, and local acts.

Transportation
Asheville is served by Asheville Regional Airport in the southernmost portion of the city, and by Interstate 40 (east-west), Interstate 240 (north loop from I-40),  and Interstate 26 (north-south). Additional major roadways providing access to Asheville include U.S. routes 19 and 74, and North Carolina state routes 191 and 280. Passenger rail service is not available for the city. The city operates Asheville Rides Transit (ART), which consists of sixteen bus lines, providing service throughout the City of Asheville and to Black Mountain, North Carolina.

A milestone was achieved in 2003, when Interstate 26 was extended nine miles from Mars Hill (north of Asheville) to Johnson City, Tennessee, completing a seven-year $1/4$-billion dollar construction project, part of a twenty-year $1/2$-billion dollar construction project through the Blue Ridge Mountains. Work continues to improve Interstate 26 from Mars Hill to Interstate 40 by improving U.S. Route 19 and U.S. Route 23 and the western part of Interstate 240. This construction will include a multimillion-dollar bridge to cross the French Broad River.

The Norfolk Southern Railway passes through the city, but passenger service is no longer available in the area. The city was last served in 1975 by the Southern Railway's Asheville Special (New York-Washington-Asheville, ended, 1970; Asheville-Salisbury, ended, 1975). Before that, it was served by the Southern's Skyland Special (Asheville-Columbia-Jacksonville, ended, 1959) and Carolina Special (Cincinnati-Goldsboro and Charleston branches, ended, 1968). In 1968, passenger service shifted from Asheville's station to the nearby Biltmore station. The Asheville station, built in 1905, was demolished.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has proposed the restoration of train service between Asheville and Salisbury, as has Amtrak.

In 2020, the city received a $US1 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to be used primarily on the ART bus transit system.

Public services and utilities
The residents of Asheville are served by the Buncombe County Public Libraries, consisting of 11 branches located throughout the county; the headquarters and central library, Pack Memorial Library, is located in downtown Asheville. The system includes a law library in the Buncombe County Courthouse and a genealogy and local history department located in the central library.

Drinking water in Asheville is provided by the Asheville water department. The water system consists of three water treatment plants, more than 1600 mi of water lines, 30 pumping stations and 27 storage reservoirs.

Sewer services are provided by the Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe County, power provided by Duke Energy, and natural gas is provided by PSNC Energy.

Asheville offers public transit through the ART (Asheville Rides Transit) bus service that operates across the city and to the town of Black Mountain. Routes originate from a central station located at 49 Coxe Avenue.

Sister cities
Asheville's sister cities are:

 * Birnam, Scotland, United Kingdom
 * Dunkeld, Scotland, United Kingdom
 * 🇬🇷 Karpenisi, Greece
 * Osogbo, Nigeria
 * 🇲🇽 San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico
 * 🇫🇷 Saumur, France
 * 🇲🇽 Valladolid, Mexico
 * 🇷🇺 Vladikavkaz, Russia

In popular culture
Author Thomas Wolfe (d. 1938) was born and grew up here, writing about the city; he and O. Henry (d.1910) are buried in Riverside Cemetery. Other authors with Asheville ties include Charles Frazier (Cold Mountain), Chicago poet Carl Sandburg (d.1967 in his home in Flat Rock), and F. Scott Fitzgerald (who wrote while staying at the Grove Park Inn).

Thomas Wolfe's debut novel Look Homeward, Angel (1929) is set largely in Asheville and features a protagonist recognizably similar to the author; the town is named Altamont in the book.

The 2008 film Anywhere, U.S.A. was locally produced, and won a Special Jury Prize for Spirit of Independence at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. The character Harrison Shepherd, the narrator and protagonist of Barbara Kingsolver's 2009 novel The Lacuna, lived in Asheville. Asheville is featured as a location in the 2009 novel One Second After by William R. Forstchen (an area resident).

The 2012 film The Hunger Games was filmed near Asheville, as was the 2017 film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The North Carolina tourism board has developed a guide for visitors interested in sites used in the film.

title: Asheville, North Carolina


text:
Avery Creek, North Carolina

Avery Creek is a census-designated place (CDP) in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,950 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography
Avery Creek is located in southern Buncombe County. The main road through the community is North Carolina Highway 191 (Brevard Road), leading north 11 mi to downtown Asheville and south 13 mi to Hendersonville. North Carolina Highway 146 (Long Shoals Road) heads east from Avery Creek, leading 1.6 mi to Interstate 26 and 3.5 mi to the Skyland neighborhood of Asheville.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Avery Creek CDP has a total area of 4.5 km2, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,405 people, 561 households, and 414 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 818.8 PD/sqmi. There were 584 housing units at an average density of 340.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.02% White, 2.92% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.28% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.35% of the population.

There were 561 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.0% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 22.5% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $47,619, and the median income for a family was $51,042. Males had a median income of $41,123 versus $28,281 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,386. About 4.9% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Avery Creek, North Carolina


text:
Bent Creek, Buncombe County, North Carolina

Bent Creek is a census-designated place (CDP) in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,287 at the 2010 census. The Bent Creek area has mountain bike trails within the Pisgah National Forest.

