Hendersonville, North Carolina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hendersonville, North Carolina
City
Historic downtown Hendersonville
Flag Seal
Nickname(s):  City of Four Seasons, Hendo
Location of Hendersonville, North Carolina
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Henderson
Incorporated	1847
Named for	Leonard Henderson
Area
• Total	7.44 sq mi (19.28 km2)
• Land	7.41 sq mi (19.19 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.09 km2)
Elevation	2,100 ft (600 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	15,137
• Density	2,043.61/sq mi (788.99/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	28739, 28791–28792
Area code(s)	828
FIPS code	37-30720
GNIS feature ID	2404685

Hendersonville is a city in North Carolina, United States. It is the main town, or county seat, of Henderson County. The city is about 22 miles south of Asheville. Both the city and the county are named after Leonard Henderson, an important judge from the 1800s.

In 2020, about 15,137 people lived in Hendersonville.

Discovering Hendersonville's Past

Before 1785, the land where Hendersonville now stands was home to Cherokee tribes. After a treaty, white settlers moved into the area. They eventually took over all the land that is now Henderson County.

For a while, it was hard to trade goods, which slowed down the area's growth. But in 1827, the Buncombe Turnpike was finished. This new road made it easier to travel and trade.

Wealthy people from warmer, lower parts of the state started coming to the area. They built summer homes and brought money with them. Because more people were moving in, Henderson County was created in 1838. It was separated from Buncombe County.

Judge Mitchell King owned a lot of land, about 1,000 acres. He gave 50 acres to start the town of Hendersonville. He had people he enslaved work to create Main Street, which was 100 feet wide.

Hendersonville was officially formed in 1838 and became the county seat in 1847. It is known as "The City of Four Seasons" because of its beautiful weather all year.

Exploring Downtown Hendersonville

Hendersonville has a well-kept Main Street and downtown area. You can find many restaurants, antique shops, and unique stores there. These shops are in old buildings that were once important local businesses.

In the 1980s, some businesses moved out of downtown or closed because of larger stores. But since the early 1990s, downtown Hendersonville has been greatly improved.

Most of the bigger stores are now located along the main roads outside downtown. These include U.S. Highway 64 east and U.S. Highways 176 and 25.

The buildings downtown show the style of the late 1800s and early 1900s. There are also historic neighborhoods nearby. These include the 5th Avenue area and the Druid Hills neighborhood. Efforts are being made to improve the historic business area along 7th Avenue East.

The most important building downtown is the historic Henderson County Courthouse. It was finished in 1905 and fully updated in 2008. The newly restored City Hall (built in 1924) and the newer Henderson County Courthouse (built in 1995) are also downtown.

Fun Events and Education

The biggest event in Hendersonville is the yearly North Carolina Apple Festival. It ends with the Apple Parade, which often brings in up to 50,000 people! Main Street also hosts other festivals and special events throughout the year.

High schools in and around the city include Hendersonville High School, West Henderson High School, North Henderson High School, and East Henderson High School.

Geography and Climate

Hendersonville is located in the middle of Henderson County. It is in the southern mountains of western North Carolina.

Interstate 26 runs through the eastern part of the city. You can get on or off at Exit 49. U.S. Routes 25 and 74 also follow I-26. This highway goes north 22 miles to Asheville and southeast 46 miles to Spartanburg, South Carolina. Interstate 26 also connects to the Asheville Regional Airport (AVL).

U.S. Route 25 Business goes through the center of Hendersonville. U.S. Route 64 (6th Avenue) also runs through downtown. It leads northeast 14 miles to Bat Cave and west 20 miles to Brevard. U.S. Route 176 goes southeast 10 miles to Saluda.

Hendersonville covers about 7.4 square miles of land. A small amount, about 0.04 square miles, is water. Mud Creek flows through the city, east of downtown. This creek is part of the French Broad River and the Tennessee River watershed.

Weather in Hendersonville

Hendersonville has a mild climate. Summers are warm, and winters are cool. It gets a good amount of rain throughout the year. Snowfall is usually light.

People of Hendersonville

In 2020, there were 15,137 people living in Hendersonville. The average age of people in the city was 52 years old.

Most people in Hendersonville are White (72.45%). About 7% are Black or African American, and 15.06% are Hispanic or Latino. There are also smaller groups of Asian, Native American, and Pacific Islander people.

