Seat
of Buncombe Co., at the confluence of
the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers;
incorporated in 1882. Situated on a
plateau between the Blue Ridge and Great
Smoky mountains, Asheville is a commercial
and manufacturing center and a mountain
resort. Manufactures in the city include
textiles, electronic equipment, precision
instruments, forest products, and processed
food. The city is headquarters for the
Blue Ridge Parkway and three national
forests. Tourist attractions include
the boyhood home of the American writer
Thomas Wolfe, and Biltmore, an estate
built by Richard Morris Hunt for the
American philanthropist George W. Vanderbilt
(1862-1914) and the University of North
Carolina at Asheville (1927). Asheville
is named for Samuel Ashe (1725-1813),
who was governor of North Carolina in
the 1790s.
Asheville
used to be a small crossroads town nestled
on a valley floor and surrounded by
mountains when it was founded by pioneer
town planner and real estate broker
John Burton in 1794. The town was known
as Morristown during its early years
and was called Buncombe Courthouse until
1797, when it was incorporated and officially
named Asheville in honor of North Carolina
Governor Samuel Ashe of New Hanover
County. At the time, Battle Square(present
site of Battery Park Hotel) stood more
than 100 feet above its present height
and was called "River Hill." Buncombe
attained county status on January 14,
1792, and was named for Revolutionary
War hero, Colonel Edward Buncombe. Asheville
soon became a focal point for speculators
and adventurers, but its growth was
exceedingly slow until the mid-1800's
when the railway system was constructed.
In 1882, the town of Asheville was expanded
and made the city of Asheville. During
that period, Mission Hospital was opened
in a five-room house. In 1885, the building
of the first Battery Park Hotel was
noted as the beginning of a great boom
period for the city. City officials
also passed an ordinance authorizing
street railway service and secured its
water supply from the old pumping station
on the Swannanoa River. Near the turn
of the century, George Vanderbilt began
construction on his mansion (Biltmore
House) to the south of the city. But
the greatest boom period in Asheville's
history came during the 1920's with
the development of residential subdivisions.
New buildings were under construction
throughout downtown, including the Jackson
Building, City Building, Buncombe County
Courthouse, Grove Arcade, Battery Park
Hotel, Vanderbilt Hotel, Flat Iron Building
and Bon Marche building. Then the Depression
hit, and like so many cities, Asheville
defaulted. Unlike most cities, however,
Asheville paid off every penny of its
lapsed loans, a commitment that brought
on years of hardship.
Asheville
continues to draw newcomers. Visitors
from across the country and around the
world can sense how special Asheville
is. Today, Asheville is the largest
city in Western North Carolina.
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