Before the arrival of theEuropean Colonists, the land where Asheville now exists lay within the boundaries of theCherokee Nation, which had homelands in modernwestern North andSouth Carolina, southeasternTennessee, and northeasternGeorgia.[10] A town at the site of the river confluence was recorded asGuaxule by Spanish explorerHernando de Soto during his 1540 expedition through this area.[11][12] His expedition comprised the first European visitors,[11] who carriedendemic Eurasian infectious diseases that killed much of the native population.[13]
The Cherokee had traditionally used the area by the confluence for open hunting and meeting grounds. They called itUntokiasdiyi orTokiyasdi (ᏙᎩᏯᏍᏗ in Cherokee), meaning "Where they race", until the middle of the 19th century.[14][15][16]
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 theSwannanoa Valley, redeeming a soldier'sland 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 toDavidson's Fort (named after Davidson's father General John Davidson) 16 miles away.[17]
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.[18]
TheU.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 enslavers, owning a total of 300 slaves. Total county population was 5,812.[19]
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 GovernorSamuel Ashe.[20][21]
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.
On the eve of the Civil War, James W. Patton, son of an Irish immigrant, was the largest enslaver in the county, and had built a luxurious mansion, known as The Henrietta, in Asheville.[19] Buncombe County had the largest number of prominent enslavers inWestern North Carolina, many in the professional class based in Asheville, numbering a total of 293 countywide in 1863.[19]
Asheville, with a population of about 2,500 by 1861, remained relatively untouched by battles of theCivil War. The city contributed companies to theConfederate States Army and to theUnion Army. For a time, anEnfield 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 theUniversity of North Carolina at Asheville. Union forces withdrew toTennessee, 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 theBuncombe Turnpike. The Union force had been ordered to take Asheville only if they could accomplish it without significant losses.[22][23]
An engagement was fought later that month atSwannanoa Gap, as part of the largerStoneman'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 andHenderson County.[24] In late April 1865, North Carolina Union troops from the3rd North Carolina Mounted Infantry, under the overall command of Union Gen.George Stoneman, captured Asheville.[25] After a negotiated departure, the 2,700 troops left town, accompanied by "hundreds of freed slaves".[19]
Later, the federal troops returned and plundered Asheville, burning a number of Confederate supporters' homes in Asheville.[26]
George Avery was among 40 enslaved people known to have traveled with the troops to Tennessee. There he enlisted in theU.S. Colored Troops. He returned to Asheville after being discharged in 1866. After the war, he was hired by his former enslaver 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.[27][28]
On October 3, 1880,[29] theWestern North Carolina Railroad completed its line fromSalisbury to Asheville, the first rail line to reach the city. Almost immediately it was sold and resold to theRichmond and Danville Railroad Company, becoming part of theSouthern Railway in 1894.[30] 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.[31]Textile mills were built to process cotton from the region, and other plants were set up to manufacture wood andmica products, foodstuffs, and other commodities.[32]
The 21-mile (34 km) distance between Hendersonville and Asheville of the former Asheville and Spartanburg Railroad was completed in 1886.[33] By that point, the line was operated as part of the Richmond and Danville Railroad until 1894 and controlled by the Southern Railway afterward.[34]
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.[35]
Three people were lynched in Asheville in the 1880s and 90s: John Humphries (1888), Hezekiah Rankin (1891), and Bob Brackett (1897). The three men were memorialized with historic markers in 2021 through a project launched by theEqual Justice Initiative.[36][37]
In 1900, Asheville was the third-largest city in the state, behindWilmington andCharlotte.[38] Asheville prospered in the decades of the 1910s and 1920s.[39][40] During these years,Rutherford P. Hayes, son ofPresidentRutherford B. Hayes, bought land, and worked with the prominent African-American businessmanEdward W. Pearson Sr. to develop his land for residential housing known as theAfrican-American Burton Street Community.[41] Hayes also worked to establish a sanitary district in West Asheville, which became anincorporated town in 1913, and merged with Asheville in 1917.[42]
On July 15–16, 1916, the Asheville area was subject to severe flooding from the remnants ofa 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 asBiltmore Forest, which is now one of the wealthiest in the country.
