Western North Carolina


Western North Carolina is the region of North Carolina which includes the Appalachian Mountains, thus it is often known geographically as the state's Mountain Region. It contains the highest mountains in the Eastern United States, with 125 peaks rising to over 5,000 feet elevation. Western North Carolina is sometimes included with upstate South Carolina as the "Western Carolinas", which is also counted as a single media market. The region covers an area of about, and is roughly the size of the state of Massachusetts. The population of the region, as measured by the 2010 U.S. Census, is 1,473,241, which is approximately 15% of North Carolina's total population.
The term Land of the Sky is a common nickname for this mountainous region and has been more recently adopted to refer to the Asheville area. The term is derived from the title of the book, Land of the Sky, written by Mrs. Frances Tiernan, under the pseudonym Christian Reid. The book often mentions the Great Smoky Mountains and Blue Ridge Mountains, the two main ranges that are found in Western North Carolina. The Asheville area regional government body, the Land-of-Sky Regional Council, uses the nickname.
Located east of the Tennessee state line and west of the Piedmont, Western North Carolina contains very few major urban centers. Asheville, North Carolina, located in the region's center, is the area's largest city and most prominent commercial hub. The Foothills region of the state is loosely defined as the area along Western North Carolina's eastern boundary; this region consists of a transitional terrain of hills between the Appalachians and the Piedmont Plateau of central North Carolina. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians have a reservation situated in the Western North Carolina region, adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Subregions

High Country

The northern counties in Western North Carolina are commonly known as the state's High Country. Centered on Boone, the High Country boasts the area's most popular ski resorts, including Ski Beech, Appalachian Ski Mountain, and Sugar Mountain. The area also features many attractions, historical sites, and geological formations such as Linville Caverns, Grandfather Mountain, Blowing Rock, Tweetsie Railroad, Shatley Springs, and Mystery Hill. Education, skiing, tourism, and Christmas tree farming are among this area's most prominent industries, although agriculture and raising livestock also remain important. The counties that make up the High Country are: Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey.

Tennessee Valley

The westernmost part of Western North Carolina is part of the Tennessee Valley. Asheville is the major hub of far western North Carolina. In this area, there are a few hydroelectric projects managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority, including Fontana Dam. Tourism, especially outdoor ventures such as canoeing, whitewater rafting, camping, and fishing are extremely important to local economies in the area. The Tennessee Valley has the tallest mountains in the state, including Mt. Mitchell.

Foothills

The Foothills is a region of transitional terrain between the Piedmont Plateau and the Appalachian Mountains, extending from the lower edge of the Blue Ridge escarpment into the upper Catawba, Yadkin, Broad, Saluda, and Savannah River valleys. The eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge drop sharply to the foothills section, going from 3500–4000 feet at the top to only 1000–1500 feet at the base. The foothills region contains numerous lower peaks and isolated mountain ranges such as the South Mountains, Brushy Mountains, and Stone Mountain State Park. The foothills are divided into many small river and creek valleys that contain much of the region's population. Although no large cities are located in the foothills, the region does contain many small towns; the towns often developed around a single industry such as furniture or textiles. As these industries steadily moved to low-wage markets in Asia and Latin America since 1990, the foothills towns that depended upon them have often suffered from job and population loss; some of these towns are developing a new economy based on tourism and catering to affluent retirees who have settled in the region. Many farmers in the northern foothills are poultry farmers as well, and winemaking and vineyards are growing in popularity. Among the towns of the foothills region in North Carolina are Tryon, Columbus, Chimney Rock, Lake Lure, Forest City, Rutherfordton, Spindale, Mount Airy, Elkin, and Marion and the cities of North Wilkesboro, Wilkesboro, Hickory, Lenoir, Shelby, and Morganton.The southern mountains refer to counties bordering South Carolina. Hendersonville, Brevard, and Columbus are in this area.

Higher education

The region has three major public universities: Appalachian State University is located in Boone, Western Carolina University is located in Cullowhee, and UNC Asheville is located in Asheville. All three are part of the University of North Carolina system. Several small, private colleges and universities are also located in the region. Mars Hill University is located north of Asheville. Founded in 1856, it is the oldest college or university in western North Carolina. Montreat College, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, is located east of Asheville. Lees-McRae College, located in Banner Elk, is also affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. Warren Wilson College, located in Swannanoa, is noted for its strong pro-environment policies and for being one of the nine work colleges in the United States. Brevard College, located in Brevard, is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Lenoir-Rhyne University, located in Hickory, is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Several community college systems serve the region, including Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Blue Ridge Community College, Haywood Community College, Isothermal Community College, Mayland Community College, McDowell Technical Community College, Southwestern Community College, and Tri-County Community College.

Transportation

Highways

Interstates

Three major Interstate highways cross the region: Interstate 40, which traverses east-west, Interstate 77, which runs north-south through the northeastern section of Western North Carolina, and Interstate 26, which traverses north-south. Interstate 240 is the only auxiliary interstate route in the region and it serves downtown Asheville.

U.S. Highways

, a multi lane expressway, is the major highway in the northwestern part of the state. US 19, US 23, US 64, US 74, and US 441 are the major highways in the far western part of the region. US 70 runs east through the area connecting Hickory and Asheville. US 221 also runs through the area. This highway, which begins in Perry, Florida, connects the town of Rutherfordton to Jefferson. US 321 runs north from Hickory to Watauga and Avery Counties before going into Tennessee.

