The History of Asheville, NC
The city of Asheville is located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Western North Carolina. With humble beginnings as a small outpost in 1784, the region was first settled by soldier Colonel Samuel Davidson and his family, who built log cabins by Christian and Bee Tree Creek. In the first decade after they arrived, the Davidson’s saw more and more newcomers, and by the time Buncombe County was officially formed in 1792, it had approximately 1,000 residents. Officials named the newly established county seat “Morristown,” but four years later the name was changed to Asheville, in honor of North Carolina Governor Samuel Ashe.
With the arrival of the railroad in 1880, Asheville came into new prominence as a resort and therapeutic health center which attracted nearly 30,000 seasonal visitors as well as many members of the wealthy elite, such as George W. Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt arrived in Asheville and purchased 120,000 acres with the intention of building a grand estate. Residents of Asheville at the turn of the century were consequently awed by the construction of the Biltmore—the largest privately owned mansion featuring 250 rooms, an indoor pool and bowling alley.
Including the Biltmore, much of Asheville’s history is featured in its stunning architecture. Prior to the Great Depression, Asheville experienced a great economic boom that brought about the construction of beautiful buildings in the Art Deco, Arts and Crafts, and Gothic Revival architectural styles. Asheville, unlike many other cities that sacrificed their historic buildings to urban renewal projects, preserved these buildings and chose to diligently repay its debt from the years following Black Monday. Most of these grand pieces of history, such as the Basilica of St. Lawrence and Grove Park Inn, continue to enhance Asheville’s growing façade today.
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