Hendersonville, North Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hendersonville, North Carolina
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Historic downtown Hendersonville
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| Nickname(s):
"City of Four Seasons"
"Hendo" |
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Location of Hendersonville, North Carolina
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| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Henderson |
| Incorporated | 1847 |
| Named for | Leonard Henderson |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.31 sq mi (18.93 km2) |
| • Land | 7.28 sq mi (18.85 km2) |
| • Water | 0.03 sq mi (0.09 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,152 ft (656 m) |
| Population
(2010)
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| • Total | 13,137 |
| • Estimate
(2019)
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14,157 |
| • Density | 1,945.44/sq mi (751.18/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes |
28739, 28791-28792
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| Area code(s) | 828 |
| FIPS code | 37-30720 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0986616 |
Hendersonville is a city in Henderson County, North Carolina, United States. It is 22 miles (35 km) south of Asheville and is the county seat of Henderson County. Like the county, the city is named for 19th-century North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Leonard Henderson.
The population was 13,137 at the 2010 census and was estimated in 2019 to be 14,157.
Contents
Introduction
Dating to shortly after the founding of Henderson County in 1838, Hendersonville is traditionally known as "The City of Four Seasons". The town has a well-preserved Main Street and adjoining downtown areas with many restaurants, antique shops and boutiques in buildings that housed key local business until the mid-1980s. Its architecture reflects the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many buildings have outhouses because there were no indoor toilets in the past. This is now a celebrated part of Hendersonville culture. Much downtown revitalization has occurred since the early 1990s. Larger stores are almost entirely along the commercial strips extending outward from the downtown along U.S. Hwy. 64 east and U.S. Hwy. 176 and U.S. Hwy. 25. There are historic neighborhoods outside the Main Street corridor including the 5th Avenue neighborhood on the city's west side and the Druid Hills neighborhood north of downtown. Depressed areas are found along the city's east side, but redevelopment efforts are underway in the historic commercial district along 7th Avenue East.
The architectural focus of the downtown area is the Historic Henderson County Courthouse, completed in 1905 and completely renovated in 2008. The city is also home to the newly restored City Hall (erected 1924) and the modern Henderson County Courthouse (1995).
The largest street festival of the Hendersonville calendar is the annual North Carolina Apple Festival, culminating in the Apple Parade that regularly draws up to 50,000 spectators. Main Street is home to other festivals and special activities throughout the year.
High schools in the city include West Henderson High School, Hendersonville High School, North Henderson High School, and East Henderson High School.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.0 square miles (16 km2), of which, 6.0 square miles (16 km2) of it is land and 0.17% is water. Henderson County is located in the southern mountains of Western North Carolina along the Eastern Escarpment. 35°19′14″N 82°27′42″W / 35.32056°N 82.46167°W (35.320586, -82.461596).
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 1,740 | — | |
| 1870 | 278 | −84.0% | |
| 1880 | 554 | 99.3% | |
| 1890 | 1,216 | 119.5% | |
| 1900 | 1,917 | 57.6% | |
| 1910 | 2,818 | 47.0% | |
| 1920 | 3,729 | 32.3% | |
| 1930 | 5,070 | 36.0% | |
| 1940 | 5,381 | 6.1% | |
| 1950 | 6,103 | 13.4% | |
| 1960 | 5,911 | −3.1% | |
| 1970 | 6,443 | 9.0% | |
| 1980 | 6,862 | 6.5% | |
| 1990 | 7,284 | 6.1% | |
| 2000 | 10,420 | 43.1% | |
| 2010 | 13,137 | 26.1% | |
| 2019 (est.) | 14,157 | 7.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 10,966 | 72.45% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,059 | 7.0% |
| Native American | 30 | 0.2% |
| Asian | 185 | 1.22% |
| Pacific Islander | 35 | 0.23% |
| Other/Mixed | 582 | 3.84% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2,280 | 15.06% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15,137 people, 7,274 households, and 3,339 families residing in the city.
Museums and historical sites
First in the sights to visit listed by the AAA is the Mineral and Lapidary Museum of Henderson County, located at 400 North Main Street in downtown Hendersonville. The museum has giant geodes, a Tyrannosaurus skull, beautiful minerals, and dinosaur eggs on display. The same building is home to the Henderson County Genealogical and Historical Society. Entry to both parts of the ornate building is free.
