Canton, North Carolina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Canton, North Carolina
Town
Main Street
Flag Seal
Motto(s):  "Where the mountains kiss the sky"
Location of Canton, North Carolina
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Haywood
Area
• Total	3.72 sq mi (9.63 km2)
• Land	3.72 sq mi (9.63 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	2,631 ft (802 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,422
• Density	1,189.03/sq mi (459.06/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	28716
Area code(s)	828
FIPS code	37-10240
GNIS feature ID	2405375

Canton is a town in Haywood County, North Carolina, USA. It's the second biggest town in the county! You can find it about 17 miles west of Asheville. Canton is part of the larger Asheville area. The town got its name from Canton, Ohio, because that's where the steel for a bridge over the Pigeon River came from. In 2020, about 4,422 people lived in Canton.

Discovering Canton's Past

Ancient History and Early People

Long, long ago, different groups of indigenous peoples lived in the Canton area. An important place called the Garden Creek site is located near the Pigeon River. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places because people lived there starting around 8000 BCE!

Villages grew there during the Middle Woodland period (200-600 CE) and the Southeast Appalachian Mississippian culture period (1000 to 1450/1500 CE). The Cherokee people are the most recent Native Americans to call this area home. Their traditional lands covered parts of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. Today, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is a federally recognized tribe in Western North Carolina.

These ancient people built four large earth mounds at the site. Three of them have been studied by archaeologists.

European Settlement and Town Naming

European settlers started moving to this area in the late 1780s, after the American Revolutionary War. By 1790, a farmer named Jonathan McPeters was already working the land near the Pigeon River where Canton is now. Around 1815, the first church, Locust Old Field Baptist Church, was built. "Old Field" often meant areas that the Cherokee people had used for farming.

Canton was first founded in 1889 and called "Buford." Later that same year, its name changed to "Vinson." Then, in 1891, it became "Pigeon Ford." Finally, in 1893, it was named "Canton." As mentioned, it was named after Canton, Ohio, because that city supplied the steel for a new bridge over the Pigeon River.

The Paper Mill and Its Impact

Canton's location by the river was perfect for industries that needed water power.

Champion factory in 1937

In 1905, Peter G. Thomson, who owned a big paper company, visited Western North Carolina. He was looking for a place to build a pulp mill to make paper. The area had huge forests for timber. Thomson chose Canton because it had the right kind of trees, enough land for a mill, and the Pigeon River.

Construction on the mill began in 1906. Many workers were hired, including immigrants, as some local workers also had farms to tend.

When the Champion Fibre Company mill opened in 1908, Canton had grown from 350 people to about 1,000 employees at the mill. This created many other jobs too. New neighborhoods, like Fibreville, were built with 60 homes for employees. Thomson cared about his workers and even started an annual Labor Day celebration in 1906, which continued for a hundred years!

In 1997, the Champion owners decided to close the plant. But the employees bought it and created a new company called Blue Ridge Paper Company! They owned 45% of the new company. Later, the plant was sold to Evergreen Packaging, which became Pactiv Evergreen in 2020. The Blue Ridge Southern Railroad helped transport goods for the plant. Sadly, in March 2023, Pactiv Evergreen announced the mill would close, affecting many workers.

Historic Places and Recent Events

The Canton Main Street Historic District and the Colonial Theater are important historical places in Canton. They are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

On August 17, 2021, Tropical Storm Fred caused the Pigeon River to flood the town. Many buildings near the river were damaged. In a nearby area called Cruso, some people sadly lost their lives due to the flooding. Flooding from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 was also very serious.

View of Canton

Canton's Location

Canton is in the eastern part of Haywood County, with the Pigeon River flowing through it. U.S. Routes 19 and 23 run through the town as Park Street and Main Street. These highways go east 17 miles to Asheville and west 7 miles to Lake Junaluska.

Interstate 40 also passes through the northern part of Canton. You can get on or off I-40 at Exits 31 and 33. I-40 goes east to Asheville and northwest into Tennessee.

The U.S. Census Bureau says that Canton covers about 3.72 square miles (9.8 square kilometers) of land. There is no water area within the town limits.

Who Lives in Canton?

2020 Census Information

In 2020, there were 4,422 people living in Canton. These people lived in 1,775 households, and 1,072 of those were families.

Schools in Canton

Canton has several schools for students of different ages:

• Pisgah High School
• Canton Middle School
• North Canton Elementary
• Bethel Middle School
• Bethel Elementary School
• Meadowbrook Elementary
• Bethel Christian Academy

Scouting in Canton

• Camp Daniel Boone, a camp for Boy Scouts of America

See also

In Spanish: Canton (Carolina del Norte) para niños