Hendersonville, North Carolina, United States

🇺🇸 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.

Introduction Prior to the Treaty of Hopewell, the land that now is occupied by Hendersonville was settled by Cherokee tribes. Following this treaty, white settlers entered the region, eventually taking the land of what is now Henderson County in full from the original inhabitants. Poor trade links still restricted economic and demographic growth in the region, until the development of the Buncombe Turnpike, completed in 1827. Wealthy low-country planters started to migrate to the area, building summer homes and bringing lots of money with them. In response to this population growth, Henderson County was split off from Buncombe County and founded in 1838.

Judge Mitchell King owned 1,000 acres (4.0 km²), of which he donated 50 acres for the establishment of the town of Hendersonville. He used some of the enslaved African Americans he owned as workers to lay out its 100-foot-wide (30 m) Main Street.

Chartered in 1847 as the county seat of Henderson County (formed 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 businesses until the mid 1980s. At that point some businesses moved to suburban or highway locations, or were put out of business by big box competition. The town's architecture reflects the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Much downtown revitalization has occurred since the early 1990s.

Larger stores have been developed almost entirely along the commercial strips extending outward from the downtown along U.S. Highway 64 east and U.S. Highways 176 and 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 newly restored City Hall (erected 1924) and the modern Henderson County Courthouse (1995) are also located downtown.

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 and surrounding area include Hendersonville High School, West Henderson High School, North Henderson High School, and East Henderson High School.

On December 5, 2020, during a fall surge in the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the First Baptist Church hosted a holiday concert with two performances, despite advice to postpone events with crowds. In less than two weeks, 75 cases of the virus were traced to people who performed or attended the church events. It was characterised as a superspreader event, with a total of 97 cases by December 22.

Geography Hendersonville is located at the centre of Henderson County, in the southern mountains of western North Carolina near the Eastern Escarpment.

Interstate 26 runs through the eastern side of the city, with access from Exit 49. U.S. Routes 25 and 74 run concurrently with I-26. The freeway leads north 22 miles (35 km) to Asheville and south-east 46 miles (74 km) to Spartanburg, South Carolina. Interstate 26 also provides direct access to the Asheville Regional Airport (AVL),which features scheduled passenger airline service operated by several major air carriers. U.S. Route 25 Business passes through the centre of Hendersonville on King Street northbound and Church Street southbound. U.S. Route 64 (6th Avenue) also passes through the centre of Hendersonville, leading north-east 14 miles (23 km) to Bat Cave and west 20 miles (32 km) to Brevard. U.S. Route 176 (Spartanburg Highway) leads south-east 10 miles (16 km) to Saluda.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Hendersonville has a total area of 6.9 square miles (18.0 km²), of which 0.03 square miles (0.07 km²), or 0.40%, is water. Mud Creek, a north-flowing tributary of the French Broad River and part of the Tennessee River watershed, is the watercourse through the city, passing east of downtown.

Henderson County is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of south-western North Carolina, on the border with South Carolina. The Eastern Continental Divide, which lies along the crest of the Blue Ridge, passes through the county. The north-western slope of the Divide is known as the Blue Ridge Plateau and the south-eastern slope as the Blue Ridge Escarpment. These two physiographic features have unique characteristics that account for wide variations in the county's climate. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 375 square miles (970 km²), of which 373 square miles (970 km²) is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²) (0.6%) is water. The county's largest body of water is Lake Summit, a reservoir impounded by the Duke Power Company for hydroelectric generation. The county's major streams are the French Broad River (whose conjunction with the Holston River forms the Tennessee River, flowing into the Ohio River, the Mississippi River, and eventually the Gulf of Mexico), Mills River, Green River, Little River, Mud Creek, Clear Creek, Cane Creek, Hungry River, and the headwaters of the Broad River (which flows into the Congaree River of South Carolina and eventually into the Atlantic Ocean). The lowest point in the county is found along the Broad River at approximately 1,394 feet at the boundary between Henderson and Rutherford Counties in North Carolina. The high point is located on Little Pisgah Mountain at approximately 5,278 feet along the Henderson-Haywood County boundary in North Carolina (Note that a second Little Pisgah Mountain at 4,412 feet is located at the boundary between Henderson and Buncombe counties in North Carolina). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 375 square miles (970 km²), of which 373 square miles (970 km²) is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²) (0.6%) is water.

