Buncombe County, North Carolina

Buncombe County, North Carolina

Buncombe County Courthouse in Asheville

Seal
Map of North Carolina highlighting Buncombe County
Location in the U.S. state of North Carolina
Map of the United States highlighting North Carolina
North Carolina's location in the U.S.
Founded 1791
Named for Edward Buncombe
Seat Asheville
Largest city Asheville
Area
 • Total 660 sq mi (1,709 km2)
 • Land 657 sq mi (1,702 km2)
 • Water 3.5 sq mi (9 km2), 0.5%
Population
 • (2010) 238,318
 • Density 363/sq mi (140/km²)
Congressional districts 10th, 11th
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.buncombecounty.org

Buncombe County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 238,318.[1] Its county seat is Asheville.[2]

Buncombe County is part of the Asheville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The county was formed in 1791 from parts of Burke County and Rutherford County. It was named for Edward Buncombe, a colonel in the American Revolutionary War, who was captured at the Battle of Germantown.[3][4] The large county originally extended to the Tennessee line. Many of the settlers were Baptists, and in 1807 the pastors of six churches including the revivalist Sion Blythe formed the French Broad Association of Baptist churches in the area.[5]

In 1808 the western part of Buncombe County became Haywood County. In 1833 parts of Burke County and Buncombe County were combined to form Yancey County, and in 1838 the southern part of what was left of Buncombe County became Henderson County. In 1851 parts of Buncombe County and Yancey County were combined to form Madison County. Finally, in 1925 the Broad River township of McDowell County was transferred to Buncombe County.

In 1820, a U.S. Congressman, whose district included Buncombe County, unintentionally contributed a word to the English language. In the Sixteenth Congress, after lengthy debate on the Missouri Compromise, members of the House called for an immediate vote on that important question. Instead, Felix Walker rose to address his colleagues, insisting that his constituents expected him to make a speech "for Buncombe." It was later remarked that Walker's untimely and irrelevant oration was not just for Buncombe—it "was Buncombe." Thus, buncombe, afterwards spelled bunkum and then shortened to bunk, became a term for empty, nonsensical talk.[6] This, in turn, is the etymology of the verb debunk.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 660 square miles (1,700 km2), of which 657 square miles (1,700 km2) is land and 3.5 square miles (9.1 km2) (0.5%) is water.[7]

The French Broad River enters the county at its border with Henderson County to the south and flows north into Madison County. The source of the Swannanoa River, which joins the French Broad River in Asheville, is in northeast Buncombe County near Mount Mitchell. A milestone was achieved in 2003 when Interstate 26 was extended from Mars Hill (north of Asheville) to Johnson City, Tennessee, completing a 20-year, half-billion dollar construction project through the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Major highways

National protected areas

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18005,812—
18109,27759.6%
182010,54213.6%
183016,28154.4%
184010,084−38.1%
185013,42533.1%
186012,654−5.7%
187015,41221.8%
188021,90942.2%
189035,26661.0%
190044,28825.6%
191049,79812.4%
192064,14828.8%
193097,93752.7%
1940108,75511.0%
1950124,40314.4%
1960130,0744.6%
1970145,05611.5%
1980160,93410.9%
1990174,8218.6%
2000206,33018.0%
2010238,31815.5%
Est. 2015253,178[8]6.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11]
1990-2000[12] 2010-2013[1]

As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 206,330 people, 85,776 households, and 55,668 families residing in the county. The population density was 314 people per square mile (121/km²). There were 93,973 housing units at an average density of 143 per square mile (55/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.06% White, 7.48% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.15% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races. 2.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 85,776 households out of which 27.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.50% were married couples living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.10% were non-families. 28.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the county the population was spread out with 21.90% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,666, and the median income for a family was $45,011. Males had a median income of $30,705 versus $23,870 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,384. About 7.80% of families and 11.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.30% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.

Law and government

Buncombe County vote
by party in presidential elections
Year Republican Democratic
2016 41.1% 55,339 55.7% 74,937
2012 42.8% 54,701 55.3% 70,625
2008 42.4% 52,494 56.3% 69,716
2004 50.0% 52,491 49.4% 51,868
2000 53.9% 46,101 45.1% 38,545
1996 44.2% 30,518 45.8% 31,658
1992 40.9% 30,892 43.7% 32,955
1988 57.6% 36,828 42.1% 26,964
1984 61.6% 37,698 38.1% 23,337
1980 48.8% 26,124 46.4% 24,837
1976 45.5% 22,461 53.9% 26,633
1972 70.4% 32,091 27.7% 12,626
1968 44.2% 21,031 30.8% 14,624
1964 38.0% 19,372 62.0% 31,623
1960 54.6% 28,040 45.4% 23,303

Buncombe County is a member of the Land-of-Sky Regional Council of governments.

Buncombe County has a council/manager form of government.

The 2014 election voted in the current commissioners: Brownie Newman, Mike Fryar, Ellen Frost, Joe Belcher, Miranda DeBruhl, Holly Jones, and chair David Gantt.[14] The county manager is Wanda Greene.

The North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention formerly operates the Swannanoa Valley Youth Development Center in Swannanoa for delinquent boys, including those without sufficient English fluency. It opened in 1961.[15]

Buncombe is a bellwether county in presidential elections having voted for the winning candidate in every election since 1964. However, in 2016, it trended towards the Democratic Party despite Donald Trump's upset in winning the electoral college but losing the popular vote, losing its bellwether status.

Communities

Map of Buncombe County, North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

City

Towns

Townships

  • Asheville
  • Avery Creek
  • Black Mountain
  • Broad River
  • Fairview
  • Flat Creek
  • French Broad
  • Hazel [16]
  • Ivy
  • Leicester
  • Limestone
  • Lower Hominy
  • Reems Creek
  • Sandy Mush
  • Swannanoa
  • Woodfin
  • Upper Hominy

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ J.D. Lewis. NC Patriots 1775-1783: Their Own Words, Volume 1. JD Lewis. pp. 54–. ISBN 978-1-4675-4808-3.
  4. ↑ Best Books on (1939). North Carolina, a Guide to the Old North State,. Best Books on. pp. 496–. ISBN 978-1-62376-032-8.
  5. ↑ David Benedict (1813). "NORTH-CAROLINA". A GENERAL HISTORY OF THE BAPTIST DENOMINATION IN AMERICA, AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD. Lincoln & Edmands. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  6. ↑ debunk - The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000 Archived April 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine., Houghton Mifflin, Boston, accessed 2009-01-11
  7. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  8. ↑ "County Totals Dataset: Population, Population Change and Estimated Components of Population Change: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  9. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 22, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  11. ↑ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  13. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  14. ↑ http://www.buncombecounty.org/Governing/commissioners/Default.aspx
  15. ↑ "Swannanoa Valley YDC" (). North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. April 28, 2006. Retrieved on December 16, 2015.
  16. ↑ though not listed on the census map below, it shows up here: https://www.buncombecounty.org/common/landRecords/mappers_townships.pdf

External links

 Madison County Yancey County
Haywood County McDowell County
   Buncombe County, North Carolina  
Henderson County Rutherford County

Coordinates: 35°37′N 82°32′W / 35.61°N 82.53°W / 35.61; -82.53

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