Museums and Historic Places

Hendersonville has many interesting places to visit.

• The Mineral and Lapidary Museum of Henderson County is at 400 North Main Street. It has huge geodes, a Tyrannosaurus skull, and dinosaur eggs. You can also see many different minerals. The Henderson County Genealogical and Historical Society is in the same building. Both are free to enter.
• Down the street at 318 North Main Street is Hands On!, a children's museum. It has fun, hands-on exhibits that help kids learn and use their imagination. Admission is $8 per person.
• The Henderson County Heritage Museum is inside the 1905 county courthouse. It shows the history of the Carolina region. This museum is in the heart of the Main Street Historic District. It is free to visit.
• East of Main Street is the Hendersonville Rail Road Station, built between 1902 and 1916. It is at 7th Avenue and Maple Street. The Southern Railway opened the train line in 1879. Passenger trains stopped running here in 1968.
• West of Main Street, along U.S. Route 64, is Oakdale Cemetery. It has a famous Italian marble angel statue. This statue inspired Thomas Wolfe's first novel, Look Homeward, Angel.
• North of Main Street is the Historic Johnson Farm at 3346 Haywood Road. This tobacco farm from 1878 was a summer getaway for tourists in the 1920s. Admission is free, but guided tours cost $2 or $3.
• The Western North Carolina Air Museum is near the small Hendersonville Airport. It features old airplanes. Admission is free.
• About 5 miles west of downtown Hendersonville, in Laurel Park, is Jump Off Rock. This spot on Jump Off Mountain offers amazing views of the Pisgah and Blue Ridge mountains. It's a town park and free to visit during the day.

Many other places in Hendersonville are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These include old homes, districts, and buildings.

Hendersonville Little Theatre started in 1966. After many years, it moved to an old stone church at 220 S. Washington Street downtown in 2012.

Local Businesses and Healthcare

The clothing store Bon Worth was started in Hendersonville in 1976. Sierra Nevada opened a brewery here in 2014.

Hospitals in Hendersonville include AdventHealth Hendersonville and UNC Health Pardee.

Media and News

Hendersonville is part of a larger TV viewing area that includes Greenville and Spartanburg. The local ABC channel is WLOS (channel 13), based in Asheville. Other major TV channels include WYFF, WSPA, WHNS, and WUNF. WMYI 102.5 is the only radio station that broadcasts from Hendersonville. You can also pick up many radio stations from Asheville and some from Greenville/Spartanburg.

Hendersonville's daily newspaper is the Times-News. The Hendersonville Lightning, started in 2012, is a weekly newspaper.

Famous People from Hendersonville

Many notable people have connections to Hendersonville:

• Madison Cawthorn (born 1995) – A former Congressman.
• Shirley Danz (1926–2018) – A professional baseball player.
• Jennifer Pharr Davis (born 1983) – A long-distance hiker and conservationist.
• Martin Gardner (1914–2010) – A writer about math and science.
• Sam Gash (born 1969) – A professional football player.
• Thane Gash (born 1965) – A professional football player.
• Tiger Greene (born 1962) – A professional football player.
• Ash Gutierrez (born 2005) – A musical artist.
• Jim Lampley (born 1949) – A sportscaster and news anchor.
• Doug Llewelyn (born 1938) – The first host of The People's Court.
• Mickey Marvin (1955–2017) – A professional football player.
• Kelly McGillis (born 1957) – An actress known for Top Gun and Witness.
• The McGuire Twins (Billy Leon McCrary, 1946–1979; Benny Loyd McCrary, 1946–2001) – Known as the "world's heaviest twins," born in Hendersonville.
• Robert Morgan (born 1944) – A poet and author.
• Steve Penn (born 1968) – A handball player who played for Team USA in the 1996 Summer Olympics.
• Tommy Refenes (born 1981) – A video game designer, known for Super Meat Boy.
• Christoph Sanders (born 1988) – An actor who played Kyle Anderson in Last Man Standing.
• Charles Stanley (1932-2023) – A pastor who worked in Hendersonville early in his career.

Sister Cities

Hendersonville has two sister cities. These are cities in other countries that share a special bond to promote cultural understanding.

• Almuñécar, Granada, Spain
• Verbania, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Italy

See also

In Spanish: Hendersonville (Carolina del Norte) para niños