History
For its first 70 years, Bent Creek was "a self-sufficient community". From 1866 to 1887, Glencoe was an Episcopal mission, part of Ravenscroft Theological Training School and Associate Mission, started by Colonel L.M. Hatch, with a mill, a factory, a school and a church. It was named for "a Celtic hero's homeland." Col. Hatch's family sold 1383 acres for $5 an acre in 1900 to George Washington Vanderbilt II, who was adding a game preserve and hunting area to Biltmore Estate. The land later became part of Pisgah National Forest. Russell "Pinckney" Lance had a grist mill and had a "self-sufficient farm". Other farmers used methods intended to keep the farms operating for generations. Later, the area became Bent Creek Experimental Forest.

Geography
The Bent Creek CDP is located in south-central Buncombe County, southwest of downtown Asheville. It is bordered to the east by North Carolina Highway 191 (Brevard Road), to the southeast by Wesley Branch Road, to the southwest by Wolf Branch (or Wolf Creek), to the northwest by the crest of Stradley Mountain, and to the north by Boring Mill Branch. The bulk of the community centers around Bent Creek Ranch Lake on Wesley Creek. The 434 acre North Carolina Arboretum and Bent Creek Experimental Forest are located just outside the CDP to the south of Wesley Branch Road.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Bent Creek CDP has a total area of 5.7 km2, of which 0.02 km2, or 0.35%, is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,389 people, 552 households, and 418 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 627.6 PD/sqmi. There were 583 housing units at an average density of 263.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.41% White, 0.43% African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.01% Asian, 0.29% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.08% of the population.

There were 552 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.8% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $49,375, and the median income for a family was $57,768. Males had a median income of $36,136 versus $27,964 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,138. About 6.7% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under age 18 and 18.6% of those age 65 or over.


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Biltmore Forest, North Carolina

Biltmore Forest is a town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,343 in 2010. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. Biltmore Forest is the second-wealthiest town in North Carolina by per capita income at $85,044.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.9 sqmi, all land.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,409 people, 605 households, and 485 families residing in the town.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,440 people, 588 households, and 456 families residing in the town. The population density was 494.5 PD/sqmi. There were 653 housing units at an average density of 224.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 99.24% White, 0.35% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.07% from other races, and 0.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.14% of the population.

There were 588 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.8% were married couples living together, 3.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.4% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 3.1% from 18 to 24, 16.5% from 25 to 44, 36.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $119,526, and the median income for a family was $152,654. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $38,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $85,044. About 0.4% of families and 0.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.6% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over. Biltmore Forest has the highest per capita income of any city or town with over 1,000 inhabitants in North Carolina.

History
In 1916, a substantial flood in Asheville, North Carolina, damaged the Biltmore Estate. The Biltmore Company sold the affected land to lessen the upkeep and tax burden. The town of Biltmore Forest was chartered in 1923 and was developed on this land. The first houses were built on White Oak Road. In 1929, Asheville annexed a portion of Biltmore Forest, but that action was reversed in 1935 by an act of the North Carolina legislature.

The Judge Junius G. Adams House, Raoulwood (Thomas Wadley Raoul House) and Gunston Hall are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

title: Biltmore Forest, North Carolina


text:
Black Mountain, North Carolina

Black Mountain is a town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,426 at the 2020 United States census. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is named for the old train stop at the Black Mountain Depot and is located at the southern end of the Black Mountain range of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Southern Appalachians.

History
Black Mountain in its present form was incorporated on March 4, 1893. The first recorded inhabitants of the area were the Cherokee. A road was built through the area in 1850 and a railroad followed in 1879.

The Black Mountain College Historic District, Black Mountain Downtown Historic District, Blue Ridge Assembly Historic District, Dougherty Heights Historic District, Rafael Guastavino Sr., Estate, Intheoaks, Monte Vista Hotel, South Montreat Road Historic District, and Thomas Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

About the town
The downtown area has many eclectic shops, attracting seasonal tourism, a main staple of the local economy. There are also many quaint bed and breakfasts. The town is near several Christian retreat areas including Ridgecrest and Montreat Conference Center.

Black Mountain College was formerly located near the town, but the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center, dedicated to the experimental educational institution's history, is now located in downtown Asheville. Black Mountain is also the site of the Swannanoa Valley Museum. The Black Mountain Center for the Arts is located down the street from the museum. In 2002 the community raised 1.2 million dollars to buy the old Town Hall and convert it into the Art Center.

Black Mountain News is a weekly newspaper covering Black Mountain and the Swannanoa Valley area.

Geography
Black Mountain is located in eastern Buncombe County. The town of Montreat borders Black Mountain to the north, and the unincorporated community of Swannanoa is on the western border. U.S. Route 70 (State Street) is the main road through the center of town. Interstate 40 passes just to the south of downtown, with access from exits 64 and 65. Via I-40, it is 15 mi west to Asheville and 41 mi east to Morganton.

The Swannanoa River flows from east to west through the town, rising just 3 mi to the east at Swannanoa Gap on the crest of the Appalachians. The Swannanoa River flows west to the French Broad River, part of the Tennessee River basin that ultimately flows to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River, while Swannanoa Creek east of the gap is part of the Catawba River-Santee River system, reaching the Atlantic Ocean north of Charleston, South Carolina.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Black Mountain has a total area of 17.4 km2, of which 0.04 km2, or 0.23%, is water.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census and American Community Survey 2021(5 year estimates), there were 8,426 people and 3,928 households residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 85.37% White, 4.0% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.57% from other races, and 4.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.43% of the population.

