Everything about Buncombe County North Carolina totally explained
Buncombe County is a
county located in the
U.S. state of
North Carolina. It is part of the
Asheville,
North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population estimate for 2006 was 222,174. Its
county seat is
Asheville.
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.
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 wasn't just
for Buncombe--it "
was Buncombe." Thus,
buncombe, afterwards spelled and then shortened to
bunk, became a term for empty, nonsensical talk.
Law and government
Buncombe County is a member of the
Land-of-Sky Regional Council of governments.
Buncombe County has a council/manager form of government.
The 2004 election voted in the current commissioners: David Young, David Gantt, Bill Stanley, Carol Peterson, and chair Nathan Ramsey. The county manager is Wanda Greene.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 660
square miles (1,709
km²), of which, 656 square miles (1,699 km²) of it's land and 4 square miles (10 km²) of it (0.58%) is water.
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
Townships
The county is divided into fifteen townships: Asheville, Avery Creek, Black Mountain, Broad River, Fairview, Flat Creek, French Broad, Ivy, Leicester, Limestone, Lower Hominy, Reems Creek, Sandy Mush, Swannanoa, and Upper Hominy.
Adjacent counties
Madison County, North Carolina - north
Yancey County, North Carolina - northeast
McDowell County, North Carolina - east
Rutherford County, North Carolina - southeast
Henderson County, North Carolina - south
Haywood County, North Carolina - west
Demographics
As of the census 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.
Communities
Cities and towns
Asheville
Biltmore Forest
Black Mountain
Montreat
Weaverville
Woodfin
Census-designated places
Avery Creek
Bent Creek
Fairview
Leicester
Royal Pines
Swannanoa
Other place
EnkaFurther Information
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