Ashe County, North Carolina


Ashe County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 26,577 at the 2020 census. Its county seat is Jefferson.

History

Historical evidence shows that Ashe County was inhabited by Native Americans, which included the Cherokee, Creek, and Shawnee tribes. Pieces of broken pottery, arrowheads, and other Native American artifacts have been found, indicating their presence. Most of these artifacts have been found in the Old Fields area of Ashe County.
The earliest Europeans to explore Ashe County were Bishop August Gottlieb Spangenberg – head of the Moravian Church in America – and his associates, Timothy Horsefield, Joseph Mueller, Henry Antes, Johan Merck, and Herman Loesch. Bishop Spangenberg wrote about his journey in Ashe in a diary that has been preserved by the Moravian church. He was given in Virginia as a place for his fellow Moravians to settle. The only one of Spangenberg's group to return and permanently settle in Ashe County was Herman Loesch. Other early settlers were David Helton, William Walling, William McLain and Daniel Boone, the famous pioneer. With the exception of Boone, these men and their families all settled in Ashe in 1771.
During the Revolutionary War one skirmish was fought in Ashe County, the Battle of Big Glades. The battle was fought in July 1780 between a force of Americans, led by Captain Robert Love, and a force of 150 British Loyalists on their way to Charlotte to join Lord Cornwallis, the British commander in the Southern colonies. The Americans won the skirmish.
In the 1780s, Ashe County was a part of the self-declared "State of Franklin", within the boundaries of its Washington County. The "State of Franklin" marked the beginnings of the State of Tennessee. The North Carolina legislature created Ashe County in late 1799 with an area of. Many family surnames noted in the 1800 Ashe County Census, such as Bare, Barker, Blevins, Hart, Stamper, Miller, Burkett, Gambill, Baldwin, and Ballou, are still present today. Ashe County was named in honor of Samuel Ashe, a Revolutionary patriot, a superior court judge, and the Governor of North Carolina from 1795 to 1798.
From 1807 to 1913, the county went through numerous boundary changes. In 1849, to form Watauga County, the southwestern part of Ashe County was combined with parts of Caldwell County, Wilkes County, and Yancey County. Ten years later in 1859, the eastern part of the remainder of Ashe County became Alleghany County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
Ashe County is located in extreme northwestern North Carolina. The county is bordered by two states: Virginia on the north; and Tennessee to the west. The county is located entirely within the Appalachian Mountains region of North Carolina. Most of the county is located atop a rolling plateau that ranges from above sea level. On the county's southeastern border the land drops sharply to about in neighboring Wilkes County, North Carolina. Numerous mountains and hills dot the plateau. In total, five mountains in the county rise to over. A prominent landmark is Mount Jefferson, which is a State Natural Area and rises to, and towers more than above the towns of Jefferson and West Jefferson.
The county's main river is the New River, one of the oldest rivers in the world, and one of the few major rivers in the southeastern United States to flow primarily north instead of south, east, or west. 34 creeks and streams flow into the New River in Ashe County. In 1998, the river was designated an "American Heritage River" by President Bill Clinton, and it is famed for its beautiful rural scenery, clear water, fly fishing, and kayaking and canoeing.
Isolated by mountainous terrain from the remainder of North Carolina to the east, Ashe County was described in the 19th and early 20th centuries as one of the Lost Provinces of North Carolina.
Ashe County generally is known for its mountain scenery, and the tourism industry is an important mainstay of the county's economy. The Blue Ridge Parkway runs along the county's southeastern border. Ashe County has historically consisted of rural farmland, with numerous cattle and poultry farms. However, cattle farming in recent decades has given way to the industry of raising Christmas trees. Many cattle farmers have switched to growing Christmas trees. In 1997, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2021, and 2023, an Ashe County Christmas tree was selected as the official White House Christmas Tree by the National Christmas Tree Association. The tree is put on display in the Blue Room. As of 2014, Ashe County grows more Christmas trees than any other county in the Eastern United States.

Climate

Ashe County has a considerably different climate than most of the southeastern United States. Summers typically average around 80 °F. Temperatures rarely exceed 90 °F, but on rare occasions can reach the mid-90s °F as they did in 2012—the most recent that 90 °F+ was observed. 100 °F+ has never been observed. Summer nights are cool, and temperatures often dip to near 60 °F, even in July. In winter there is snow, averaging about 30 inches for the towns of Jefferson and West Jefferson during the past thirty years. Considerably more snow falls on the peaks and the western slopes of the Appalachian Mountains. During the 2009–2010 snow season, Jefferson received some 60 inches of snow. Snow has been observed as early as around October 1 and as late as around May 1. Ashe County is also a very windy location, especially in winter, when several times each year the Jefferson Airport sees winds gusting 60 to 85 MPH. Combined with the winds typical for the region, Ashe County can also see extremely cold temperatures during winter. In January 2014, the low temperature dipped below 0 °F several times, the coldest being −8 °F on January 30–31. During Winter Storm Elliott in December 2022, Ashe County recorded an atypical low of −15 °F. Single digit temperatures, often just above zero Fahrenheit, are observed occasionally in the winter months. The average winter high is around 45 °F, with an average winter low near 20 °F. Despite its southerly latitude, these factors can make Ashe County experience winter conditions typically seen in the northeastern United States.
The USDA hardiness zones range from Zone 6A in northwestern Ashe County, to Zone 7B in areas along the county's southeastern border with Wilkes County.

Hurricane Helene

Wind and flooding from Hurricane Helene devastated North Carolina on September 27, 2024, primarily in its western Appalachian region, causing at least 108 reported deaths and major destruction of infrastructure and residential areas across several settlements. After making landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on September 27, Helene began to traverse over land across Georgia as a Category 2 hurricane and into the Appalachian mountain range as a tropical storm, depositing record-breaking amounts of rainfall across several settlements in western North Carolina.
Ashe County was severely impacted by Helene due to the multiple large streams in the county, limited infrastructure, and rural population. One fatality was reported in Ashe County due to Hurricane Helene. Extensive damage and destruction occurred across most of the county. While wind caused moderate damage in portions of the county due to fallen trees, the primary threat was flash flooding. Flood damages were largely dependent on proximity to creeks and rivers; as a result, damages were most severe in areas of the county adjacent to the New River and other streams. Nearly all businesses in downtown Lansing sustained major flood damage, as a result of nearby Big Horse Creek overflowing its banks. Downtown West Jefferson sustained relatively minor flood damage, due to no major streams in the vicinity of the community. Portions of Jefferson sustained moderate flood damage. Numerous bridges and low water crossings were washed away. It is expected that the repair of all local roads will take several years. Local public schools were closed for over a month while recovery efforts ensued. Multiple nonprofit organizations, including the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army, have supplemented state and federal support during recovery efforts.

National protected areas

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 26,577 people, 11,708 households, and 7,894 families residing in the county. The median age was 50.0 years, 17.3% of residents were under the age of 18, and 27.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.7 males age 18 and over.
Of the households, 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. 51.8% were married-couple households, 17.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.0% of households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 16,935 housing units, of which 30.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.9% were owner-occupied and 23.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.3%.
Less than 0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
The county's racial composition was 90.41% White, 0.47% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.8% Other/Mixed, and 5.72% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
As of the 2020 census, Ashe County has the most proportionately white population among any county in the state.