Down the road at 318 North Main Street is Hands On!, a children's museum of "educational exhibits that stimulate the imagination and motivate learning in a fun, safe, 'hands-on' environment." Admission is $5 per child or adult.
The Henderson County Heritage Museum, a 1905 county courthouse featuring a gallery of regional Carolina history, is further down Main Street at One Historic Courthouse Square. It sits in the heart of the Main Street Historic District. Admission is free.
To the east of Main Street is the 1902-16 Hendersonville Rail Road Station, at 7th Avenue and Maple Street in the Seventh Avenue Depot District. Southern Railway opened the line in 1879, a full year before that of Asheville. However, passenger rail service on the line ended in 1968.
To the west of Main Street along U.S. Route 64 West is Oakdale Cemetery. It includes the Italian marble angel statue that served as the inspiration for Thomas Wolfe's first novel, Look Homeward, Angel (1929).
North of Main Street is the Historic Johnson Farm at 3346 Haywood Road. The 1878 tobacco farm served as a summer retreat for tourists as early as the 1920s. Admission is free, while guided tours are $2 and $3.
The Western North Carolina Air Museum, featuring airplanes of a bygone era, is near the small Hendersonville Airport at the corner of Gilbert Street and Brooklyn Avenue between Hendersonville and Flat Rock. Admission is free.
Five miles west of downtown Hendersonville is Jump Off Rock atop Jump Off Mountain. This popular scenic overlook provides a panorama of the Pisgah and Blue Ridge mountains. Laurel Park town park; free admission during daylight hours.
Camp Ton-A-Wandah is a well-established summer camp for girls outside Hendersonville, in the Flat Rock area.
For additional sites, see the National Register of Historic Places listings in Henderson County, North Carolina. In addition to the Henderson County Courthouse, Historic Johnson Farm, Main Street Historic District, Oakdale Cemetery, and Seventh Avenue Depot District, the Aloah Hotel, The Cedars, Chewning House, Clarke-Hobbs-Davidson House, Cold Spring Park Historic District, Mary Mills Coxe House, Druid Hills Historic District, Grey Hosiery Mill, Hyman Heights-Mount Royal Historic District, Kanuga Lake Historic District, King-Waldrop House, Lenox Park Historic District, Reese House, Clough H. Rice House, Smith-Williams-Durham Boarding House, Erle Stillwell House, Erle Stillwell House II, The Waverly, and West Side Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Hendersonville Little Theatre (HLT) was established in 1966. It moved from its original location to a unique red barn on State Street. After many successful years at the theatre in the barn, HLT moved to an old stone church at 220 S. Washington Street in downtown Hendersonville in 2012. The critically praised theatre has staged many styles of plays from family-oriented to big musicals to edgy dramas.
Notable people
- Madison Cawthorn (born 1995), Congressman for North Carolina's 11th congressional district
- Shirley Danz (1926–2018), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
- Jennifer Pharr Davis (born 1983), long-distance hiker and conservationist
- Martin Gardner (1914–2010), mathematics and science writer
- Sam Gash (born 1969), professional football player and cousin of Thane Gash
- Thane Gash (born 1965), professional football player
- Tiger Greene (born 1962), professional football player
- Jim Lampley (born 1949), sportscaster, news anchor, producer, restaurant owner
- Doug Llewelyn (born 1938), original host of The People's Court
- Mickey Marvin (1955–2017), professional football player
- Kelly McGillis (born 1957), actress, Top Gun, Witness
- The McGuire Twins (Billy Leon McCrary, 1946–1979; Benny Loyd McCrary, 1946–2001), "world's heaviest twins," born in Hendersonville
- Robert Morgan (born 1944), poet, essayist, author
- Steve Penn (born 1968), handball player who represented Team USA at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Tommy Refenes (born 1981), indie games designer, known for Super Meat Boy and other Flash-style games
- Christoph Sanders (born 1988), actor, the lead ("Kyle Anderson") in ABC's and then Fox Television's Last Man Standing from 2011 to 2021; worked at nearby Flat Rock Playhouse and studied at Blue Ridge Community College, both in Henderson County, N.C.
- Ralph T. Troy (1934–2014), mayor of Monroe, Louisiana from 1972 to 1976
- Ash Gutierrez (born 2005), musical artist.
See also
In Spanish: Hendersonville (Carolina del Norte) para niños