TheGreat Depression hit Asheville quite hard. On November 20, 1930, eight local banks failed.[44] OnlyWachovia remained open with infusions of cash fromWinston-Salem.[45] Because of the explosive growth of the previous decades, the per capitadebt owed by the city (throughmunicipal bonds) was the highest in the nation.[46] 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, andAsheville High School. Rather than default, the city paid those debts over a period of fifty years.[47]
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 ofArt Deco architecture in the United States.[48][49]
Asheville Masonic Temple Scottish Rite Cathedral
In 1959, the City Council purchased property partially located in neighboring Henderson County for the development ofAsheville 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 toannex the complete site.[50]
The last passenger train to serve Asheville, a coach-only remnant of the Southern Railway'sCarolina 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.[51] Asheville's neighborhoods of Montford and Kenilworth, now mostly white, used to have a majority of black home owners.[52]
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.
In July 2020, the Asheville City Council voted to providereparations 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".[58] Also in 2020, efforts were made to remove or change several monuments in the city that celebrated theConfederate States of America orslave owners.[59][60] In June 2021, Asheville MayorEsther Manheimer was one of 11 U.S. mayors to formMayors Organized for Reparations and Equity (MORE), a coalition of municipal leaders dedicated to starting pilot reparations programs in their cities.[61]
In September 2024,Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic, record-breaking flooding of theFrench Broad and Swannanoa rivers, devastating Asheville and surrounding areas ofWestern North Carolina. The full extent of the damage was difficult to gauge in the immediate aftermath due to loss of critical infrastructure, including electrical, cellular telephone, and other communications services.[62] Early reports indicated hundreds of downed trees, damaged homes, and blocked local roads. The municipal water system was catastrophically damaged, leaving most of Asheville without running water.[63] Buildings and bridges were washed away and landslides cut off access to several major interstates including I-40 and I-26, leaving the area largely isolated from the outside.[64]
Asheville features a climate that borders between ahumid subtropical climate (Köppen:Cfa) and anoceanic climate (Trewartha:Do) with noticeably cooler temperatures than the rest of the Piedmont region of theSoutheast due to the higher elevation; it is part of USDAHardiness zone 7a.[65] 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 (23.2 °C) and there is an average of only 9.4 afternoons with 90 °F (32.2 °C)+ highs annually;[a] the last time a calendar year passed without a single 90 °F (32.2 °C) reading was as recently as 2009. Moreover, warm mornings where the low remains at or above 70 °F or 21.1 °C are much less common than 90 °F or 32.2 °C afternoons. Winters are cool, with a January daily average of 37.1 °F (2.8 °C) and highs remaining at or below freezing on 5.5 afternoons.[66]
Official record temperatures range from −16 °F (−26.7 °C) onJanuary 21, 1985 to 100 °F (37.8 °C) on August 21, 1983;[67] the record cold daily maximum is 4 °F or −15.6 °C on February 4, 1895, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is 77 °F or 25 °C on July 17, 1887.[66] Readings as low as 0 °F (−17.8 °C) or as high as 95 °F (35 °C) rarely occur, the last occurrences beingJanuary 7, 2014 andJuly 1, 2012, respectively.[66] The average window for freezing temperatures is October 17 to April 18, allowing a growing season of 181 days.[66]
Asheville is located in theAppalachian temperate rainforest andprecipitation is relatively well spread, though the summer months are slightly wetter, and averages 49.6 in (1,260 mm) annually, but has historically ranged from 22.79 in (579 mm) in 1925 to 79.48 in (2,019 mm) in 2018.[68] Snowfall is sporadic, averaging 10.3 inches or 0.26 metres 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 inches or 1.2 metres in 1968–69.[66] 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 few as 15 days in 2008 to as many as 44 in 2018.[69] 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 many as 18 days in 2016 to as few as two days in 2008.[70]
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, andSkyland.Biltmore Village has been named a local historic district by the Asheville City Council.[73]
Notable architecture in Asheville includes itsArt DecoAsheville 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 numerousdormers and chimneys; the Neo-Gothic Jackson Building, the first skyscraper on Pack Square;Grove Arcade, one of America's first indoor shopping malls;[74] and theBasilica of St. Lawrence. TheS&W Cafeteria Building is also a fine example of Art Deco architecture in Asheville.[75] TheGrove Park Inn is an important example of architecture and design of theArts 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.[76]
TheMontford 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.[77] TheYMI Cultural Center, founded in 1892 by George Vanderbilt in the heart of downtown, is one of the nation's oldest African-American cultural centers.[78][79]
Asheville first appeared in the 1800 U S. Census with "Ashville" as the spelling. Only 38 inhabitants were recorded.[82]
Asheville did not appear again until the 1850 U.S. Census with "Ashville" once again as the spelling. The population recorded was 502.[83] Asheville did not report separately in 1860.[84]
Asheville's East End/Valley Street stands as the oldest and most culturally significant black community in the city.[88] Between this neighborhood and downtown is The Block, which was the black business district.[89]
Asheville, North Carolina – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Location of the Asheville-Brevard CSA and its components:
Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area
Brevard Micropolitan Statistical Area
At the2000 census,[6] there were 68,889 people, 30,690 households and 16,726 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,683.4 inhabitants per square mile (650.0/km2). There were 33,567 housing units at an average density of 820.3 per square mile (316.7/km2). The racial composition of the city was: 77.95%White, 17.61%Black or African American, 3.76%Hispanic orLatino American, 0.92% Asian American, 0.35% Native American, 0.06%Native Hawaiian orOther 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.
