HAYWOOD COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

'Haywood County' is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 54,033. Its county seat is Waynesville ⁶, the largest town in the county.

History

The county was formed in 1808 from the western part of Buncombe County. It was named for John Haywood, Treasurer of North Carolina from 1787 to 1827.
In 1828 the western part of Haywood County became Macon County. In 1851 parts of Haywood County and Macon County were combined to form Jackson County.

Popular Culture

Cold Mountain, located within the Pisgah National Forest was made famous by the novel ''Cold Mountain'' by Charles Frazier. A major motion picture based on the novel was distributed by Miramax Films in 2003.

Law & Government

Haywood County is a member of the regional Southwestern Commission council of governments.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,436 km² (555 mi²). 1,434 km² (554 mi²) of it is land and 2 km² (1 mi²) of it (0.17%) is water.
The Pigeon River originates in Haywood County. It is the only county in North Carolina that all water flows out while none flows in.
Notable peaks in the county include Cold Mountain, at 6,030 feet, Mt. Sterling, at 5,835 feet, and Richland Balsam, at 6,410 feet in elevation. Haywood county is believed to be the highest county by mean elevation east of the rocky mountains with a mean elevation of 3600 feet (1095m). Avery county, NC approx. 50 miles NE also makes a similar claim, But as where Haywood county is nearly twice the size of Avery county, Haywood edges out slightly due to much more high elevation land area.
Sections of Pisgah National Forest are in the far northeastern and southern parts of the county. A portion of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is in the northwestern section of the county, north of Maggie Valley.

Townships

The county is divided into fifteen townships: Beaverdam, Bethel, Cataloochee, Cecil, Clyde, Crabtree, Cruso, East Fork, Fines Creek, Iron Duff, Ivy Hill, Jonathan Creek, Pigeon, Waynesville, and White Oak.

Adjacent counties

★ Cocke County, Tennessee - north

★ Madison County, North Carolina - northeast

★ Buncombe County, North Carolina - east

★ Transylvania County, North Carolina - southeast

★ Jackson County, North Carolina - southwest

★ Swain County, North Carolina - west

★ Sevier County, Tennessee - northwest

Major Highways

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Interstate 40

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U.S. Highway 19

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U.S. Highway 23

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U.S. Highway 74

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U.S. Highway 276

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 54,033 people, 23,100 households, and 16,054 families residing in the county. The population density was 38/km² (98/mi²). There were 28,640 housing units at an average density of 20/km² (52/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.85% White, 1.27% Black or African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. 1.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 30.8% were of American, 12.9% English, 12.0% German, 10.4% Irish and 8.3% Scots-Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 97.1% spoke English and 1.9% Spanish as their first language.
There were 23,100 households out of which 26.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 26.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.76.
In the county the population was spread out with 20.80% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 27.10% from 45 to 64, and 19.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 92.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $33,922, and the median income for a family was $40,438. Males had a median income of $30,731 versus $21,750 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,554. About 8.10% of families and 11.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.40% of those under age 18 and 10.30% of those age 65 or over.