Mars Hill, North Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mars Hill, North Carolina
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Main Street in Mars Hill
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| Motto(s):
"A great place to...LIVE WORK PLAY LEARN"
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Location of Mars Hill, North Carolina
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| Country | United States | |
| State | North Carolina | |
| County | Madison | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 2.10 sq mi (5.45 km2) | |
| • Land | 2.10 sq mi (5.45 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) | |
| Elevation | 2,349 ft (716 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 2,007 | |
| • Density | 954.35/sq mi (368.43/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) | |
| ZIP code |
28754
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| Area code(s) | 828 | |
| FIPS code | 37-41620 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 2406102 | |
Mars Hill is a town in Madison County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,869 at the 2010 census, and was estimated at 2,032 in 2018 by the U.S. Census. It is the home of Mars Hill University, the name of which was inspired by Acts 17:22. The town is located 15 miles (24 km) due north of Asheville. Interstate 26 passes one mile east of the town. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Long occupied by indigenous peoples, this area was not settled by European Americans much before the American Revolutionary War. They were mostly yeomen and subsistence farmers, many of whom had Scots-Irish ethnicity. The California Creek Missionary Baptist Church, Mars Hill College Historic District, Mars Hill High School, and Thomas J. Murray House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2), all land. The town has an elevation of 2,330 feet (710 m), so the climate of the area is considerably cooler than might be expected of a town in a southern state.
Higher education
Mars Hill University, a private, coed, liberal-arts college, is located in Mars Hill. Founded in 1856 by local Baptists, it is the oldest college or university in western North Carolina. Although it is no longer directly associated with a Baptist church or organization, the university does state that "it is an academic community rooted in the Christian faith." Due to the presence of the university, residents of the town of Mars Hill enjoy a much greater variety of cultural, intellectual, and entertainment offerings than would usually be found in a town of its size. The university's enrollment typically runs from 1300 to 1600 students; they are not included in the census calculations of the town's population.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 289 | — | |
| 1910 | 301 | 4.2% | |
| 1920 | 364 | 20.9% | |
| 1930 | 455 | 25.0% | |
| 1940 | 517 | 13.6% | |
| 1950 | 1,404 | 171.6% | |
| 1960 | 1,574 | 12.1% | |
| 1970 | 1,623 | 3.1% | |
| 1980 | 2,126 | 31.0% | |
| 1990 | 1,611 | −24.2% | |
| 2000 | 1,764 | 9.5% | |
| 2010 | 1,869 | 6.0% | |
| 2020 | 2,007 | 7.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 1,615 | 80.47% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 139 | 6.93% |
| Native American | 5 | 0.25% |
| Asian | 23 | 1.15% |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.05% |
| Other/Mixed | 98 | 4.88% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 126 | 6.28% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,007 people, 742 households, and 440 families residing in the town.
Notable people
- John Chandler – educator
- Tommy Hunter – fiddler
- Bascom Lamar Lunsford – folklorist and performer of traditional folk and country music from Western North Carolina
- Graham Martin – former United States Ambassador to South Vietnam
- Ray Rapp – former member of the North Carolina General Assembly
See also
In Spanish: Mars Hill para niños