There were 3,928 households, out of which 17.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 36.5% had a female householder with no husband present. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 26.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.66.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 14.9% under the age of 18, 2.5% from 18 to 24, 19.3% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 37.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 57.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 67.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $68,333, and the median income for a family was $85,262. The per capita income for the town was $20,509. About 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,511 people, 3,340 households, and 2,027 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,165.7 PD/sqmi. There were 3,703 housing units at an average density of 574.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 90.84% White, 6.27% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.81% of the population.

There were 3,340 households, out of which 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.75.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 19.1% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $35,541, and the median income for a family was $43,373. Males had a median income of $28,604 versus $22,476 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,509. About 7.6% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.2% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

In popular culture
Black Mountain is the site of the Three Billboards featured in the 2017 film, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, with one billboard exposed in April 2016, with the other two covered up.

Government and infrastructure
The North Carolina Department of Public Safety (formerly the North Carolina Department of Corrections) operates the Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women. It opened on July 7, 2008, taking women previously at the Black Mountain Correctional Center for Women.

Education

 * Black Mountain College (1933–1957)
 * Montreat College (Black Mountain)

Events

 * Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF)

Notable people
Literary
 * Patricia Cornwell
 * William R. Forstchen
 * Nicholas Sparks

Music
 * McDibbs – music venue
 * Roberta Flack – singer
 * Floating Action (band) – (Seth Kauffman)
 * The Jellyrox – (Matthew Langston)
 * The Morris Brothers – country music group
 * David Wilcox – singer-songwriter
 * Artimus Pyle – drummer Lynyrd Skynyrd

Architecture
 * Rafael Guastavino

Athletes and sporting figures
 * Brad Daugherty – NBA All-Star, ESPN and NBC Sports commentator, and NASCAR team owner
 * Brad Johnson – NFL quarterback who led the Buccaneers to their Super Bowl XXXVII title
 * Sammy Stewart – Major League Baseball pitcher
 * Roy Williams – NCAA basketball coach

Religion
 * L. Nelson Bell – missionary, Christianity Today founder
 * Andrew Brunson – American pastor imprisoned in Turkey

Film, television, and theater
 * Matt Lutz – actor

Politicians
 * Roy A. Taylor – congressman

Diplomats
 * Philip S. Kosnett – Foreign Service Officer; U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Kosovo 2018-2021

title: Black Mountain, North Carolina


text:
Fairview, Buncombe County, North Carolina

Fairview is a census-designated place (CDP) in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,678 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
The William Nelson Camp Jr. House, John A. Lanning House, Dr. Cireo McAfee McCracken House, and Sherrill's Inn are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Martin Gash bought 76 acres on Cripple Creek (later Gash's Creek) on November 27, 1793. Marshes which attracted buffalo had to be drained in order to use the land.

Geography
Fairview is located in southeastern Buncombe County along U.S. Route 74A (Charlotte Highway). It is 11 mi southeast of downtown Asheville and 16 mi northwest of Lake Lure.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 16.1 km2, all land.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,771 people, 1,030 households, and 716 families residing in the CDP.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,495 people, 907 households, and 684 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 401.6 PD/sqmi. There were 971 housing units at an average density of 156.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.15% White, 0.44% African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.52% of the population. 23.4% were of American, 11.1% English, 11.1% German, 10.9% Scotch-Irish, 8.6% Irish, 5.5% Polish, and 3.4% Albanian ancestry according to Census 2000. This makes Fairview the place in the United States with the largest concentration of Albanians.

There were 907 households, out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.1% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.5% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $46,818, and the median income for a family was $51,768. Males had a median income of $31,615 versus $25,305 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $21,029. About 8.1% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.


text:
Montreat, North Carolina

Montreat is a town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 723 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is best known for Montreat Conference Center and Montreat College, and for having been the home of the evangelist Billy Graham (1918-2018) and his wife Ruth Bell Graham (1920-2007).

Geography
Montreat is located in eastern Buncombe County. Its eastern border is the county line, with McDowell County to the east. The town is located in the valley of Flat Creek and is surrounded by mountains on three sides. The only road access is via North Carolina Highway 9, which leads southwest 2 mi to the town of Black Mountain.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Montreat has a total area of 7.1 km2.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 901 people, 69 households, and 57 families residing in the town.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 630 people, 185 households, and 98 families residing in the town. The population density was 227.3 PD/sqmi. There were 572 housing units at an average density of 206.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 95.40% White, 0.95% African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.79% from other races, and 1.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.43% of the population.

There were 185 households, out of which 11.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were married couples living together, 2.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.0% were non-families. 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.63.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 9.4% under the age of 18, 45.7% from 18 to 24, 10.3% from 25 to 44, 11.6% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 102.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $45,625, and the median income for a family was $60,625. Males had a median income of $39,375 versus $22,292 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,699. About 3.6% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

The town is the location of the main campus of Montreat College.

