Brevard, North Carolina | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Transylvania County Courthouse in Brevard | |
 Seal | |
 Location of Brevard, North Carolina | |
| Coordinates:35°14′38″N82°43′35″W / 35.24389°N 82.72639°W /35.24389; -82.72639 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Transylvania |
| Founded | 1861[1] |
| Incorporated | 1889[1] |
| Named after | Ephraim Brevard[1] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Maureen Copelof |
| Area | |
• Total | 5.36 sq mi (13.88 km2) |
| • Land | 5.36 sq mi (13.87 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0039 sq mi (0.01 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,149 ft (655 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 7,744 |
| • Density | 1,445.6/sq mi (558.15/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 28712 |
| Area code | 828 |
| FIPS code | 37-07720[4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2403920[3] |
| Website | www |
Brevard (/brəˈvɑːrd/brə-VARD) is a city in and thecounty seat ofTransylvania County, North Carolina, United States, with a population of 7,609 as of the2010 census.[5]
Brevard is located at the entrance toPisgah National Forest and has become a noted tourism, retirement and cultural center in western North Carolina. A moderate climate, environmental beauty and cultural activities attracts retirees to the area.
Brevard is also known for its white squirrels. There are several theories of how they came to live there, including an overturned carnival truck and an escaped pet breeding with native squirrels.[6]
Along with nearbyAsheville andHendersonville, Brevard forms theAsheville-Brevard, NC CSA combined statistical area.
According to the Transylvania Heritage Museum, the North Carolina General Assembly apportioned Transylvania County on February 15, 1861, from lands previously attributed to neighboringJackson andHenderson counties. In the county's creation, a county seat was required to be conveniently accessible to most of the county's citizens. Its namesake was to honor Colonel Ephraim Brevard, M.D., a reputed Revolutionary War veteran.[7]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.12 square miles,[8] of which 0% is water.
Brevard is located in atemperate rainforest and has a climate that borders between ahumid subtropical andoceanic climate and receives abundant rainfall year round due toorographic lift due to its location in theBlue Ridge Mountains and the nearbyGreat Balsam Mountains.[9] It is one of the wettest towns in the US outside of thePacific Northwest. It is also common for the town to get small amounts of snow in the winter. The town does not have any dry season, but fall gets the least amount of rain of all the seasons.
| Climate data for Brevard, North Carolina (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1902–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 85 (29) | 79 (26) | 89 (32) | 90 (32) | 96 (36) | 98 (37) | 99 (37) | 99 (37) | 97 (36) | 92 (33) | 82 (28) | 79 (26) | 99 (37) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 48.8 (9.3) | 52.6 (11.4) | 59.7 (15.4) | 69.0 (20.6) | 75.1 (23.9) | 80.6 (27.0) | 82.8 (28.2) | 81.7 (27.6) | 76.7 (24.8) | 69.2 (20.7) | 59.1 (15.1) | 51.0 (10.6) | 67.2 (19.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 37.0 (2.8) | 39.9 (4.4) | 46.5 (8.1) | 55.0 (12.8) | 62.5 (16.9) | 69.5 (20.8) | 72.5 (22.5) | 71.7 (22.1) | 66.0 (18.9) | 56.3 (13.5) | 45.7 (7.6) | 39.3 (4.1) | 55.2 (12.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 25.2 (−3.8) | 27.3 (−2.6) | 33.2 (0.7) | 40.9 (4.9) | 50.0 (10.0) | 58.3 (14.6) | 62.2 (16.8) | 61.7 (16.5) | 55.4 (13.0) | 43.4 (6.3) | 32.2 (0.1) | 27.7 (−2.4) | 43.1 (6.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −15 (−26) | −20 (−29) | −2 (−19) | 14 (−10) | 25 (−4) | 31 (−1) | 41 (5) | 33 (1) | 29 (−2) | 15 (−9) | 2 (−17) | −12 (−24) | −20 (−29) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 6.98 (177) | 5.38 (137) | 5.88 (149) | 5.83 (148) | 5.63 (143) | 6.83 (173) | 6.30 (160) | 7.56 (192) | 6.07 (154) | 6.15 (156) | 5.87 (149) | 7.09 (180) | 75.57 (1,919) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 1.7 (4.3) | 1.4 (3.6) | 0.8 (2.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.2 (0.51) | 3.0 (7.6) | 7.1 (18) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 9.8 | 9.5 | 12.1 | 10.6 | 11.6 | 14.2 | 15.3 | 14.4 | 10.0 | 8.4 | 8.1 | 10.6 | 134.6 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 2.0 |
