Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville City Hall. This building epitomizes the Art Deco style of the 1920s.

The Biltmore House on Biltmore Estate, which is the largest house in America, with more than 250 rooms, was built as a private residence complete with indoor pool and bowling alley. Modern tourists, who often come to see the adjacent gardens, enjoy a similar view to this 1902 photo.

Asheville is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, and is its county seat. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 68,889. It is the largest city in western North Carolina, and continues to grow - as of 2004, the Census Bureau estimates that Asheville's population is 70,400.[1]

Attractive to hip and creative young people as well as to hip and creative retirees, Asheville has been listed in both Rolling Stone and Modern Maturity as an ideal place to live or visit. The open and accepting character of the city is evidenced by the many lifestyles and beliefs that coexist peacefully there. The art scene is especially active, and Asheville has become a mecca for potters, painters and musicians, with much of the current creativity inspired by the folk art and old ballads of early Scottish, English and Scots-Irish settlers.

Asheville is home to University of North Carolina at Asheville, or UNCA, a liberal arts college in North Asheville of about 3500 students and part of the University of North Carolina System. Asheville is also home to Warren Wilson College, located in the community of Swannanoa about 4 miles east of the Asheville city limits. Mars Hill College, a four-year liberal-arts college affiliated with the North Carolina Baptist Convention, is located about 15 miles north of Asheville. It is the oldest college in western North Carolina. Montreat College, a four-year liberal-arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is located 15 miles east of Asheville. Asheville is also home to the Asheville Tourists baseball team.

History

Before the arrival of Europeans, the land where Asheville now exists lay within the boundaries of Cherokee country. In 1540, Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto came to the area, bringing the first European visitors, in addition to European diseases which seriously depleted the native population. As the Cherokee were eventually dominated by European settlers, the area was used as an open hunting ground until the middle of the 19th century.

The history of Asheville, as a town, begins in 1784. 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. Soon after building a log cabin at the bank of Christian Creek, Davidson was lured into the woods by a band of Cherokee hunters and killed. Davidson's wife, child and female slave fled on foot 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.

Over the course of years, more settlers came to the area. The United States Census of 1790 counted 1,000 residents of the area, excluding the Cherokee. The county of Buncombe was officially formed in 1792. The county seat, named "Morristown" in 1793, was established on a plateau where two old Indian trails crossed. In 1797 Morristown was incorporated and renamed "Asheville" after North Carolina Governor Samuel Ashe.

Asheville has adopted at least two nicknames over its history:
*The Land of the Sky, based on a book of the same name written by Frances Fisher Tieran (nom de plume Christian Reid).
*The Paris of the South (also used by New Orleans, Louisiana and Charleston, South Carolina).

General information

The city is known for the lavish Biltmore Estate, which attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. Other notable architecture in Asheville includes its art deco city hall and other unique buildings in the downtown area. The Montford neighborhood and other central areas are considered historic districts and include many Victorian houses. Asheville and the surrounding mountains are also extremely popular in the autumn when fall foliage peaks in October. The scenic Blue Ridge Parkway runs through the Asheville area and the grounds of Biltmore Estate. Biltmore Village is a section of the city adjacent to the estate, where workers stayed during its construction. It is currently home to many small trendy shops. In the year 1900, author Thomas Wolfe was born in Asheville. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald lived and worked in Asheville during some of his literary career. His wife, Zelda, died in a fire in an Asheville sanitarium in 1948. In 1933, actress Eileen Fulton was born in Asheville. In 1939, singer Roberta Flack was born in the city."Smooth Soulful Songstress: Roberta Flack"; International Musician; February, 2003; http://www.romanticasheville.com/livemusic.htm

In 2005 alleged bomber Eric Robert Rudolph was transported to Asheville from Murphy, North Carolina for arraignment in federal court. In September 2004, major flooding was reported in town, particularly at Biltmore Village, due to rains from the remnants of Hurricane Frances and Hurricane Ivan.

The Asheville Citizen-Times is Asheville's daily newspaper which covers most of Western North Carolina. The Mountain Xpress is Asheville's award-winning alternative newsweekly, which covers arts and politics in the region. The Asheville Global Report [2] is a local, independant newspaper, that has been publishing for over a decade. It is the recipiant of 10 Project Censored Awards www.projectcensored.org/ and is run primarily by volounteers.

Asheville is served by Asheville Regional Airport in nearby Fletcher, North Carolina, and by Interstate 40, Interstate 240, and Interstate 26. A milestone was achieved in 2003 when Interstate 26 was extended from Mars Hill (north of Asheville) to Johnson City, Tennessee completing a 20-year half-billion dollar construction project through the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Geography

Asheville is located at the confluence of the Swannanoa River and the French Broad River. The French Broad continues northwest through the Appalachian Mountains to Knoxville, Tennessee. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville's weather resembles the weather of the rest of the southeastern U.S., but with somewhat cooler temperatures due to the higher altitude. In winter, temperatures may fall into the teens (Fahrenheit), and Asheville almost always receives snow and freezing rain a few times each year.