History
The town of Montreat was incorporated as a North Carolina township in 1967. Much of the property in the area is still owned by the Mountain Retreat Association, formed in 1897 by John Collins, a Congregationalist minister from Connecticut. Funding for the retreat's creation was secured from candy manufacturer and philanthropist John S. Huyler, founder of Huyler's. The name of Montreat is a portmanteau of the words "Mountain" and "Retreat". In 1907 control of the Mountain Retreat Association (MRA) passed to the Presbyterian Church in the US, and for many years Montreat has been host to religious conferences, mainly Presbyterian, organized through the MRA. Significant organizations in the contemporary town of Montreat, in addition to the Mountain Retreat Association, include Montreat Presbyterian Church: PC(USA), Montreat College (founded in 1916), and Christ Community Church, EPC (formerly Montreat Presbyterian Church).

title: Montreat, North Carolina


text:
Royal Pines, North Carolina

Royal Pines is a census-designated place (CDP) in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,272 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography
Royal Pines is bordered to the west by U.S. Route 25A and the city limits of Asheville, and to the northeast by Mills Gap Road. Brown Mountain, with an elevation of 2996 ft, occupies the center of the CDP.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Royal Pines CDP has a total area of 7.0 km2, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,334 people, 2,133 households, and 1,540 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,753.0 PD/sqmi. There were 2,303 housing units at an average density of 756.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 93.98% White, 3.47% African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.07% Asian, 0.37% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.79% of the population.

There were 2,133 households, out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $52,426, and the median income for a family was $60,885. Males had a median income of $42,679 versus $29,188 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $27,886. About 0.4% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

title: Royal Pines, North Carolina


text:
Swannanoa, North Carolina

Swannanoa is a census-designated place (CDP) in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population 5,021 at the 2020 census up from 4,576 at the 2010 census. The community is named for the Swannanoa River, which flows through the settlement. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Swannanoa is located several miles west of Black Mountain just prior to Oteen and eastern Asheville. With plenty of trails and forest land it is a beautiful mountain area enriched with manufacturing history of the once great Beacon Blanket Mill. Alexander Inn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

Geography
Swannanoa is located in eastern Buncombe County between Asheville and Black Mountain. Interstate 40 passes through the main commercial area of Swannanoa.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 16.7 km2, of which 16.6 km2 is land and 0.1 km2, or 0.53%, is water.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,021 people, 1,614 households, and 837 families residing in the CDP.

2000 census
At the 2000 census, there were 4,132 people, 1,652 households and 1,113 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 649.5 PD/sqmi. There were 1,774 housing units at an average density of 278.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 91.53% White, 5.06% African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.21% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.52% of the population.

There were 1,652 households, of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.86.

27.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.

The median household income was $31,218 and the median family income was $39,980. Males had a median income of $27,561 and females $22,939. The per capita income was $16,804. About 8.5% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure
The North Carolina Department of Public Safety (formerly the North Carolina Department of Corrections) operates the Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women in Swannanoa. It opened on July 7, 2008, taking women previously at the Black Mountain Correctional Center for Women.

The North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention formerly operated the Swannanoa Valley Youth Development Center in Swannanoa for delinquent boys, including those without sufficient English fluency. It opened in 1961.

Originally growing from the Beacon Fire Brigade, Swannanoa receives fire protection from Swannanoa Fire and Rescue who holds a class 2 ISO rating providing 24/7 Full time coverage out of its main station at 103 South Avenue and out of a substation at 510 Bee Tree Rd providing fire protection, first response and, technical rescue.

Education
Warren Wilson College is located west of the Swannanoa CDP.

Charles D Owen High school provides high school education for grades 9-12 for the Swannanoa and Black Mountain Communities as well as parts of Riceville.

Buncombe Community Schools along with Art Space Charter School are also located in Swannanoa.

Brad Johnson was a graduate of Charles D. Owen High School. He went on to play in the National Football League for the Super Bowl XXXVII Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

title: Swannanoa, North Carolina


text:
Coffs Harbour

Coffs Harbour, locally nicknamed Coffs, is a coastal city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, 540 km north of Sydney, and 390 km south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 as per 2021 census. The Gumbaynggirr are the original people of the Coffs Harbour region.

Coffs Harbour's economy was once based on timber and agriculture. Over recent decades, tourism has become an increasingly important industry for the city. Once part of a region known as the Bananacoast, today the tourist city is part of a wider region known as the Coffs Coast.

The city has a campus of Southern Cross University, and a campus of Rural Faculty of Medicine University of New South Wales, a public and a private hospital, several radio stations, and three major shopping centres. Coffs Harbour is near numerous national parks, including a marine national park.

There are regular passenger flights each day to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane departing from Coffs Harbour Airport. Coffs Harbour is also accessible by road, by NSW TrainLink, and by regular bus services.

Geography
Coffs Harbour is a regional city along the Pacific Highway between Newcastle and the Gold Coast. It has become a major service centre for those living between South West Rocks in the south and Grafton to the north.

Sawtell, 10 km south along Hogbin Drive from the city has become a satellite suburb of Coffs Harbour; it is increasingly referred to as being part of the city instead of its own entity as a town.

The surrounding region is dominated by coastal resorts and apartments with hinterland hills and mountains covered by forests, banana and blueberry plantations, and other farms including macadamia nuts, cucumbers, and tomatoes. It is the only place in New South Wales where the Great Dividing Range meets the Pacific Ocean.