| Source:NOAA[10][11] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 223 | — | |
| 1890 | 327 | 46.6% | |
| 1900 | 584 | 78.6% | |
| 1910 | 919 | 57.4% | |
| 1920 | 1,658 | 80.4% | |
| 1930 | 2,339 | 41.1% | |
| 1940 | 3,061 | 30.9% | |
| 1950 | 3,908 | 27.7% | |
| 1960 | 4,857 | 24.3% | |
| 1970 | 5,243 | 7.9% | |
| 1980 | 5,323 | 1.5% | |
| 1990 | 5,388 | 1.2% | |
| 2000 | 6,789 | 26.0% | |
| 2010 | 7,609 | 12.1% | |
| 2020 | 7,744 | 1.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[12] | |||
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| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 6,140 | 79.29% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 677 | 8.74% |
| Native American | 25 | 0.32% |
| Asian | 75 | 0.97% |
| Pacific Islander | 15 | 0.19% |
| Other/Mixed | 386 | 4.98% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 426 | 5.5% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 7,744 people, 3,530 households, and 2,005 families residing in the city.[citation needed]
As of thecensus[4] of 2010, there were 7,609 people, 3,253 households, and 1,711 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,486 inhabitants per square mile (574/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 83.3%White, 11.0%African American, 0.3%Native American, 1.0%Asian, 0.07%, 0.46% fromother races, and 2.7% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 3.7% of the population.
There were 2,826 households, out of which 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2% weremarried couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12, and the average family size was 2.73.
The population was distributed broadly among different age groups, with 18.3% under the age of 18, 12.3% from 18 to 24, 19.9% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 28.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,497, and the median income for a family was $44,489. Males had a median income of $26,929 versus $21,348 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $18,256. About 7.61% of families and 10.7% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.
White Squirrel Festival[14] takes place on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday preceding Memorial Day. It features the white Squirrel, Pisgah Pete, live music, arts & crafts, and food. The white variant of theeastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) is commonly seen around Brevard.[15][16]
Independence Day is a major event in Brevard. The celebrations include an annual fireworks display and a car judging competition. Streets downtown are blocked off for a festival including games, arts and crafts, concerts and food vendors.
Halloweenfest[17] takes place on the last Saturday of October in downtown Brevard. Brevard is located in Transylvania County and it shows up in the enthusiasm seen in the costumes during the event. Live music, other street performers, arts & crafts, Flight of the Vampires 5K Run, pet costume contest, haunted house, ghost tour, and other activities happen all day.
Twilight Tour:[18] Early in the morning runners come out for the Reindeer Run 5K Run. Street vendors appear in the afternoon after downtown is closed to traffic. The Christmas Parade proceeds down South Broad Street around 3pm, starting atBrevard High School and ending atBrevard College. After the parade, Twilight Tour takes place with, horse-drawn carriages, luminaries, seasonal music, and food in the many downtown shops & restaurants.[citation needed]
Transylvania County Schools has two public high schools:Brevard High School and Rosman High School. The system also has an alternative high school in Davidson River School. There are four elementary schools and two middle schools. There is also one charter school, Brevard Academy, and several smaller private schools.
Brevard College, a four-year liberal arts institution, is located in Brevard.
The town is also home to theBrevard Music Center, and to a campus of theBlue Ridge Community College.
During the summer Brevard holds a distance runners camp at Brevard College.[citation needed]
Brevard has onesister city, as designated bySister Cities International:
Municipalities and communities ofTransylvania County, North Carolina,United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Town | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
