Old Fort, North Carolina | |
---|---|
Motto(s): "Once you get here, you never want to leave" | |
Coordinates: 35°37′46″N82°10′45″W / 35.62944°N 82.17917°W | |
Country | United States |
State | North Carolina |
County | McDowell |
Area | |
• Total | 1.23 sq mi (3.18 km2) |
• Land | 1.22 sq mi (3.16 km2) |
• Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2) |
Elevation | 1,447 ft (441 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 811 |
• Density | 664.21/sq mi (256.48/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
ZIP code | 28762 |
Area code | 828 |
FIPS code | 37-48920 [3] |
GNIS feature ID | 2407044 [2] |
Website | oldfort.org |
Old Fort is a town in McDowell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 811 people in the 2020 U.S. census.
Before the arrival of European settlers, the area that is now Old Fort was populated by the Catawba and Cherokee. In the 1500s, Spanish explorers came through the area. [4] English and Scottish settlers arrived in the area in the mid-1700s. [4]
During the Revolutionary War, a stockade or fort was constructed on land owned by brothers George and Samuel Davidson, "the westernmost outpost of Colonial civilization" [4] [5] [6] It was called Davidson's Fort and was the post for military expeditions such as that of Gen. Griffith Rutherford in 1776. [6] The fort became a site for trading between settlers and Native Americans.
The arrival of the Western North Carolina Railway (WNCR) in 1869 stimulated the development of a depot and hotel. [4] In 1871, Sanborn Worthen bought the 2200-acre Old Fort Plantation from George Davidson's grandson and changed its name to Catawba Vale. [6] Worth hoped the railroad would build its yard there but the WNCR chose another site. [4]
On January 25, 1872, the town of Catawba Vale was founded. The town name was changed to Old Fort on February 23, 1873, [7] honoring its origins. [6] The railroad came to Old Fort in 1879. [8]
In 1984 the town began free weekly mountain music concerts, held in the historic Rockett Building each Friday night downtown. They attracted large audiences and numerous musicians. In mid-2014, the organization that ran mountain music lost its arrangement with the building owner, and the weekly music shows ended after 27 years. [9]
Old Fort is 30 miles (48 km) east of Asheville, North Carolina. [10] According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2), all land. Mill Creek flows through the center of Old Fort. [11] The town is surrounded by Pisgah National Forest which includes bogs, cove forests, fens, and hemlock forests. [12] [11]
Old Fort has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) and average monthly temperatures range from 38.5 °F (3.6 °C) in January to 75.7 °F (24.3 °C) in July. [13] Temperature variations between night and day can reach 21 degrees in the summer and 23 degrees in the winter.
The annual average precipitation at Old Fort is 54.01 inches (137.2 cm). Rainfall is fairly uniformly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is March, with an average rainfall of 5.59 inches (14.2 cm). The area has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) and average monthly temperatures range from 38.5 °F (3.6 °C)in January to 75.7 °F (24.3 °C)75.7 °F in July. [13]
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1890 | 249 | — | |
1900 | 253 | 1.6% | |
1910 | 778 | 207.5% | |
1920 | 931 | 19.7% | |
1930 | 866 | −7.0% | |
1940 | 774 | −10.6% | |
1950 | 771 | −0.4% | |
1960 | 787 | 2.1% | |
1970 | 676 | −14.1% | |
1980 | 752 | 11.2% | |
1990 | 720 | −4.3% | |
2000 | 963 | 33.8% | |
2010 | 908 | −5.7% | |
2020 | 811 | −10.7% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [14] |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 811 people, 463 households, and 290 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 79.04% White, 13.32% African American, 4.19% Hispanic or Latino, 3.21 other races, and 0.25% Asian. The median age is 46.3. [15] Educational attainment of the population is: 18.1% high school diploma and 15.4% with a bachelor's degree. [15]
Race | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic) | 641 | 79.04% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 108 | 13.32% |
Asian | 2 | 0.25% |
Other/Mixed | 26 | 3.21% |
Hispanic or Latino | 34 | 4.19% |
In 2020, the median household income was $28,269. [15] Males had a median income $36,607versus $20,625 for females. [17] Of the 463 households in town, 59.2% of the residents own their home. [15] 20.6% of the population lives below the poverty level and 10.4% of the population does not have health insurance. [15]
Old Fort's largest industries are Health Care & Social Assistance (78 people), Manufacturing (50 people), and Transportation & Warehousing (46 people). [17] Kitsbow Cycling Apparel, a manufacturer of premier sportswear and accessories, employed sixty full-time people in 2014. [18] [19]
Old Fort has several attractions, including Andrews Geyser, a gravity-fed fountain created in 1879 as a railroad attraction. [12] [20] Davidson's Fort Historic Park, a nonprofit organization, has reconstructed Davidson Fort, the Revolutionary War and host re-enactments and educational activities. [21] The state operates the Mountain Gateway Museum and Heritage Center which depicts local traditions and lifestyles from the 18th century through the 20th century [12] [11] The Old Fort Train Depot features a railroad exhibit. [8] The historic Carson House museum is located nine miles east of Old Fort in McDowell County. [11]
