Transylvania County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 33,090. Its county seat is Brevard.
Transylvania County comprises the Brevard, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Asheville-Brevard, NC CSA combined statistical area.
History
Experience Brevard & North Carolina's Land of Waterfalls - With 250 natural mountain waterfalls located in Transylvania County alone, a beautiful cascade is never too far away from you in Brevard, North Carolina. You can also enjoy fine dining, art,...
Founded in 1861, the county's name is derived from the Transylvania Colony and has Latin origins: trans ("across") and silva ("woods").
Prior to the early 20th century, an overwhelming majority of Transylvania County’s residents subsisted through agriculture, often growing basic staples such as potatoes and cabbage.
Beginning in the early 20th century with Joseph Silverstein’s tannery, a manufacturing economy began to emerge in the county relying on timber and related products harvested from the Pisgah National Forest. In the 1930s, Harry Straus opened a paper mill in the Pisgah Forest area, and by the mid-20th century Straus' Ecusta Paper manufacturing site provided jobs to over 3,000 local residents. During the peak industrial years of the 1950s, DuPont located one of its factories in the county, employing nearly 1,000 more residents.
In the following decades, Brevard College and its namesake town each grew at an unprecedented rate, and Brevard Music Center and its summer Brevard Music Festival began to attract musicians and enthusiasts from around the country to Transylvania County.
Since the later part of the 20th century, Transylvania County has experienced a change in its economic base as many of the manufacturing operations that once operated there, including Ecusta and DuPont, either went defunct or left the United States for more favorable business conditions abroad. Since that time, the county has worked to reshape its economy around the growing Appalachian summer and winter tourism industry.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 381 square miles (990Â km2), of which 379 square miles (980Â km2) is land and 2.0 square miles (5.2Â km2) (0.5%) is water.
There are over 250 waterfalls in the county. Receiving over 90 inches of rain annually, Transylvania County is the wettest county in the state. This is contrasted with Buncombe County, which is thirty miles northeast of Transylvania County receiving the lowest precipitation. The Blue Ridge Parkway traverses through parts of the county, and has views of the Appalachian Mountains, which reach over 6,000 feet (1,800Â m) elevation in the county. The highest point, Chestnut Knob, 6,025 feet (1,836Â m), lies northwest of the county seat Brevard.
Adjacent counties
- Henderson County - east
- Greenville County, South Carolina - southeast
- Pickens County, South Carolina - south
- Oconee County, South Carolina - southwest
- Jackson County - west
- Haywood County - northwest
- Buncombe County - northeast
National protected areas
- Blue Ridge Parkway (part)
- Pisgah National Forest (part)
Major highways
- USÂ 64
- USÂ 178
- USÂ 276
- NCÂ 215
- NCÂ 280
- NCÂ 281
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 33,090 people, 14,394 households, and 8,660 families residing in the county. The population density was 83 people per square mile (30/km²). There were 15,553 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile (16/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.4% White, 3.9% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, and 1.12% from two or more races. 2.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 12,320 households out of which 25.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.60% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.70% were non-families. 26.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.74.
In the county, the population was spread out with 20.40% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 23.10% from 25 to 44, 26.90% from 45 to 64, and 21.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 92.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,587, and the median income for a family was $45,579. Males had a median income of $31,743 versus $21,191 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,767. About 6.60% of families and 9.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.80% of those under age 18 and 7.00% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
City
- Brevard (county seat)
Town
- Rosman
Townships
Unincorporated communities
Hospital
- Transylvania Regional Hospital
Transylvania Regional Hospital (TRH), was formed in 1933 with the mission to serve the health care needs of this community. A 94-bed facility, fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), Transylvania Regional Hospital offers comprehensive services through more than 120 active, consulting and courtesy physicians representing a full spectrum of specialties.
Politics, law and government
At present Transylvania is a solidly Republican county, although much less so than the vast majority of Appalachia. No Democratic presidential nominee has carried Transylvania County since Jimmy Carter did so in 1976, although even Hillary Clinton obtained well over thirty percent of Transylvania’s vote whereas she frequently fell under twenty percent in counties of Kentucky, Southwest Virginia and West Virginia.
Transylvania County has a council-manager form of government, with a five-member Board of Commissioners elected at large. The Commissioners hire and supervise a separate County Manager. The current County Manager is Jaime Laughter. The current members of the Board of Commissioners are Larry Chapman (chairman), Page Lemel (vice-chairwoman), Jason Chappell, Mike Hawkins, and Kelvin Phillips.
Transylvania County is a member of the Land-of-Sky Regional Council of governments.
The current mayor of Brevard is Jimmy Harris. The current mayor of Rosman is Brian Shelton.
Points of interest
- Biltmore Forest School, first school of forestry in North America
- Blue Ridge Community College, Transylvania campus
- Brevard Music Center
- Brevard College
- Blue Ridge Parkway
- DuPont State Forest
- Gorges State Park
- Lake Toxaway
- Looking Glass Falls
- Pisgah National Forest
- Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute
- Transylvania Arts Council
- Transylvania County Schools
- Brevard Little Theater
- Sliding Rock
- Nantahala National Forest
- Whitewater Falls, highest waterfall in North Carolina
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Transylvania County, North Carolina
References
External links
- HendersonvilleNews.com - The Times-News Online
- Cradle of Forestry In America website
- Transylvania County government website
- Transylvania County Library
- Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy
- Waterfalls in Transylvania County
- NCGenWeb Transylvania County - free genealogy resources for the county
- [1] - Free Insider Guide to Brevard and Transylvania County