The greater Coffs Harbour city is broken up into several suburb and precinct areas, including:
 * Red Hill
 * South Coffs
 * West Coffs
 * Coffs Harbour Jetty
 * Park Beach
 * Sandy Beach
 * Diggers Beach
 * Korora, West Korora
 * Sapphire Beach
 * Moonee Beach
 * Emerald Beach
 * North Boambee Valley
 * Boambee, Boambee East
 * Toormina
 * Sawtell
 * Bonville

The city is surrounded by many towns and villages in the Coffs Coast region, including:
 * Coramba
 * Nana Glen
 * Corindi Beach and Red Rock
 * Karangi
 * Ulong
 * Upper Orara
 * Woolgoolga

History

The traditional inhabitants of the Coffs Harbour region are the Gumbaynggirr people, who have occupied the land for thousands of years, forming one of the largest coastal Aboriginal nations in New South Wales. Their nation stretches from the Nambucca River in the south to around the Clarence River in the north and to the Great Dividing Range in the west.

By the early 1900s, the Coffs Harbour area had become an important timber production centre. Before the opening of the North Coast railway line, the only way to transport large items of heavy but low value, such as timber, was by coastal shipping. This meant sawmillers on the North Coast were dependent on jetties either in rivers or off beaches for exporting their timber. Timber tramways were constructed to connect the timber-getting areas, the sawmills and jetties built into the ocean at Coffs Harbour.

Etymology
Coffs Harbour owes its name to John Korff, who named the area Korff's Harbour when he was forced to take shelter from a storm in the area in 1847. The name was accidentally changed by the surveyor for the Crown when he reserved land in the area during 1861.

Heritage listings
Coffs Harbour has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
 * 1 Breakwater Road: Ferguson's Cottage
 * Coffs Harbour timber jetty, Jordan Esplanade

Demographics
According to the 2021 Census the population of suburban Coffs Harbour is 78,759. This is an increase from 72,944 in 2016. 52.6% of the population is female in contrast to the national average of 50.7%. The average age is 43, which is higher than the national average of 38. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 5.6% of the population.

75.5% of residents reported being born in Australia; higher than the national average of 66.7%. Other than Australia the most common countries of birth are England (3.2%), New Zealand (1.3%), Myanmar (1.1%), India (0.9%) and Germany (0.5%). 62.2% of residents also reported both their parents being born in Australia, considerably higher than the national average of 47.3%. 82.1% of people spoke only English at home.

The top religious affiliations in Coffs Harbour are Catholic 20.0%, Anglican 17.9% and Presbyterian and Reformed 3.9%. 29.3% declared no religion and 11.1% did not submit a response.

Climate
Coffs Harbour has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa according to the Köppen climate classification system) with hot, wet summers and short mild winters, with marked seasonality of rainfall. The city is relatively sunny, receiving 122.1 clear days annually, higher than Brisbane and Cairns but not as sunny as Townsville. Summers are moderately hot, wet and humid. Winters are mild, albeit featuring cool nights, with light to moderate rainfall. There is a history of floods in the city, with major flooding occurring in the years 1917, 1938, 1950, 1963, 1974, 1977, 1989, 1991, 2009 and 2021.

Attractions
Coffs Harbour was the hub for a thriving banana industry. One of the biggest attractions is the Big Banana, one of the first of Australia's Big Things (it celebrated its 50th birthday in 2015), with the World's Largest Banana celebrating the region's best-known export. There is also a popular underwater diving spot on a small natural reef.

The Coffs Harbour Jetty is an historically important timber wharf where coastal shipping once moved the timber from the hinterland. It was listed on the NSW State Heritage Register on 25 June 2021, recognising its significance "as the longest coastal timber jetty built by the Harbours and Rivers Section of the NSW Public Works department in the 19th century." The jetty area is the subject of planning from 2018 by Council and consultants to develop a cultural precinct and rejuvenated residential area.

Nearby, the Solitary Islands Marine Park preserves a diverse underwater ecosystem that mirrors the terrestrial biodiversity, covering the southern limit of northern tropical species and the northern limits of the southern temperate species. Muttonbird Island is accessible by walking along the breakwater from the harbour, with the nature reserve protecting a significant wedge-tailed shearwater breeding site. The Muttonbird Island footpath leads to a viewing platform where whales are often spotted between June and November.

There are many national parks, reserves and marine parks surrounding the city, including:
 * Bellinger River National Park (west of Bellingen in the Bellinger headwaters)
 * Bindarri National Park (20 km west of the city, near Ulong and Dairyville)
 * Bongil Bongil National Park (south of Sawtell)
 * Cascade National Park (north of Dorrigo)
 * Coffs Coast Regional Park (beachside reserves and parks along the Coffs Coast)
 * Dorrigo National Park (just south of the Dorrigo township)
 * Hayden Dent Nature Reserve (northwest of Coffs Harbour)
 * Junuy Juluum National Park (north of Dorrigo)
 * Moonee Beach Nature Reserve (Moonee Beach-Emerald Beach)
 * Nymboi-Binderay National Park (north of Dorrigo, east of Glenreigh, on the Nymboida River)
 * Solitary Islands Marine Park (in the Tasman Sea from Coffs Harbour to Wooli)
 * South Solitary Island (18 km NE from Coffs Harbour in the Marine Park)
 * Ulidarra National Park (Bruxner Park and Mount Coramba area)
 * Yuraygir National Park (stretching from Yamba to Red Rock and west along the Coast Range)

The town's water supply comes from the nearby Orara River at Cochranes Pool and is supplemented by the Nymboida River. The city hosts the Coffs Harbour Regional Botanic Garden.

