Haywood County, North Carolina

Haywood County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 62,089.

Haywood County is part of the Waynesville, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The earliest inhabitants of the area eventually comprising Haywood County were Cherokee Native Americans. Their local population was severely impacted by a smallpox outbreak in 1715. The county was formed in 1808 from the western part of Buncombe County. It was named for John Haywood, who served as the North Carolina State Treasurer from 1787 to 1827. The county seat was designated at Mount Pleasant, which was renamed Waynesville in 1811. The first county courthouse was completed the following year. In 1828, a part of Haywood County was split off and made Macon County. In 1851, parts of Haywood and Macon counties were combined to form Jackson County.

The last shot of the Civil War east of the Mississippi was fired in Waynesville on May 9, 1865, when elements of the Thomas Legion (Confederate) skirmished with the 2nd North Carolina Mounted Infantry (Union). In the 1880s, the Western North Carolina Railroad extended lines through the county, creating new economic industries centered on logging and tourism. It is bordered by Madison, Buncombe, Henderson, Transylvania, Jackson, Swain counties in North Carolina, and Cocke and Sevier counties in Tennessee. The Pigeon River originates in Haywood County.

Haywood County is situated amidst the Blue Ridge Mountains and contains parts of several major subranges of the Blue Ridge, namely the Great Smoky Mountains in the west and the Plott Balsams and Great Balsam Mountains in the south. Notable peaks in the county include Cold Mountain, at , Mount Sterling, at , and Richland Balsam, at in elevation. Mt. Guyot, the county's highest point at , is the 4th highest mountain east of the Mississippi River. Black Balsam Knob, in the Great Balsam Mountains in the southeastern section of the county, is the highest grassy bald in the entire Appalachian range. Haywood County is believed to be the highest county (by mean elevation) east of the Mississippi River, with a mean elevation of . About 40 percent of the county's land lies within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Pisgah National Forest.

Harmon Den Wildlife Management Area (part)
Nantahala National Forest Game Land (part)

| align-fn = center

| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<br />1790–1960 1900–1990<br />1990–2000 2010 2020

| align = right

thumb|2020 population density of Haywood County NC by census block

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 62,089 people, 27,193 households, and 17,170 families residing in the county.

The median age was 48.8 years, 17.7% of residents were under the age of 18, and 26.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.6 males.

53.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 46.9% lived in rural areas.

Of the county's 27,193 households, 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.9% were married-couple households, 17.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|45,330

|45,815

|51,870

|55,368

|style='background: #ffffe6; |55,685

|97.49%

|97.60%

|96.00%

|93.79%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |89.69%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|742

|647

|674

|615

|style='background: #ffffe6; |656

|1.60%

|1.38%

|1.25%

|1.04%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.06%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|122

|176

|251

|270

|style='background: #ffffe6; |308

|0.26%

|0.37%

|0.46%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.50%

|Asian alone (NH)

|40

|62

|113

|212

|style='background: #ffffe6; |360

|0.09%

|0.13%

|0.21%

|0.36%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.58%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|17

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1

|0.03%

|0.01%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%

|Other race alone (NH)

|25

|17

|30

|style='background: #ffffe6; |156

|0.05%

|0.00%

|0.03%

|0.05%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.25%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|328

|534

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,094

|0.61%

|0.90%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.37%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|236

|240

|763

|1,999

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,829

|0.51%

|1.41%

|3.39%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.56%

|Total

|46,495

|46,942

|54,033

|59,036

|style='background: #ffffe6; |62,089

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 54,033 people, 23,100 households, and 16,054 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 28,640 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.85% White, 1.27% Black or African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. 1.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 30.8% were of American, 12.9% English, 12.0% German, 10.4% Irish and 8.3% Scots-Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 97.1% spoke English and 1.9% Spanish as their first language.

There were 23,100 households, out of which 26.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 26.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.30% 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 2.76.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.80% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 27.10% from 45 to 64, and 19.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 92.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,922, and the median income for a family was $40,438. Males had a median income of $30,731 versus $21,750 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,554. About 8.10% of families and 11.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.40% of those under age 18 and 10.30% of those age 65 or over.

Government, law, and public safety

Government

Haywood County is governed by an elected five-member board of commissioners. Each member is popularly-elected to serve a four-year term. The board is responsible for adopting the county budget, setting the local property tax rate, making zoning decisions, and hiring the county attorney and county manager. The county manager oversees county government administration.

Haywood County is a member of the regional Southwestern Commission council of governments. It is located in the North Carolina Senate's 47th district, the Senate's 50th district, the North Carolina House of Representatives' 118th district, and North Carolina's 11th congressional district.

Haywood County contains a small portion of the Qualla Boundary, a tribal reservation for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Public safety

The Haywood County Sheriff's Office provides court protection and jail management for the entire county and provides patrol and detective services for the unincorporated portions of the county. The towns of Waynesville, Canton, and Maggie Valley have municipal police departments. On October 1, 2020, the Haywood County Sheriff's Office took over all law enforcement service for the town of Clyde. They are expected to continue operations in the town until June 2025.

Fire protection and rescue services are provided by the Clyde, Cruso, North Canton, Saunook, Waynesville, Crabtree-Ironduff, Maggie Valley, Junaluska, Center Pigeon, Canton, Jonathan Creek, Fines Creek, and Lake Logan-Cecil Fire Departments.

Politics

{| role="presentation"

Voter Registration Statistics:

Republicans=17,337

Democrats=10,835

Prior to the Civil War, Haywood County elected several Whigs to office. After the war ended in 1865, Unionists established a local branch of the Republican Party. Republicans dominated local offices until 1870, when the Democratic Party—often as a member of fusionist anti-Reconstruction "Conservative" coalitions alongside former Whigs as well as Moderate Republicans and independents opposed to Reconstruction—experienced a resurgence across the state. By 1876, the county was firmly dominated by Democrats. In November 2022, Republicans won all contested local races in Haywood, making the county commission entirely occupied by Republicans for the first time in its history.

Economy

Pactiv Evergreen was the largest employer in Haywood County. It operated a large paper mill in Canton and another facility in Waynesville. In March 2023, the company announced it would close the Canton mill by the end of June. and as of 2023, Haywood County Schools was expected to become the largest employer.

Major highways

Education

Haywood County Schools operates 15 schools: an early college (Haywood Early College High School), three high schools (Tuscola, Pisgah, and Central Haywood), three middle schools, and eight elementary schools. The districts has no low-performing schools and had the seventh highest combined test results among school districts in the state in 2021–22. The county also hosts Haywood Community College. According to the 2021 American Community Survey, an estimated 27.7 percent of county residents have attained a bachelor's degree or higher level of education.

Culture

Tuscola–Pisgah rivalry

Two county high schools' football teams, the Tuscola High School Mountaineers of Waynesville and Pisgah High School Black Bears of Canton, have maintained a rivalry dating back to the school teams' predecessors' first game in 1922. Annual football games between the two teams are popular events for locals and sometimes attract over 10,000 spectators.

Festivals

Since the 1930s, Haywood County has hosted an annual ramp (Allium tricoccum) convention.

Folkmoot USA is an international folk festival held since 1984 in Waynesville, North Carolina and surrounding communities. During its history, the two-week event has featured around 200 groups from approximately 100 countries. The Southeast Tourism Society has named Folkmoot USA one of its top twenty events for 20 years. The North Carolina General Assembly declared Folkmoot USA to be the state's official international folk festival in 2003.

Communities

thumb|250px|Map of Haywood County with municipal and township labels

Towns

Waynesville (county seat and largest community)
Canton
Clyde