Themedian 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.
The Merrill Lynch building in downtown Asheville, designed byI.M. PeiThe Jackson Building, the first skyscraper in Asheville
Major corporations headquartered in the Asheville area includeHomeTrust Bancshares,Ingles,Earth Fare,The Biltmore Company,Moog Music and the eastern headquarters forSierra Nevada Brewing Company andNew Belgium Brewing Company. Creative industries (arts and culture, inclusive of historic sites such as the Biltmore Estate) also play significant roles in Asheville's tourism-driven economy, with 13,560 people employed in creative industry roles as of 2019, according to the Asheville Area Arts Council.[96] These industries were significantly impacted by COVID-19 in 2020 and Hurricane Helene in 2024.[97][98]
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.[100] In 2012 aDuke 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.[101] 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.[102] However, following thecoal ash spill in Eden, North Carolina, the North Carolina DENR cancelled all previous settlements with Duke Energy.[103]
The city of Asheville claims a clear focus on sustainability and the development of agreen 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."[104] 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."[105]
The Asheville City Council's goal is to reduce the overall carbon footprint 80% by 2030. This means 4% or more reduction per year.[106] 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)."[104] 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).[107]
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.[108]
Asheville has a strong tradition ofstreet performance and outdoor music, including festivals, such asBele Chere and theLexington 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 byBascom 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 regulardrum circle, organized by residents in Pritchard Park, is open to all and has been a popular local activity every Friday evening.
Asheville plays host toThe Warren Haynes Christmas Jam, an annual charity event which raises money forHabitat For Humanity, and features notable musicians.[111] 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 theAsheville Symphony Orchestra, theAsheville Lyric Opera, the Land of the Sky Symphonic Band, the Asheville Jazz Orchestra, theSmoky 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 theSmashing Pumpkins in 2007, along with theBeastie Boys in 2009, brought national attention to Asheville.[112] The rock bandBand of Horses have recorded two albums at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, as have theAvett Brothers (who have also traditionally played a New Year's Eve concert in Asheville). Christian vocal groupthe Kingsmen originated in Asheville.[113]
Sculpture in Downtown Asheville of a girl drinking from a fountain shaped like a horse
The Asheville Community Theatre was founded in 1946, producing the first amateur production of the Appalachian dramaDark of the Moon.[114] Soon after, the young actorsCharlton Heston and wifeLydia Clarke took over the small theatre.[115] 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.[116]
TheAsheville Lyric Opera celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2009 with a concert featuringAngela Brown, David Malis, andTonio Di Paolo, veterans of theMetropolitan Opera.[117] 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.[118]
Flood Gallery Fine Art Center, a non-profit contemporary art institution formerly located in Asheville's River Arts District, downtown Asheville, and the nearby Town of Black Mountain before moving (after Hurricane Helene) to East Asheville[120]
TheRiver Arts District, a formerly industrial section of Asheville along the French Broad River which began to house artist studios in the 1980s.[121] By 2024, prior to Hurricane Helene, the RAD included 26 warehouses and 300 artists.[122]
Several brief-lived film festivals have been held in Asheville. The Asheville Film Festival was first held in 2003, but the City of Asheville ceased funding it in 2010.[125] From 2011 to 2014, filmmakers Sandi and Tom Anton relaunched the defunct Asheville Film Fest as Asheville Cinema Fest.[126] From 2016 to 2018, A-B Tech hosted an independent Asheville Film Festival without city sponsorship.[127] The Asheville Jewish Film Festival began in 2009 and was most recently (as of 2024) held in 2019.[128]
Currently active film and multimedia events in Asheville include the 48-Hour Film Project, which the city participates in annually;[129] Cat Fly Fest, founded in 2017;[130] Connect Beyond Festival, launched in 2018;[131] and the Twin Rivers Media Festival, which held its 30th annual event in 2024.[132][133][134][135]
Asheville was the first U.S. city recognized by theGreen Restaurant Association as a Green Dining Destination (significant density of green restaurants).[107]
