Madison County, North Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Madison County
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Madison County Courthouse in Marshall
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Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
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 North Carolina's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  North Carolina |
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| Founded | 1851 | |
| Named for | James Madison | |
| Seat | Marshall | |
| Largest town | Mars Hill | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 451 sq mi (1,170 km2) | |
| • Land | 450 sq mi (1,200 km2) | |
| • Water | 1.9 sq mi (5 km2) 0.4%% | |
| Population | ||
| • Estimate
(2018)
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21,763 | |
| • Density | 46/sq mi (18/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | |
| Congressional district | 11th | |
Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 20,764. Its county seat is Marshall. Madison County is part of the Asheville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 451 square miles (1,170 km2), of which 450 square miles (1,200 km2) is land and 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2) (0.4%) is water.
Madison County is located deep in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina, and much of the county's terrain is rugged, heavily forested, and sparsely populated. The county's northern border is with the State of Tennessee. Madison County's largest river is the French Broad River, which flows north-northwest through the county, first past the county seat of Marshall, then past the resort town of Hot Springs.
Adjacent counties
- Greene County, Tennessee - north
- Unicoi County, Tennessee - northeast
- Yancey County - east
- Buncombe County - south
- Haywood County - southwest
- Cocke County, Tennessee - northwest
National protected area
- Pisgah National Forest (part)
Major highways
I-26
US 19
US 23
US 23A
US 25 (BUS)
US 70 (BUS)
NC 63
NC 208
NC 209
NC 212
NC 213
NC 251
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 5,908 | — | |
| 1870 | 8,192 | 38.7% | |
| 1880 | 12,810 | 56.4% | |
| 1890 | 17,805 | 39.0% | |
| 1900 | 20,644 | 15.9% | |
| 1910 | 20,132 | −2.5% | |
| 1920 | 20,083 | −0.2% | |
| 1930 | 20,306 | 1.1% | |
| 1940 | 22,522 | 10.9% | |
| 1950 | 20,522 | −8.9% | |
| 1960 | 17,217 | −16.1% | |
| 1970 | 16,003 | −7.1% | |
| 1980 | 16,827 | 5.1% | |
| 1990 | 16,953 | 0.7% | |
| 2000 | 19,635 | 15.8% | |
| 2010 | 20,764 | 5.7% | |
| 2020 | 21,193 | 2.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 |
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2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 19,233 | 90.75% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 197 | 0.93% |
| Native American | 56 | 0.26% |
| Asian | 84 | 0.4% |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.0% |
| Other/Mixed | 874 | 4.12% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 748 | 3.53% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 21,193 people, 8,403 households, and 5,456 families residing in the county.
Communities
Towns
- Hot Springs
- Mars Hill
- Marshall (county seat)
Townships
The county is divided into eleven townships: Beech Glenn, Ebbs Chapel, Grapevine, Hot Springs, Laurel, Mars Hill, Marshall, Revere Rice Cove, Sandy Mush, Spring Creek and Walnut.
Formerly there were sixteen townships, which were both numbered and named:
- 1 (Marshall)
- 2 (Shelton Laurel)
- 3 (Bull Creek)
- 4 (Middle Fork of Ivy)
- 5 (West Fork of Ivy)
- 6 (Sandy Mush)
- 7 (Little Pine Creek)
- 8 (Spring Creek)
- 9 (Hot Springs)
- 10 (Big Laurel)
- 11 (Upper Laurel)
- 12 (Big Pine Creek)
- 13 (Meadow Fork of Spring Creek)
- 14 (Grapevine)
- 15 (Mars Hill)
- 16 (Foster Creek)
Unincorporated communities
Education
Madison County's public educational system consists of one early college high school, one traditional high school (Madison High School, located in the county seat of Marshall), one middle school (Madison Middle School), and three elementary schools (Brush Creek Elementary, Hot Springs Elementary, and Mars Hill Elementary). Brush Creek Elementary was built as a merger of Marshall Elementary and Walnut Elementary after the latter burned down in 1998.
The county is also home to Mars Hill University, a private, coed, four-year liberal-arts university. Founded in 1856, Mars Hill is the oldest college or university in western North Carolina. The university offers 34 majors and seven degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Social Work, and Master of Education.