The Mountain Gateway Museum hosts Pioneer Day on the last Saturday in April. [22] The North Carolina Gold Festival is held the first Friday/Saturday in June, also on the grounds of Mountain Gateway Museum. Old Fort's Chamber of Commerce sponsors Octoberfest the first weekend in October on the grounds of Mountain Gateway Museum. [22]
The Welsford Parker Artz House and Old Fort Commercial Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [23] [24] The Arrowhead Monument was built in 1930 as a symbol of peace between the Iroquoian-speaking Cherokee people and Siouan-speaking Catawba people. [11] At the dedication ceremony, more than 6,000 attendees gathered at the town square to see the unveiling of the 14 ft. rose granite arrowhead on a natural stone base. [11]
Old Fort is the starting point for the annual Assault on Mount Mitchell mountain bike challenge. [22]
In 2010, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission added Old Fort to their list of N.C. Mountain Heritage Trout Towns. [11] In downtown Old Fort, the 0.7 miles (1.1 km) section of Mill Creek is a "delayed harvest stream."
The 340 feet (100 m) Catawba Falls, the largest waterfall in McDowell County and the headwaters of the Catawba River, is located just outside the town limits and accessed by hiking trails. [12] [22] In 2009, the N.C. Department of Transportation, local county and town governments, the United States Forest Service, and the local trails association collaborated to arrange for a portion of Old Highway 70, an old forest service road, to be reopened for bicycle and foot traffic. [11] Point Lookout Trail is a popular paved greenway ascending almost 1,000 feet through the Swannanoa Gap in just under 3.6 miles (5.8 km). [12] [11]
Old Fort has six elected officials: the mayor, and five aldermen. [25]
The town, is traversed by U.S. Highway 70 and Interstate 40. [11] The Town of Old Fort operates a water and sewage system. [25]
Mitchell County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,903. Its county seat is Bakersville.
McDowell County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,578. Its county seat is Marion.
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Asheville is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most-populous city. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 94,589, up from 83,393 in the 2010 census. It is the principal city in the three-county Asheville metropolitan area, which had a population of 469,015 in 2020.
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Marion is a city in and the county seat of McDowell County, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1844, the city was named in honor of Brigadier General Francis Marion, the American Revolutionary War Hero whose talent in guerrilla warfare earned him the name "Swamp Fox". Marion's Main Street Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The population was 7,717 at the 2020 Census.
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Western North Carolina is the region of North Carolina which includes the Appalachian Mountains; it is often known geographically as the state's Mountain Region. It contains the highest mountains in the Eastern United States, with 125 peaks rising to over 5,000 feet in elevation. Mount Mitchell at 6,684 feet, is the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains and mainland eastern North America. The population of the region, as measured by the 2010 U.S. Census, is 1,473,241, which is approximately 15% of North Carolina's total population.
Lake James is a large reservoir in the mountains of Western North Carolina which straddles the border between Burke and McDowell Counties. It is named for tobacco tycoon and benefactor of Duke University James Buchanan Duke. The lake, with surface elevation of 1200 ft, lies behind a series of 4 earthen dams. It was created by Duke Power between 1916 and 1923 as a hydro-electric project. It still generates power today and is the uppermost lake on the Catawba River system.
Davidson's Fort was a Revolutionary War frontier fort and precursor of town of Old Fort, North Carolina. It was built in 1776 to protect the white settlers from the Cherokee. Davidson's Fort was one of dozens of similar outposts constructed along the frontiers in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia to protect settlers from Native Americans who had sided with the British in the war. It was also known as Catawba Fort, Fort Royal, Old Fort, Rutherford's Fort, and Upper Fort.
The Fonta Flora State Trail is a unit of the North Carolina state park system in Buncombe, McDowell, and Burke Counties, North Carolina in the United States, and it consists of 90 acres (36 ha) of conservation land and 19 miles (31 km) designated multi-use trail. The State Trail is planned as a continuous route for hikers and cyclists from Asheville to Morganton, with a loop around Lake James. The trail is a collaboration between local governments, local land conservancies the US Forest Service, and the state, with development coordinated by the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation (NCDPR).