Education
Coffs Harbour is home to the Coffs Harbour Education Campus (CHEC) which is a partnership between the Southern Cross University, TAFE and the Coffs Harbour Senior College. Other universities include the University of New South Wales Rural Clinical School located on the Coffs Harbour Health Campus. Australian Catholic University, Rural Education (REZ). Local state and private high schools include Coffs Harbour, Woolgoolga, Orara, Toormina, John Paul College, Coffs Harbour Christian Community, Bishop Druitt College and the Coffs Harbour Senior College.

Primary schools include; Boambee, Bonville, Coffs Harbour Public, Coramba, Corindi, Crossmaglen, Karangi, Kororo, Lowanna, Mullaway, Nana Glen, Narranga, Upper Orara, Sandy Beach, Sawtell, Toormina, Tyalla, Ulong, William Bayldon and Woolgoolga Public School. Private primary schools in the area include; Mary Help of Christians, St Augustine's and St Francis Xavier's.

Defunct primary schools
 * Brooklana Public – 1920–1949
 * Bucca Central Public – 1910–1963
 * Bucca Lower Public (Formerly Bucca Creek until May 1919) – 1896–1978
 * Corindi Creek Public – 1920–1962
 * Timmsvale Public – 1928–1970
 * Yalbillinga Special School (Amalgamated with Coffs Harbour PS) – 1965–1993

Other schools Special schools are public schools designed for children or youth with chronic disabilities or who for other reasons cannot be accommodated in the comprehensive school system. Coffs Harbour Learning Centre is available for these students.
 * Giingana Gumbaynggirr Freedom School
 * Casuarina School for Steiner Education
 * Bishop Druitt College
 * Coffs Harbour Bible Church School
 * Coffs Harbour Christian Community School

Bypass
The Pacific Highway cuts through the centre of the city. Work has commenced to build a 14 km deviation containing three interchanges and three tunnels through the ridge line. The project was approved in November 2020 and is due to be completed in 2027 at a cost of $2.2 billion

Newspapers

 * News Of The Area – Printed and on-line publications.
 * Coffs Coast Advocate – The Advocate newspaper was until 2019 published on Wednesdays and Saturdays and delivered free to all homes. The newspaper is now online only. An online index of articles between 1993 and 2004 and selected articles dating back to 1900 is maintained by the Coffs Harbour City Library, though only articles relating to Coffs Harbour and its people are indexed.

Historical:
 * Coffs Coast Independent – Weekly full-colour newspaper delivered free each Thursday to all homes in the Coffs Harbour district, closed 2012.

Television

 * ABC TV, ABC Kids/TV Plus, ABC Me, ABC News (public broadcaster)
 * SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS Food, NITV, SBS WorldWatch (multicultural commercial broadcaster)
 * Nine (NBN), 9Gem, 9Go!, 9Life and Extra (owned by Nine Entertainment and Nine Network owned and operated)
 * Seven (formerly Prime7), 7two, 7mate, 7Bravo, 7flix, and Racing.com (owned by Seven West Media and Seven Network owned and operated)
 * 10, 10 Bold, 10 Peach, Gold (owned by WIN Corporation), (Network 10 affiliate)
 * Sky News Regional (owned by Australian News Channel and News Corp Australia)

Of the three main commercial networks:
 * Nine airs NBN News, a regional hour-long program including opt-outs for the Mid North Coast, every night at 6pm. It is broadcast from studios in Newcastle with reporters based at a local newsroom in the city.
 * The Seven Network (formerly Prime7) airs a half-hour local Seven News (formerly Prime7 News) bulletin for the North Coast at 6pm each weeknight. It is broadcast from studios in Canberra with reporters based at a local newsroom in the city.
 * WIN Television airs short local news updates throughout the day, broadcast from its Wollongong studios.

Commercial

 * 2HC 639 AM and 100.5 FM – talkback, news - including local, national & international; sport; and music. Part of the Broadcast Operations Group's Super Network relaying a majority of programs from 2SM in Sydney and 2HD in Newcastle. The station was purchased by Bill Caralis in 2005.
 * Triple M 106.3 FM – Part of Southern Cross Austereo, Triple M has limited local content - with shows such as Moffee For Breakfast, as well as networked programming - like The Ray Hadley Morning Show, and The Marty Sheargold Show. The station was formerly known as 2CS FM until 15 December 2016.
 * Hit 105.5 (105.5 FM) – Part of Southern Cross Austereo, Hit 105.5 has a local Coffs Harbour Breakfast Show called the A.B & Ben Show. It began in 1997 as a third commercial licence for the Coffs Coast. The station was formerly known as Star FM until 15 December 2016.

