Sylva, North Carolina | |
|---|---|
.jpg) West Main Street in Sylva | |
 Location inNorth Carolina | |
| Coordinates:35°22′27″N83°13′4″W / 35.37417°N 83.21778°W /35.37417; -83.21778 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Jackson |
| Incorporated | 1889 |
| Named after | William D. Sylva |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Johnny Phillips[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.17 sq mi (8.21 km2) |
| • Land | 3.17 sq mi (8.21 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) 0% |
| Elevation | 2,080 ft (630 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 2,578 |
| • Density | 812.74/sq mi (313.84/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 28779 |
| Area code | 828 |
| FIPS code | 37-66500[4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2406705[3] |
| Website | www |
Sylva is anincorporatedtown located in centralJackson County, in thePlott Balsam Mountains of WesternNorth Carolina, United States. As of the2010 census, the town had a totalpopulation of 2,588.[5] It is thecounty seat,[6] taking over the role from nearbyWebster in 1913.
According to popular accounts, Sylva is named after William D. Sylva, aDanish handyman who spent a month in the home of General E. R. Hampton, who owned much of the land later developed as downtown Sylva. When the town applied for a post office, Hampton asked his young daughter Mae what the town's name should be. She liked the handyman so much she said, "Sylva."[7] This account is disputed: according to a 21st-century investigation, the handyman William D. Sylva was not Danish, and it is likely that his surname was not Sylva. His last name was "Selvey;" the letter that he wrote to the town was likely in Portuguese, not Danish; and he was probably from the Little Canada Community. His daughter's maiden last name was Selvey according to genealogical archives. Her daughter (who recently came to the town) said that her grandfather's surname was "Selvey" instead.[8]
The town became the county seat in 1913 after the county voted to move the seat from Webster to Sylva, which gained a railroad station. Subsequently, Webster declined, as the railroad had not established a stop in that town. Many businesses followed the court and railroad to Sylva. The Jackson County Courthouse was constructed in 1914 and is located on a hill at the end of Main Street in downtown Sylva. The building no longer serves as the official courthouse; the Justice Center was constructed in 1994 a few blocks away. Since 2011, theJackson County Courthouse has been the site of the Jackson County Public Library.
Sylva was once home to Dills Falls (also called Bumgarner Falls and Dills Cove Falls), which was partially destroyed in the early 1970s to build theGreat Smoky Mountains Expressway and exists only as a remnant today.[9][10] Many Sylva residents claim this made Sylva the only town in the US to have a waterfall within its town limits. (This waterfall is not to be confused withDill Falls, also in Jackson County, NC.)[11]
The town had the first municipally owned swimming pool west ofAsheville. The stone and concrete pool was built in 1938 by theWPA during theGreat Depression; it was demolished in 1969 to be replaced by the current pool.Thomas Edison andFranklin D. Roosevelt both traveled through Sylva: Edison in 1911 and FDR in 1936 during his presidency.
TheDowntown Sylva Historic District,Dr. D. D. Hooper House, andJackson County Courthouse are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[12][13]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2), all land.
Sylva is close to theCherokee Indian Reservation (the Eastern band) and theGreat Smoky Mountains National Park, both of which are popular, well-known vacation spots.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 281 | — | |
| 1910 | 698 | 148.4% | |
| 1920 | 863 | 23.6% | |
| 1930 | 1,340 | 55.3% | |
| 1940 | 1,409 | 5.1% | |
| 1950 | 1,382 | −1.9% | |
| 1960 | 1,564 | 13.2% | |
| 1970 | 1,561 | −0.2% | |
| 1980 | 1,699 | 8.8% | |
| 1990 | 1,809 | 6.5% | |
| 2000 | 2,435 | 34.6% | |
| 2010 | 2,588 | 6.3% | |
| 2020 | 2,578 | −0.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[14] | |||
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| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 1,902 | 73.78% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 87 | 3.37% |
| Native American | 75 | 2.91% |
| Asian | 72 | 2.79% |
| Other/Mixed | 106 | 4.11% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 336 | 13.03% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 2,578 people, 1,151 households, and 552 families residing in the town.
As of thecensus[4] of 2000, there were 2,435 people, 1,137 households, and 608 families residing in the town. The population density was 759.7 inhabitants per square mile (293.3/km2). There were 1,283 housing units at an average density of 400.3 per square mile (154.6/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 89.16%White, 4.68%African American, 1.60%Native American, 1.31%Asian, 0.82% fromother races, and 2.42% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 2.51% of the population.
There were 1,137 households, out of which 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.1% weremarried couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.5% were non-families. 39.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.74.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.4% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 84.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $26,432, and the median income for a family was $36,711. Males had a median income of $25,526 versus $22,401 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $17,348. About 13.9% of families and 19.6% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 26.9% of those under age 18 and 18.6% of those age 65 or over.
Sylva is home to the Jackson Campus ofSouthwestern Community College and is the closest town of size to nearbyWestern Carolina University (6 miles (9.7 km) away), one of the seventeen schools of theUniversity of North Carolina system.
The town has the main county high school,Smoky Mountain High School, and two K-8 elementary schools: Scotts Creek east of town, and Fairview located behind the high school.
Sylva and all of Jackson County are served byHarris Regional Hospital. It is licensed for 86 beds. The facility also servesSwain,Macon andGraham counties in western North Carolina and is affiliated with Duke LifePoint.
The local newspaper isThe Sylva Herald, which was founded in 1926.
Greening Up The Mountains Festival takes place on the fourth Saturday in April, a family-friendly downtown street festival that draws more than 10,000 people for arts, old time Appalachian crafts, localmusic, ethnic and locally inspired cuisine, tastings from multiple local craft breweries, and many child-friendly activities.
The Hook, Line & Drinker Festival takes place in May, which celebrates the designation of the area as a popular spot for fishing, and features fly fishing guides, fishing industry vendors,craft beer vendors, children's activities and bands at Bridge Park.
Concerts on The Creek is an event that takes place every Friday night from Memorial Day to Labor Day at Sylva Bridge Park.
Several movies have been filmed in Sylva, including the 1972 movieDeliverance (along Mill Street), the 1997 movieParadise Falls (also known asCarolina Low), and the 1993 blockbusterThe Fugitive (at Harris Regional Hospital, a scene where the town is seen from Sylvan Heights right after the train wreck, and along Scotts Creek where it crosses West Main Street). The train wreck scene in The Fugitive was filmed 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Sylva in the town ofDillsboro. The scene ofHarrison Ford walking on railroad tracks in an old tunnel was also close by in Cowee Tunnel.[16] The town was also the site of filming for the 2017 filmThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.[17][18]
Municipalities and communities ofJackson County, North Carolina,United States | ||
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| Towns |  | |
| Village | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
