Transylvania County, North Carolina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Transylvania County
U.S. county
Transylvania County Courthouse in Brevard
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
North Carolina's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Founded	1861
Named for	The Transylvania Company
Seat	Brevard
Largest city	Brevard
Area
• Total	381 sq mi (990 km2)
• Land	379 sq mi (980 km2)
• Water	2.0 sq mi (5 km2)  0.5%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	32,986
• Density	87/sq mi (34/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	11th

The Biltmore School of Forestry, founded in 1898, was the nation's first forestry school.

Transylvania County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 Census the population is 32,986. Its county seat is Brevard.

Transylvania County comprises the Brevard Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Asheville-Brevard, NC CSA combined statistical area.

History

Founded in 1861, the county's name is derived from the colonial Transylvania Company

Prior to the early twentieth century, an overwhelming majority of Transylvania County’s residents subsisted through agriculture, often growing basic staples such as potatoes and cabbage.

Beginning in the early twentieth century with Joseph Silverstein’s tannery, a manufacturing economy began to emerge in the county relying on timber and related products harvested from the Pisgah National Forest. In the 1930s, Harry Straus opened a paper mill in the Pisgah Forest area, and by the mid-20th century Straus' Ecusta Paper manufacturing site provided jobs to over 3,000 local residents. During the peak industrial years of the 1950s, DuPont located one of its factories in the county, employing nearly 1,000 more residents.

In the following decades, Brevard College and its namesake town each grew at an unprecedented rate, and Brevard Music Center and its summer Brevard Music Festival began to attract musicians and enthusiasts from around the country to Transylvania County.

Since the later part of the twentieth century, Transylvania County has experienced a change in its economic base as many of the manufacturing operations that once operated there, including Ecusta and DuPont, either went defunct or left the United States for more favorable business conditions abroad. Since that time, the county has worked to reshape its economy around the growing Appalachian summer and winter tourism industry.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 381 square miles (990 km²), of which 379 square miles (980 km²) is land and 2.0 square miles (5.2 km²) (0.5%) is water.

There are over 250 waterfalls in the county. Receiving over 90 inches of rain annually, Transylvania County is the wettest county in the state. This is contrasted with Buncombe County, which is thirty miles northeast of Transylvania County receiving the lowest precipitation. The Blue Ridge Parkway traverses through parts of the county, affording spectacular views of the Appalachian Mountains, which reach over 6,000 feet (1,800 m) elevation in the county. The highest point, Chestnut Knob, 6,025 feet (1,836 m), lies northwest of the county seat Brevard.

Adjacent counties

• Henderson County - east
• Greenville County, South Carolina - southeast
• Pickens County, South Carolina - south
• Oconee County, South Carolina - southwest
• Jackson County - west
• Haywood County - northwest
• Buncombe County - northeast

National protected areas

• Blue Ridge Parkway (part)
• Pisgah National Forest (part)

Major highways

• US 64
• US 178
• US 276
• NC 215
• NC 280
• NC 281

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 32,986 people, 14,567 households, and 9,978 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 33,090 people, 14,394 households, and 8,660 families residing in the county. The population density was 83 people per square mile (30/km²). There were 15,553 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile (16/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.4% White, 3.9% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, and 1.12% from two or more races. 2.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 12,320 households, out of which 25.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.60% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.70% were non-families. 26.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.74.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.40% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 23.10% from 25 to 44, 26.90% from 45 to 64, and 21.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 92.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,587, and the median income for a family was $45,579. Males had a median income of $31,743 versus $21,191 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,767. About 6.60% of families and 9.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.80% of those under age 18 and 7.00% of those age 65 or over.

Points of interest

Looking Glass Falls

• Biltmore Forest School, first school of forestry in North America
• Blue Ridge Community College, Transylvania campus
• Brevard Music Center
• Brevard College
• Blue Ridge Parkway
• DuPont State Forest
• Gorges State Park
• Lake Toxaway
• Looking Glass Falls
• Pisgah National Forest
• Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute
• Transylvania Arts Council
• Brevard Little Theater
• Sliding Rock
• Nantahala National Forest
• Whitewater Falls, highest waterfall in North Carolina

Communities

Map of Transylvania County, North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels

City

• Brevard (county seat)

Town

• Rosman

Townships

Unincorporated communities

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Transilvania para niños