Fletcher is a town in Henderson County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Fletcher had a population of 7,987.

Fletcher is adjacent to Asheville Regional Airport, which serves western North Carolina. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Fletcher was first settled in 1795 when Samuel Murray decided to move his family to the mountains of western North Carolina. His family made the difficult journey from South Carolina up the old Howard Gap Road which, in areas, was little more than an old Indian trail. Samuel decided he wanted to live just east of the location where Howard Gap Road ended which is very close to where Fletcher Community Park is located today. Murray began buying property in what was then the Limestone District of Buncombe County.  Eventually he purchased more than 10,000 acres bounded roughly by Cane Creek to the south, the French Broad River to the west, Long Shoals Road to the north and Hooper's Creek and Burney Mountain to the East.  In 1827, Samuel's son opened the first post office in the Limestone District and the area became known as Murrayville.

The Town was used by Stateville, North Carolina to access the Asheville Metropolitan Area and is still being used to give Statesville access to the Asheville Metropolitan Area.

Murrayville became a strategic location because it was one of the main way-stations on the Buncombe Turnpike which was built in the early 1800s. This road quickly became the main passageway for families, farmers, and traders traveling from South Carolina up into Asheville and points north. In 1837, Murrayville was renamed Shufordsville after the newly appointed Postmaster Jacob Rhyne Shuford. Shortly thereafter in 1838, the state of North Carolina formed the last hundred of its counties and Shufordsville was no longer part of Buncombe County but rather part of the newly created Henderson County. Shufordsville continued to slowly grow and changed its name one last time when the town's namesake, Dr. George Fletcher, became the local postmaster in 1886.

Geography

Fletcher is located on the northern edge of Henderson County. It is bordered to the north by the city of Asheville in Buncombe County. It is bordered to the west by the town of Mills River and to the east by unincorporated Hoopers Creek, both in Henderson County.

Interstate 26 passes through the western side of Fletcher, with access from Exits 40 and 44. U.S. Route 25 (Hendersonville Road) passes through the center of Fletcher, leading north to the center of Asheville and south to Hendersonville.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Fletcher has a total area of , of which are land and , or 1.18%, are water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Fletcher had a population of 7,987. The median age was 41.7 years. 21.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 83.6 males age 18 and over.

99.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 3,387 households in Fletcher, including 2,127 families. Of those households, 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.6% were married-couple households, 14.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Education

The school district is Henderson County Schools.

Veritas Christian Academy is in the Fletcher city limits. Two other private schools with Fletcher postal addresses and in Henderson County are Captain Gilmer Christian School and Fletcher Academy. Trinity of Fairview Academy has a Fletcher address and is in Buncombe County.

References

  • Town of Fletcher official website
  • Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development