Government

 * Triple J 91.5 FM
 * Radio National 99.5 FM
 * ABC Classic 97.9 FM
 * ABC Coffs Coast 92.3 FM
 * ABC NewsRadio 90.7 FM

Community

 * CHY FM 104.1 CHY FM website
 * Racing Radio 107.1 FM
 * 2AIR FM 107.9 2AIR website

Narrowcast

 * RawFM 88.0 FM

Bus
The Coffs Harbour bus network extends from Grafton and Red Rock in the north to Macksville and Grassy Head in the south. Regular route services are operated by Busways and Forest Coach Lines. Forest Coach Lines also operate the Woopi Connect On Demand bus service in the Northern Beaches area.

Train
Coffs Harbour is serviced by NSW TrainLink. Three northbound and three southbound XPT trains stop at Coffs Harbour station each day.

Taxis
Local taxis are run by Holiday Coast Transportation and operate as 13cabs.

Air travel
Coffs Harbour Airport is regularly serviced by Link Airways, Qantas and Regional Express. The passenger terminal is accessible via Hogbin Drive.

The Coffs Harbour Aero Club on Aviation Drive supports private pilots. Flying lessons and discovery flights, as well as air-work and charter flights are available from the club, which is also working closely with local high schools to provide flying training for students.

Sport
The most popular sport in Coffs Harbour is Rugby league. The city has four clubs in the Country Rugby League of NSW's Group 2 rugby league competition; Coffs Harbour Comets, Sawtell Panthers, Woolgoolga Seahorses, and Orara Valley Axemen. All clubs offer entries in age groups ranging from under-7s to first grade. The Sawtell Panthers are the current champions in first grade and under-18s, and Woolgoolga Seahorses were runners up to the Port Macquarie Sharks in reserve grade.

Rugby League Clubs in Coffs Harbour
 * Coffs Harbour Comets
 * Orara Valley Axemen
 * Sawtell Panthers
 * Woolgoolga Seahorses

There is a local Australian rules football competition with three clubs in the city; Coffs Harbour, Northern Beaches–Woologoolga and Sawtell Saints.

There is also a men's and women's soccer league, two rugby union clubs (Coffs Harlequins and Southern Cross University), junior and senior basketball competitions and the representative Coffs Suns, field hockey and netball competitions.

In 2001, Coffs Harbour hosted the Oceania region's qualification matches for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. One these matches played at Coffs Harbour was the Australia 31–0 American Samoa game, which set a new world record for international association football's biggest-ever win.

Pacific Bay Resort hosted 'Camp Wallaby' throughout the 2000s, in which the Wallabies called Coffs Harbour home.

The 2007 and 2013 City vs Country Rugby League representative fixtures were held in Coffs Harbour.

The city is home to the Coffs Harbour International Stadium, which has hosted FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and a Women's 2008 Beijing Olympics Qualification fixtures for the Matildas in soccer as well as some National Rugby League (NRL) pre-season fixtures and domestic one day cricket matches. Coffs Harbour is also known for a great place to skydive due to the hinterland views where The Great Dividing Range meets the sea.

The region has hosted international rallying through the 1970s through to the early 1980s. After that time, the events became part of the Australian Rally Championship and NSW Rally Championships. It was the host city for Rally Australia, a round of the World Rally Championship in 2011. The rally used roads from the neighbouring Bellingen, and Nambucca shires in addition to Coffs Harbour. The rally returned permanently to Coffs Harbour in 2013. In 2016, the rally was run in November with a Super special Stage at the Coffs Jetty. It was last held in 2018.

Coffs Harbour is home to three locally grown sporting events attracting thousands of competitors each year: the Coffs Harbour Triathlon (bcu Coffs Tri), the Coffs Harbour running festival and the Coffs Ocean Swims, all raising money to local children's charities.

Notable residents

 * Attila Abonyi – former Australian international Association football player who was capped 61 times for the Socceroos
 * Kevin Bartlett – racing driver
 * Liz Cambage – basketball player
 * Russell Crowe – actor
 * Jon English – singer-songwriter-actor
 * Michael Ennis – rugby league footballer and sportscaster
 * Kevin Gordon – rugby league footballer
 * Clint Greenshields – rugby league footballer
 * David Helfgott – concert pianist
 * Deborah Knight – radio host and news journalist for the Nine Network
 * Wendy Matthews – singer
 * Mark McGowan – 30th Premier of Western Australia
 * Luke Metcalf – rugby league footballer
 * Emma Moffatt – triathlete, Beijing Olympics bronze medalist
 * Tom Mooney – rugby league footballer
 * David Mullane – rugby league footballer
 * George Negus – author, journalist, and current affairs presenter
 * Ben Newton – Paralympics gold medalist, wheelchair rugby player
 * Melinda Pavey – NSW state politician
 * Nathan Quinn – rally driver
 * Dick Smith – entrepreneur
 * Jack Thompson – AFI award-winning actor
 * Clare Wheeler – soccer player for Australia

Annual events

 * National Touch League (March)
 * "International Charity Football Match", proceeds go to Wesley Mission for local homeless youth
 * Ella7s (Australia's largest Indigenous Rugby Carnival) (March)
 * Coffs Coast International Buskers Festival (October)
 * Harmony Festival (March)
 * Rally Australia (November)
 * STILL: National Still Life Award (November)

title: Coffs Harbour


text:
Weaverville, North Carolina

Weaverville is a town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,567 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Asheville metropolitan area.