In 2022, two Asheville restaurants were given theJames Beard Award.Chai Pani received Outstanding Restaurant andCúrate received the award for Outstanding Hospitality.[136] Asheville is also home to Cantonese chef J Chong who was a finalist on the HBO cooking competition,The Big Brunch.[137]
Area colleges and universities, such as theUniversity of North Carolina at Asheville, compete in sports. UNCA's sports teams are known as the Bulldogs and play in theBig South Conference. The Fighting Owls ofWarren Wilson College participate in mountain biking andultimate 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.[138]
Asheville is a major hub of whitewater recreation, particularlywhitewater kayaking, in the eastern US. Many kayak manufacturers have their bases of operation in the Asheville area.[139] Some of the most distinguished whitewater kayakers live in or around Asheville.[140] In its July/August 2006 journal, the group American Whitewater named Asheville one of the top five US whitewater cities.[140]
Asheville is also home to numerousdisc golf courses.
Soccer is another popular recreational sport in Asheville. There are two youth soccer clubs in Asheville, Asheville Shield Football Club[141] 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.
The City of Asheville operates under acouncil–manager government, via its charter. Amayor 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.[142] 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 toLEED Gold Standards and to achieve 80 percent energy reduction of 2001 standards by 2040. Also in 2007 the Council signed an agreement withWarren Wilson College stating the intent of the city and college to work together toward climate partnership goals.[144]
Following PresidentDonald Trump's decision to remove the United States from theParis Agreement, Mayor Esther Manheimer was one of the original 61 mayors to commit to uphold the agreement in the city.[145]
On July 14, 2020, the Asheville City Council voted unanimously to approvereparations to the city's Black citizens. The move came during the2020 George Floyd protests. The resolution called for increased investment in Black communities in the city. TheBuncombe County Board of Commissioners soon followed the adoption of the measure.[146] The protest also started a move to remove and replace theVance Monument in the city, concluding in its removal in May 2021.[147]
In 2009, a group of Asheville citizens challenged the legitimacy ofCecil Bothwell's election to the City Council,[148] citing theConstitution of North Carolina, which does not permitatheists to hold public office.[149] Bothwell has described himself as a "post theist" rather than an atheist,[150] and is a member of a localUnitarian Universalist congregation. The opponents to his election never filed suit. In response to the charge, legal scholars explained that theU.S. Supreme Court held inTorcaso v. Watkins that religious tests for political office are unconstitutional.[151]
Bothwell served his four-year council term and was re-elected in 2013.[152] He was defeated in the primary when he ran for a third term in 2017.[153]
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.[154]
In the2012 presidential election,Barack Obama won the entirety of Buncombe County with 55% of the vote. Obama visited the city on a few occasions.[157] In April 2010, he and his family vacationed in the city.[158]
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 — whereGeorge 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.[159]
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.
PublicAsheville City Schools includeAsheville 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[160] Elementary.
Asheville was formerly home to one of the fewSudbury schools in the Southeast, Katuah Sudbury School. It is also home to severalcharter 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, anOutward Bound-Expeditionary Learning School, recognized as one of the most environmentally conscious schools in the country.[162]
Asheville is in the "Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson" televisionDMA and the "Asheville" radioADI for the city'sradio stations.[165]
The primary television station in Asheville isWLOS Channel 13, an affiliate ofABC withMyNetworkTV on its second digital subchannel. Studios for WLOS are in Biltmore Park and a transmitter for the station is onMount Pisgah as of 2024. Other stations licensed to Asheville includeWUNF, aPBS (UNC-TV) member station on Channel 33 andCW owned-and-operated stationWYCW on Channel 62. Asheville is also served by theUpstate South Carolina stations ofWYFF Channel 4 (NBC),WSPA-TV Channel 7 (CBS),WHNS-TV Channel 21 (FOX),WMYA Channel 40 (Dabl) and W41BQ Channel 41 (3ABN). PBS member stations from the Upstate of South Carolina (viaSouth Carolina Educational Television) 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.
