The area of Yancey County was inhabited by theCherokee prior to European settlement, as was much of the southernAppalachian region.[3]
Independent and sturdyScottish,English, andScotch-Irish andIrish settlers of the Carolina frontier had crossed theBlue Ridge Mountains and settled theToe River Valley by the mid-18th century. In the year 1796, one of the early land speculators, John Gray Blount, paid for 326,640 acres (1,321.9 km2) of land, a portion of which later became Yancey County.
In December 1833, theGeneral Assembly established a new western county, named Yancey, from sections ofBurke andBuncombe counties. Yancey County was named in honor ofBartlett Yancey, of Caswell County. As a U.S. congressman (1813–1817) and as Speaker of the N.C. Senate (1817–1827), he was instrumental in many accomplishments that benefited the state, including the creation of an education fund that was the beginning of the N.C. Public School System. He was an advocate of correcting the inequality in representation in the General Assembly by the creation of new western counties; but he died on August 30, 1828, over five years before the General Assembly created a new county named in his honor. In Yancey's boundaries loomsMount Mitchell, the highest peak in the Eastern U.S., at 6,684 feet (2,037 m) above sea level.
On March 6, 1834, "Yellow Jacket" John Bailey conveyed 100 acres (0.40 km2) of land for the county seat. John was given the nickname for his famous temper as told in the booksThe Bailey Family of Yancey County, North Carolina andHeritage of the Tow River Valley by Lloyd Richard Bailey Sr. The town was named Burnsville in honor of CaptainOtway Burns, who voted for the creation of the new western county when he was serving in the General Assembly. He was also a naval hero in theWar of 1812. A statue of Captain Burns stands on a 40-ton, Mount Airy granite pedestal in the center of the town's public square, which was given the official name of "Bailey Square" by the Yancey County Board of Commissioners on September 1, 1930. The statue of Captain Burns was given to the county on July 5, 1909, by Walter Francis Burns, a grandson of the naval captain. The inscription reads:
Otway Burns - Born in Onslow County, North Carolina, 1777 - Died at Portsmouth, North Carolina, 1850. Sailor - Soldier - Statesman. North Carolina's Foremost Son in the War of 1812-1815 - For Him, This Town Is Named - He Guarded Well Our Seas, Let Our Mountains Honor Him.
At the2000 census,[15] there were 17,774 people, 7,472 households, and 5,372 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 57 people per square mile (22 people/km2). There were 9,729 housing units at an average density of 31 units per square mile (12 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.99%White, 0.57%Black orAfrican American, 0.34%Native American, 0.13%Asian, 0.41% fromother races, and 0.56% from two or more races. 2.69% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 7,472 households, out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.20% weremarried couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 25.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.20% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 27.10% from 45 to 64, and 18.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 95.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $29,674, and the median income for a family was $35,879. Males had a median income of $26,800 versus $20,885 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $16,335. About 10.90% of families and 15.80% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 22.10% of those under age 18 and 16.30% of those age 65 or over.
The county has two law enforcement agencies. The Burnsville Police Department operates in the town limits, while the Yancey County Sheriff's Office has county-wide jurisdiction, aside fromUS Forest Service andState Park land, where law enforcement is provided by those respective agencies. State law enforcement agencies operating in the county, with offices in Burnsville, include theHighway Patrol (Troop G) and theDepartment of Adult Corrections and Juvenile Justice (Probation Officers and Juvenile Court Counselors). TheState Bureau of Investigation assists the other agencies and investigates use of lethal force by law enforcement.
The Yancey County Schools system serves the K-12 public school students of the county. There are five members of the School Board, elected on even years to four year terms. Three seats are elected on presidential/gubernatorial election years, and two on midterm years. In 2017, theNC General Assembly passed a bill, sponsored by Rep.Michele Presnell, to change the YCS board elections from non-partisan to partisan.[18] As of 2023, the partisan makeup of the board is four Republicans and one Democrat. Kathy Amos is the currentsuperintendent.
In 2016, the YCS Board voted to consolidate three elementary schools in the west and north of the county (Bald Creek, Bee Log, and Clearmont) into one school, which was named Blue Ridge.[19] At the time of its closure in 2018, Bee Log Elementary School was the smallest public school in the state with enrollment of 42.[20] Bald Creek and Clearmont closed the following year.[21] Yancey County schools currently consists of the following schools:[22]
Mayland Community College serves the Toe River Valley counties ofAvery,Mitchell, and Yancey. The main campus is in Spruce Pine, on the Avery-Mitchell line, but the Yancey Learning Center, a satellite campus, is just outside of the Burnsville town limits on the west side.
Avery-Mitchell-Yancey Regional Library (AMY) served the county, with the Yancey County Public Library branch located in Burnsville in theYancey Collegiate Institute Historic District.[24] The AMY system officially began in 1961. As a result of aPride display, Yancey County commissioners began the process of taking over the library in June 2023. The library is set to become a county library on July 1, 2025. Some residents are suing. One reason given for opposing the change is the need to recover fromHelene.[25]
