Flat Rock, Henderson County, North Carolina

Flat Rock, North Carolina
Village
Location of Flat Rock, North Carolina
Coordinates: 35°16′04″N82°27′09″W / 35.26778°N 82.45250°W / 35.26778; -82.45250
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Henderson
Incorporated	1996 [1]
Named for	Rock formation [1]
Government
• Mayor	Nick Weedman [2]
Area [3]
• Total	8.23 sq mi (21.31 km2)
• Land	8.10 sq mi (20.98 km2)
• Water	0.13 sq mi (0.33 km2)
Elevation [4]	2,543 ft (775 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,486
• Density	430.32/sq mi (166.14/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	28731
Area code	828
FIPS code	37-23600 [5]
GNIS feature ID	2407454 [4]
Website	www.villageofflatrock.org

Flat Rock is a village in Henderson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,114 at the 2010 census. ^[6] It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Charles Baring and Susan Heyward Baring built Mountain Lodge in 1827 as the community became known as the "Little Charleston of the Mountains" due to an influx of wealthy summer residents from the South Carolina Low Country. Historic Flat Rock Inc. bought the abandoned house and sold it in 2014 to Julien Smythe, a descendant of an owner of Connemara who along with wife Lori renovated the house. ^[7]

A post office called Flat Rock has been in operation since 1829. ^[8] The village was named for granite rock formations which dotted the landscape. ^[9]

Historic Flat Rock Inc. began in 1968 after the loss of Ravenswood and began buying historic properties. ^[7]

A number of buildings in the village are included in the Flat Rock Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Also on the Register are Brookland and Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site. ^[10]

Geography

Flat Rock is located in south-central Henderson County. It is bordered to the north by Hendersonville, the county seat, and to the east by unincorporated East Flat Rock. North Carolina Highway 225 (Greenville Highway) is the main road through the village, leading north 4 miles (6 km) to the center of Hendersonville and south 3 miles (5 km) to Zirconia. Asheville is 25 miles (40 km) to the north, and the South Carolina border is 8 miles (13 km) to the south.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 8.2 square miles (21.3 km²), of which 8.1 square miles (21.0 km²) are land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²), or 1.56%, are water. ^[6] The town is drained by King Creek and Meminger Creek, tributaries of the French Broad River and part of the Tennessee River watershed.

Government

The village of Flat Rock is governed under a mayor/council form of government. The Mayor and City Council members are elected to staggered four-year terms. Currently the mayor of Flat Rock is Nick Weedman who was elected unopposed on November 5, 2019. ^[11] There are also 5 city council members. ^[12]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1960	1,808		—
1970	1,688		−6.6%
1980	1,922		13.9%
1990	1,812		−5.7%
2000	2,565		41.6%
2010	3,114		21.4%
2020	3,486		11.9%
U.S. Decennial Census [13]

2020 census

Flat Rock racial composition ^[14]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	3,259	93.49%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	23	0.66%
Native American	8	0.23%
Asian	16	0.46%
Pacific Islander	4	0.11%
Other/Mixed	80	2.29%
Hispanic or Latino	96	2.75%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,486 people, 1,590 households, and 1,071 families residing in the village.

2000 census

As of the census ^[5] of 2000, there were 2,565 people, 1,169 households, and 937 families residing in the village. The population density was 327.1 inhabitants per square mile (126.3/km²). There were 1,459 housing units at an average density of 186.0 per square mile (71.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.83% White, 0.47% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.04% from other races, and 0.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.17% of the population.

There were 1,169 households, out of which 15.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.5% were married couples living together, 1.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.8% were non-families. 18.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.46.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 13.6% under the age of 18, 2.3% from 18 to 24, 13.4% from 25 to 44, 34.9% from 45 to 64, and 35.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 58 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $67,813, and the median income for a family was $81,811. Males had a median income of $55,263 versus $34,375 for females. The per capita income for the village was $42,222. About 0.3% of families and 1.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Flat Rock is home to the Flat Rock Playhouse, the State Theatre of North Carolina. The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church retreat Bonclarken is located in Flat Rock. It also is home to the main campus of Blue Ridge Community College.

The Historic Flat Rock Cultural Center and Museum opened in the former post office June 3, 2017. ^[7]

Notable people

• Mitchell Campbell King (1815–1901), 19th-century planter and physician.
• Christopher Memminger, the first Secretary of the Treasury for the Confederacy, had his summer home here, which he called "Rock Hill," later called "Connemara". ^[7] He is interred in Flat Rock.
• Carl Sandburg lived in the village from 1945 until his death in 1967. His home, once owned by Memminger, is part of the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site and a major tourist attraction in the village.
• Buffalo Bob Smith (1917–1998), TV host of long-running children's program "Howdy Doody," retired to the Kenmure section of Flat Rock, yet sometimes used a Hendersonville address.
• George A. Trenholm, a summer resident, was the second Secretary of the Treasury for the Confederacy, from July 18, 1864, to April 27, 1865.

References

1. "North Carolina Gazetteer" . Retrieved December 25, 2020.
2. "Mayor and Council".
3. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
4. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Flat Rock, Henderson County, North Carolina
5. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
6. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Flat Rock village, North Carolina". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
7. Neufeld, Rob (September 24, 2017). "Visiting Our Past: A party at Susan's - a Flat Rock Story from 1836". Asheville Citizen-Times . Retrieved September 25, 2017.
8. "Henderson County". Jim Forte Postal History. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
9. Kramp, Penn (February 22, 1987). "Tuxedo: It's not formal wear". The Times-News. p. 27. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
10. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
11. "Mayoral election in Flat Rock, North Carolina (2019)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
12. "Mayor and Council". www.villageofflatrock.org. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
13. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on July 9, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
14. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 19, 2021.

External links

• Village of Flat Rock official website
• CarlSandburg.net: A Research Website for Sandburg Studies
• Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development