Landscape and climate Due to its geographic setting along the Eastern Continental Divide and its extreme topographic variation, Henderson County presents a wide variation in temperature and precipitation conditions. The highest elevations occur along the north-west and northern boundaries of the county and within the Blue Ridge Escarpment, a rugged area of peaks and narrow valleys that rise from the Piedmont to the continental divide and the Blue Ridge Plateau. The lowest elevations occur within the valleys of the escarpment and in the broader valleys of the Blue Ridge Plateau. The mean annual temperature of the county is 55.1 °F, with a range from 50.3 to 57.9 °F depending on the elevation, with higher temperatures occurring at lower elevations and lower temperatures in the higher mountains. The month of July is the hottest in the county, with a mean temperature of 72.6 °F and a mean range of 66.6 to 75.8 °F. The coolest month is January with a mean temperature of 36.9 °F and a mean range of 33.3 to 39.5 °F. Precipitation is also correlated to elevation, with higher precipitation normally occurring at higher elevations and lower precipitation in the valleys. The mean annual precipitation of Henderson County is 56.2 inches, with a mean range of 45.04 to 78.03 inches. March has the highest mean precipitation of 5.1 inches, with a mean range of 3.9 to 6.7 inches. The lowest precipitation occurs in October, with a mean value of 3.9 inches and a mean range of 2.8 to 5.8 inches.

Agriculture Henderson County's topographic and climatic diversity make it ideal for a great variety of commercial crops and agricultural products. Parts of the county between the Pisgah National Forest on the north-west and the boundary with Polk County on the south-east are often referred to locally as the Crest of the Blue Ridge Agricultural Area in recognition of the region's unique growing conditions. At the present time the fruit and berry types being raised include apples, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupes, cherries, grapes, peaches, plums, raspberries, strawberries and watermelons.

A special word should be said for Henderson County's apple production. Since World War II, apples have been the most important agricultural crop in the county; they require extensive winter chilling, and do not tolerate summer heat and humidity well, so Henderson County, with its cooler climate due to its elevation represents an ideal environment for orchards. Henderson County represents, in fact, the southern limit for large-scale commercial apple production in the eastern United States. The tradition of honoring the local apple industry persists in the county's annual North Carolina Apple Festival, held each year around Labor Day, and culminating in the "King Apple Parade" attended by tens of thousands of spectators. In addition to fruits and berries, a number of commercial vegetable crops are raised in Henderson County, including asparagus, green beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, corn, cucumbers, egg plants, greens, herbs, lettuce, mushrooms, okra, onions, peas, peppers (bell and hot), potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, spinach, squash (winter and summer varieties), tomatoes, turnips, and zucchini. Meat, eggs, and dairy products are also important, with beef, fish, goat meat, mountain trout, pork, poultry, sweet and hard cider, wine and cheese being produced in commercial quantities.

Protected areas • Blue Ridge Parkway (part) • Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site • Nantahala National Forest (part). • Chimney Rock State Park (part) • DuPont State Recreational Forest (part) • Florence Nature Preserve • Green River Game Lands (part) • Holmes Educational State Forest (part).

Water • Broad River • French Broad River • Green River • Hungry River • Lake Summit • Little Hungry River • South Fork Hoopers Creek • South Fork Mills River.

Adjacent counties • Buncombe County - north • Rutherford County - northeast • Polk County - east • Greenville County, South Carolina - south • Transylvania County - west • Haywood County - northwest.

Major highways • I-26 • US 25 • US 64 • US 74 • US 74A • US 176 • NC 9 • NC 191 • NC 225 • NC 280.

Museums and historical sites The Mineral and Lapidary Museum of Henderson County, located at 400 North Main Street in downtown Hendersonville, has giant geodes, a Tyrannosaurus skull, 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 $8 per child or adult.

The Henderson County Heritage Museum, in the 1905 county courthouse at One Historic Courthouse Square, features a gallery of regional Carolina history. 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. The Southern Railway opened the line in 1879. Passenger rail service on the line ended in 1968.

To the west of Main Street along U.S. Route 64 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 (FAA LID: 8NC9), featuring airplanes of a bygone era, is near the small Hendersonville Airport (FAA LID: 0A7) at the corner of Gilbert Street and Brooklyn Avenue between Hendersonville and East Flat Rock. Admission is free.

5 miles (8 km) west of downtown Hendersonville in the town of Laurel Park is Jump Off Rock atop Jump Off Mountain. This overlook provides a panorama of the Pisgah and Blue Ridge mountains. Laurel Park town park; free admission during daylight hours.

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 was established in 1966. It moved from its original location to a unique red barn on State Street. After many successful years at that site, in 2012 it moved to an old stone church at 220 S. Washington Street downtown.

Companies Clothing retailer Bon Worth was founded in Hendersonville in 1976. Sierra Nevada opened a brewery here in 2014. Blue Star Camps has operated in this city since 1951.

Media The metro area has several TV broadcasting stations that serve the Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville Designated Market Area (DMA) as defined by Nielsen Media Research.

The station nearest to Hendersonville is the Asheville-based WLOS (ABC), television channel 13. Other major TV broadcasters include WYFF, WSPA, WHNS, and WUNF. WMYI 102.5, is the only radio station that broadcasts in Hendersonville. Additionally, most Asheville and some Greenville/Spartanburg stations come in with a local sound quality.

Hendersonville's only daily newspaper is the Times-News. The Hendersonville Lightning, founded in April 2012 by Bill Moss, is a weekly newspaper.