History
Chartered in 1875 and named for Michael Montraville Weaver who gave the land for the town, Weaverville sits along the Dry Ridge (named by the Indians for its relatively arid conditions). The Treaty of Holston signed in 1786 cleared the way for settlers to move into the area. Among the first settlers were John and Elizabeth Weaver, parents of the town's founder. Early residents, friends, and relatives soon began gathering for religious camp meetings near the south end of College Street. On land first known as the Reems Creek Camp Grounds, a large conference house (built in the 1830s) housed the Methodist assembly which became the first school in the area in 1840.

By 1862, 121 families were in the Reems Creek area, many owning more than 1000 acre. Weaverville College, chartered in 1873, attracted many families. The former president's house is now the Dry Ridge Bed and Breakfast. A four-year college, it was downsized in 1912 to junior college status, merging in 1934 with Rutherford and Brevard Colleges to continue in Brevard. In 1912 a public school (grades 1-7) was located at the west end of Church Street. The first full-time public school on Main Street was established in 1921. In 1927 grades 11-12 attended school in the Robinsom-Lotspeich house (now the Inn on Main Street Bed and Breakfast). Weaverville High School, built by the WPA in 1927, opened on the south end of Main Street, but later merged secondary-school operations with four other area schools (Flat Creek, Red Oak, French Broad, and Barnardsville) in 1954 to form North Buncombe High School.

Business and private residences were built along Main Street. Dr. J.A. Reagan was the first mayor, and with a town council Weaverville began to develop roads and walkways. A police chief developed law and order. With the arrival of electricity and the arrival of an electric trolley the town prospered. Land development boomed. Post offices, starting in 1860, were located in McClure's log cabin, Vandiver's Store (now Blue Mountain Pizza) and Shope's Furniture. A new post office was completed in 2001 on North Main.

The Fire Department was established in 1912, with the first truck purchased in 1922. A fire station was built in 1958 on Merchants Alley, behind the 12 N. Main Town Hall. It moved into the Reagan Building on S. Main Street and then finally onto Monticello Road.

North Carolina's Civil War governor, Zebulon B. Vance, was born in the nearby Reems Creek community. Reems Creek itself flows through Weaverville adjacent to the town's Lake Louise Park. The mill at Reem's Creek was portrayed in "Picturesque America," a famous 19th century work of illustrated American scenes published in 1872.

The Dr. John G. & Nannie H. Barrett Farm, Brigman-Chambers House, Joseph P. Eller House, Weaverville United Methodist Church, and Zebulon H. Baird House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Development
Construction began in March 2017 of the 35,000-square-foot ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center at an old cement plant on Murphy Hill Road. The $9 million project will "likely to be the first-ever facility dedicated strictly to providing behavioral rehabilitation to canine victims of cruelty and neglect in the United States."

Weaverville is located 9 mi north of downtown Asheville, and many residents of Weaverville work in that larger city. However, Weaverville has an economy of its own which includes manufacturing.

In 1963, A-B Emblem, one of the world's largest producers of embroidered patches, built a factory in Weaverville. Since that time, A-B Emblem has been among the town's largest employers. In 2013, the company celebrated 50 years of continual operation in Weaverville. The company produces more than 70 million embroidered patches annually.

A branch of Arvato Digital Services, formerly Sonopress - the world's second-largest replicator of CDs and DVDs, used to operate a facility in Weaverville.

The Solstice East residential treatment center for girls is located in Weaverville. Accusations of abuse have been made against the center.

Geography
Interstate 26, concurrent with U.S. Routes 23 and 19, runs along the western edge of the town, with access from exits 18, 19, and 21. I-26 leads south 9 mi to downtown Asheville and 51 mi north to Johnson City, Tennessee. U.S. Routes 25 and 70 head west from exit 19, leading 52 mi to Newport, Tennessee.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 8.9 km2, of which 0.02 km2, or 0.24%, is water, including a man-made lake on the southern outskirts of town named Lake Louise.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,567 people, 1,785 households, and 1,072 families residing in the town.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,416 people, 1,008 households, and 690 families residing in the town. The population density was 954.2 PD/sqmi. There were 1,081 housing units at an average density of 426.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 96.69% White, 1.28% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.41% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.16% of the population.

There were 1,008 households, out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.76.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 19.1% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $45,110, and the median income for a family was $52,731. Males had a median income of $35,577 versus $24,613 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,517. About 2.1% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.8% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government
The current mayor is Patrick Fitzsimmons, elected in 2021, replacing Al Root. Fitzsimmons served previously on the towns Economic Development Advisory Board.

The Town Council holds its regular monthly meeting on the 3rd Monday of each month at 7:00 PM. Meeting agendas are published to the Town's website by the Wednesday before the meeting.

Education
Public K-12 Education in Weaverville is administered by Buncombe County Schools. Kindergarten and first grade students attend Weaverville Primary School, and 2rd through 4th grade students attend Weaverville Elementary School. For 5th and 6th and 7th and 8th grade students attend North Windy Ridge Intermediate School North Buncombe Middle School respectively. At these schools, students from Weaverville are mixed with other students from communities in the wider North Buncombe school district.

For high school Weaverville students are assigned to North Buncombe High School, though they also have to option to attend Martin L. Nesbitt Jr. Discovery Academy, Buncombe County Middle College High School, or Community High School.

title: Weaverville, North Carolina