Blue Ridge Parkway

A National Scenic Byway, the Blue Ridge Parkway, runs through western North Carolina, starting in Virginia and ending near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Railroads

Two major class 1 railroads run through the region, CSX and Norfolk Southern. In addition, two tourist railroads also operate in the area, the Tweetsie Railroad theme park and the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.

Airports

, located southeast of the city of Asheville in Fletcher, also serves the area with non-stop jet service to Charlotte, North Carolina; Newark, New Jersey; George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Orlando Sanford International Airport near Orlando, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Detroit, Michigan; O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois; and LaGuardia Airport in New York City. Non-stops to St. Petersburg–Clearwater International Airport in the Tampa Bay Area are set to begin in June 2013.

Economy

is a major part of the economy in the area which contains half of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as well as the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests. There are also several lakes and dams scattered throughout Western North Carolina like Lake Lure and Fontana Dam. Many visitors travel to the region every summer and autumn from major cities like Charlotte and Atlanta to escape the hot weather and see the leaves change colors. The timber industry is also a major economic sector.

Appalachian Regional Commission

The Appalachian Regional Commission was formed in 1965 to aid economic development in the Appalachian region, which was lagging far behind the rest of the nation on most economic indicators. The Appalachian region currently defined by the Commission includes 420 counties in 13 states, including 29 counties in North Carolina. The Commission gives each county one of five possible economic designations— distressed, at-risk, transitional, competitive, or attainment— with "distressed" counties being the most economically endangered and "attainment" counties being the most economically prosperous. These designations are based primarily on three indicators— three-year average unemployment rate, market income per capita, and poverty rate.
In 2003, Appalachian North Carolina— which included most counties of Western North Carolina and two counties in central North Carolina— had a three-year average unemployment rate of 6%, compared with 6.2% statewide and 5.5% nationwide. In 2002, Appalachian North Carolina had a per capita market income of $21,168, compared with $23,443 statewide and $26,420 nationwide. In 2000, Appalachian North Carolina had a poverty rate of 11.7%, compared to 12.3% statewide and 12.4% nationwide.
Only one North Carolina county— Graham— was designated "Distressed," while six— Cherokee, McDowell, Mitchell, Rutherford, Swain, and Yancey— were designated "at-risk." Forsyth County was the only county given the "attainment" designation, and four others— Buncombe, Davie, Henderson, and Polk— were designated "competitive." Most Western North Carolina counties were designated "transitional," meaning they lagged behind the national average on one of the three key indicators. Graham County had Appalachian North Carolina's highest poverty rating, with 19.5% of its residents living below the poverty line. Forsyth had Appalachian North Carolina's highest per capita income at $26,987. Watauga County's unemployment rate of 2.3% was lowest of all 420 counties in the Appalachian region.
Along with other rural regions which have received national notoriety, changes brought by heavy tourism and population growth from re-locators present a double-edged sword. Local business benefit from increased economic revenue but increases in costs of living, over-dependence on a tourism economy and loss of natural habitat to development can degrade the quality of life for which the region became noteworthy.

Topography

There are 82 mountain peaks between 5,000 and 6,000 feet in elevation in western North Carolina, and 43 peaks rise to over. Among the subranges of the Appalachian Mountains located in western North Carolina are the Great Smoky Mountains, Blue Ridge Mountains, South Mountains, Brushy Mountains, Sauratown Mountains, Great Balsam Mountains, Great Craggy Mountains, the Plott Balsams, and the Black Mountains. Mount Mitchell, in the Black Mountains, is, at, the highest point in eastern North America. Valley and foothills locations typically range from AMSL.
The major rivers in the region include the French Broad River, Nolichucky River, Watauga River, Little Tennessee River, and Hiwassee River flowing into the Tennessee River valley; the New River flowing into the Ohio River valley; and the headwaters and upper valleys of the Catawba River, Yadkin River, Broad River, and Saluda River flowing through the foothills towards the Atlantic. The Eastern Continental Divide runs through the region, dividing Tennessee-bound streams from those flowing through the Carolinas.

Area

Counties

Western North Carolina generally consists of 29 counties, that when combined form a total regional area of roughly 13,000 square miles. The region is roughly the size of Massachusetts. The counties commonly included in the region are as follows:
  1. Alexander County
  2. Alleghany County
  3. Ashe County
  4. Avery County
  5. Buncombe County
  6. Burke County
  7. Caldwell County
  8. Catawba County
  9. Cleveland County
  10. Cherokee County
  11. Clay County
  12. Graham County
  13. Haywood County
  14. Henderson County
  15. Jackson County
  16. Macon County
  17. Madison County
  18. McDowell County
  19. Mitchell County
  20. Polk County
  21. Rutherford County
  22. Stokes County
  23. Surry County
  24. Swain County
  25. Transylvania County
  26. Watauga County
  27. Wilkes County
  28. Yadkin County
  29. Yancey County
During the early 1800s, the Western counties included counties that are in the Piedmont region to distinguish them from the Eastern counties in North Carolina that were settled earlier. As the western counties became more populated, this led to a rivalry for representation in the North Carolina General Assembly and the Governor's office.

Cities and towns

Western North Carolina communities in the region include:

Over 40,000 inhabitants