Newland, North Carolina


Newland is a town in Avery County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 698 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Avery County.

History

Before its founding, the area was known as Old Fields or Old Fields of Toe. In 1911 it was renamed Newland, after North Carolina Lieutenant Governor William C. Newland, and simultaneously became the county seat for Avery County.
The Avery County Courthouse and Avery County Jail are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Newland is located at .
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, all land.
At an elevation of, it is the highest county seat in the Eastern United States.
The East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad passed through the town until 1940.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 704 people, 334 households, and 207 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,044.4 people per square mile. There were 363 housing units at an average density of 538.5 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 99.01% White, 0.99% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.56% of the population.
There were 334 households out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.63.
In the town, the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $24,375, and the median income for a family was $33,875. Males had a median income of $22,917 versus $24,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,344. About 16.3% of families and 21.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 21.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people