Ashe County, North Carolina

Ashe County is a located in the  of. As of 2000, the population was 24,384. Its is.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,105 (427 ). 1,104 km² (426 sq mi) of it is land and 2 km² (1 sq mi) of it (0.15%) is water. Ashe County is located in extreme northwestern. The county is bordered by two states: on the north; and  to the west. The county is located entirely within the region of North Carolina. Most of the county is located atop a rolling plateau that ranges from 2,500 feet to 3,000 feet above sea level. On the county's southeastern border the land drops abruptly nearly 2,000 feet to the region of central North Carolina. Numerous mountains and hills dot the plateau; among the highest is, which rises to 4,665 feet, and towers more than 1,600 feet above the towns of Jefferson and West Jefferson.

The county's main river is the, which is one of the oldest rivers in the world, and one of the few major rivers in the to flow north instead of south, east, or west. There are 34 recorded creeks and streams that flow into the New River in Ashe County. The river itself has been designated an "American Heritage River" by President Bill Clinton, and it is famed for its beautiful rural scenery, clear water, fly fishing, and kayaking and canoeing.

Ashe County generally is known for its mountain scenery, and the tourism industry is an important mainstay of the county's economy. The runs along the county's southeastern border. Ashe County has historically consisted of rural farmland, with numerous cattle and poultry farms. However, cattle farming in recent decades has given way to the more profitable industry of raising. Many cattle farmers have switched to growing Christmas trees, and in 1997 and 2007, an Ashe County Christmas tree was selected as the official Christmas Tree by the National Christmas Tree Association. The tree was put on display in the.

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 24,384 people, 10,411 households, and 7,423 families residing in the county. The was 22/km² (57/sq mi). There were 13,268 housing units at an average density of 12/km² (31/sq mi).

The racial makeup of the county was:
 * 97.16%
 * 0.66% or
 * 0.32%
 * 0.23%
 * 0.01%
 * 1.05% from
 * 0.56% from two or more races.

2.42% of the population was or  of any race.

There were 10,411 households out of which 26.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.40% were living together, 8.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.75.

In the county, the population was spread out with 19.80% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 27.00% from 25 to 44, 27.70% from 45 to 64, and 18.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males.

The income for a household in the county was $28,824, and the median income for a family was $36,052. Males had a median income of $25,666 versus $19,983 for females. The for the county was $16,429. About 10.10% of families and 13.50% of the population were below the, including 16.30% of those under age 18 and 17.30% of those ages 65 and over.

Townships, cities and towns
The County is divided into 19 :, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and.

Municipalities in Ashe County include, and.

Unincorporated communities in Ashe County include, , and.

Adjacent Counties

 * - north
 * - east
 * - southeast
 * - southwest
 * - west

History
Historical evidence shows that Ashe county was inhabited by, which included the , , and tribes. Pieces of broken pottery, arrowheads, and other Native American artifacts have been found, indicating their presence. Most of these artifacts have been found in the Old Fields area of Ashe County.

The earliest Europeans to explore Ashe County were Bishop Augustus Gottlieb Spangenberg - head of the in America - and his associates, Timothy Horsefield, Joseph Mueller, Henry Antes, Johan Merck, and Herman Loesch. Bishop Spangenberg wrote about his journey in Ashe in a diary that has been preserved by the Moravian church. He was given 100,000 acres (400 km²) in as a place for his fellow Moravians to settle. The only one of Spangenberg's group to return and permanently settle in Ashe County was Herman Loesch. Other early settlers were David Helton, William Walling, William McLain and, the famous pioneer. With the exception of Boone, these men and their families all settled in Ashe in 1771.

During the one skirmish was fought in Ashe County. It is called the "Battle of the Big Glades". The battle was fought in July 1780 between a force of Americans, led by Captain Robert Love, and a force of 150 British Loyalists on their way to to join Lord Cornwallis, the British commander in the Southern colonies. The Americans won the skirmish.

In the 1780s, Ashe County was considered a part of the "". It consisted of three counties - Washington, Greene, and Sullivan. Ashe was considered to be a part of Washington County. The "State of Franklin" marked the beginnings of the State of. Ashe County did not formally become a part of North Carolina until 1785. In 1799, Ashe was finally pronounced an official county of the United States and of North Carolina. Ashe County was named after Samuel Ashe, the from 1795 to 1798. From 1807 to 1913, Ashe went through numerous boundary changes.

In 1849, the southwestern part of Ashe County was combined with parts of, , and to form. In 1859, the eastern part of the remainder of Ashe County became.

Ashe County has produced, or been visited by, several prominent people. Among them are Monte Weaver, a famous baseball player, who pitched for the and pitched a  game in 1933. After being traded from the Senators, he pitched for the, before being called into service in World War Two. Weaver died in 1994. came to Ashe County in 1944 to visit Marvin Osborne, a soldier who was left blind after being wounded in World War Two. sang at the Central Food Market in in the 1940s. (The Central Food building now houses a locally owned auto parts store.) In 1998, then-President and his Vice-President,, held a ceremony on the banks of the scenic  to designate it as an American Heritage River. After the ceremony, both men had lunch at the historic Glendale Springs Inn, also located in Ashe County.