Asheville is located at (35.579862, -82.555810).According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 107.0 km² (41.3 mi²). 106.0 km² (40.9 mi²) of it is land and 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.94% water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 68,889 people, 30,690 households, and 16,726 families residing in the city. The population density was 650.0/km² (1,683.4/mi²). There were 33,567 housing units at an average density of 316.7/km² (820.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.95% White, 17.61% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.53% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.76% of the population.

There were 30,690 households out 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.

In the city the population was spread out with 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 83.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,772, and the median income for a family was $44,029. Males had a median income of $30,463 versus $23,488 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,024. About 10.3% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.9% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Several ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Asheville in honor of this town.

Education

Asheville and its surrounding area is home to several institutions of higher education.
*Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College
*University of North Carolina at Asheville
*Brevard College
*Mars Hill College
*Montreat College
*Warren Wilson College
*Western Carolina University

Public schools

Asheville has several public schools. The Asheville City Schools district includes Asheville High School, Asheville Middle School, and several elementary schools. Asheville High has been ranked by Newsweek Magazine as one of the top 100 high schools in the United States. The Buncombe County School system, which includes high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools both inside and outside the city of Asheville, includes six additional high schools:A.C. Reynolds, C.D. Owen, C.A. Erwin, Enka, North Buncombe and T.C. Roberson. Each high school has, as feeder schools, a middle school and several elementary schools. AC Reynolds High School has two feeder middle schools (Cane Creek Middle School and A.C. Reynolds Middle School), as does T. C. Roberson (Cane Creek Middle School and Valley Springs Middle School). The school year usually begins in mid-August, and typically ends in late May or early June.

Asheville is also home to several charter schools, including Francine Delany New School for Children, one of the first Charter schools in North Carolina.

Music

Live music is a significant element in the tourism-based economy of Asheville and the surrounding area. Seasonal festivals and numerous nightclubs offer many opportunities for visitors and locals to attend a wide variety of live entertainment events, to the point that the town has been compared to both New Orleans, Louisiana and Nashville, Tennessee."Music pumps up economy, enlivens nightlife"; Michael Flynn; Asheville Citizen-Times; August 22, 2003 http://www.romanticasheville.com/livemusic.htm

Clubs and performance spaces include The Grey Eagle, Stella Blue, Emerald Lounge, Broadways, Barley's, Tressa's, Westville Pub, Bobo Gallery, The Orange Peel, Joli Rouge, Fred's Speakeasy, Harvest Records, and Gourmet Perks. Many other locations also serve as part-time venues. There are also a number of outdoor festivals, such as Bele Chere and the Lexington Avenue Arts & Fun Festival, which feature local music.

Local bands and performers include:
* Crank County Daredevils
* Chuck Brodsky
* The Blue Rags
* David LaMotte
* Christine Kane
* The Mad Tea Party
* Sanctity
* GFE
* Reigning Sound
* Secret Lives of the Freemasons
* SeepeopleS
* Stephanie's Id

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 and the Asheville Lyric Opera. Warren Haynes of the band Gov't Mule also hails from Asheville.

Film & TV

Although the area has had a long history with the entertainment industry, recent developments are cementing Asheville as a potential growth area for both film and TV. The Asheville Film Festival is now in its third year, and in 2005 the city also participated in the 48 Hour Film Festival program, which is currently slated to become an annual event. The city's public access cable station URTV began airing programs in the spring of 2006. Notable films made (at least partially) in the area include: Searching for Angela Shelton(site), Last of the Mohicans, Being There, My Fellow Americans, The Fugitive, All The Real Girls, Richie Rich, Conquest of Canaan, Hannibal, Songcatcher, Patch Adams, The Journey of August King, Nell, Forrest Gump, Mr. Destiny, Winter People, Dirty Dancing, Bull Durham, The Private Eyes, The Swan, The Clearing, and 28 Days. Locally produced films include: The Devil's Courthouse, Inbred Rednecks, Sinkhole, The Nudger, Ether, Brother Cellophane and For Catherine, as well as a number of forthcoming projects such as Moon Europa, Golden Blade III: Return of the Monkey's Uncle and Asheville, The Movie. Local film-production groups include: A Viewpoint Productions, Blue Ridge Motion Pictures, Ironwood Media Group, Harrow Beauty, B-Clips, Tabula Rasa and Buried Pictures.

Famous residents

*Andie MacDowell, actress
*Angela Shelton, actress, writer
*Robert Pressley, NASCAR driver
*Charles Vernon, musician
*Robert Moog (now deceased), pioneer of electronic music, inventor of the Moog synthesizer
*Warren Haynes, musician
*George Washington Vanderbilt II (1862-1914), entrepeneur, orginal founder of the Biltmore Estate
*Eric Eycke, former vocalist for Corrosion of Conformity

*Official Asheville, NC website
*Official Buncombe County, NC website
*Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce
*Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau
*Asheville-Buncombe Library System
*Asheville Citizen-Times newspaper
*Asheville, NC Guide
*Current Asheville Information
*Jazz Composers Forum (Music Resource)
*Official Grey Eagle website
*Historic Photographs of Asheville and surrounding areas

Asheville, North Carolina: Encyclopedia BETA

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