WCQS:Blue Ridge Public Radio is Asheville's public radio station. It airsNational 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 createdWSFM-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 includingMonotonix from Israel,JEFF the Brotherhood from Nashville,Screaming Females from New Jersey, and local acts.
A milestone was achieved in 2003, when Interstate 26 was extended nine miles fromMars Hill (north of Asheville) toJohnson City, Tennessee, completing a seven-year1⁄4-billion dollar construction project,[171] part of a twenty-year1⁄2-billion dollar construction project through theBlue Ridge Mountains. Work continues to improve Interstate 26 from Mars Hill to Interstate 40 by improvingU.S. Route 19 andU.S. Route 23 and the western part of Interstate 240. This construction will include a multimillion-dollar bridge to cross theFrench Broad River.[172]
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.[177] The system includes a law library in theBuncombe 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 1,600 miles (2,600 km) of water lines, 30 pumping stations and 27 storage reservoirs.[178]
Sewer services are provided by the Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe County, power provided byDuke Energy, and natural gas is provided byPSNC Energy.
Asheville offers public transit through the ART (Asheville Rides Transit) bus service that operates across the city and to the town ofBlack Mountain. Routes originate from a central station located at 49 Coxe Avenue.[179]
Thomas Wolfe's debut novelLook 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 record number of annual 90 °F or 32.2 °C readings is 32 in 1952, which would be lower than average in most cities in the southeast U.S.[66]
^Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
^Official precipitation records for Asheville were kept at Aston Park from March 1869 to July 1876, various locations in the city from August 1876 to August 1964, and at Asheville Regional Airport since September 1964. Snow and temperature records began December 18, 1869 and November 1, 1876, respectively. For more information, seeThreadEx.
^"Asheville".Western North Carolina Heritage. Land of the Sky. Archived fromthe original on May 1, 2006. RetrievedJuly 23, 2006.In his [Samuel Ashe] honor the name of Morristown was changed to Asheville.
^TheFederal Writers' Project of the Federal Works Agency,Works Projects Administration for the State of North Carolina,North Carolina: A Guide to the Old North State, The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1939, page 139.
^"Zebulon Vance Monument, Asheville".Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Libraries / North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. March 19, 2010. RetrievedAugust 17, 2024.
^"Market Ranks".arbitron.com.Archived from the original on July 10, 2007. RetrievedSeptember 2, 2007.
^FAA5010_1 (Airport Master Record)(PDF) (Report). U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration. December 3, 2020. AVL (Local ID). Archived fromthe original(PDF) on March 19, 2023. RetrievedDecember 28, 2020.
^"Asheville, NC"(PDF).National Highway System (Map). U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. October 1, 2020.Archived(PDF) from the original on October 22, 2020. RetrievedDecember 30, 2020.
^"Interstate 26".Asheville Citizen-Times. Vol. 134, no. 215 (Final ed.). Asheville, North Carolina: Gannett. August 3, 2003. p. A5.Archived from the original on September 28, 2021. RetrievedDecember 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^"I-26 Connector, Asheville, NC".Public Information Website. North Carolina Department of Transportation. n.d. Archived fromthe original on July 6, 2006. RetrievedAugust 20, 2006.
Chase, Nan K.Asheville, a history (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. 2007).
Epstein, Seth. "Urban Governance and Tolerance: The Regulation of Suspect Spaces and the Burden of Surveillance in Post–World War I Asheville, North Carolina".Journal of Urban History 43.5 (2017): 683–702.online
Martin, C. Brenden.Tourism in the mountain south: A double-edged sword (Univ. of Tennessee Press, 2007).
Starnes, Richard D."'A Conspicuous Example of What is Termed the New South': Tourism and Urban Development in Asheville, North Carolina, 1880–1925".North Carolina Historical Review 80.1 (2003): 52–80.online
"Buncombe County".Branson's North Carolina Business Directory (6th ed.). Raleigh: Levi Branson. 1884.Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. RetrievedAugust 25, 2017.
John Preston Arthur (1914)."County History: Buncombe County".Western North Carolina: a History (from 1730 to 1913). Raleigh: Edwards & Broughton. pp. 143–159.ISBN9780722207826.Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. RetrievedAugust 25, 2017.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) (Includes information about Asheville)
Lisa Gregory (2010),"Asheville", in William S. Powell (ed.),Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press,archived from the original on August 14, 2017, retrievedAugust 25, 2017
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