Spruce Pine is the largest town in Mitchell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,194 at the 2020 census. Spruce Pine is the exclusive supplier of sand to Augusta National Golf Club.
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With the decline in use of railroads to ship goods, along with increasing automation in the mining industry, the town recently has seen its fortunes dwindle and has undertaken a major effort to reinvent itself. Tourism has become a major economic force in the region, and the town's proximity to the Blue Ridge Parkway, combined with its location near the edge of the Blue Ridge Escarpment, has helped make Spruce Pine a travel destination for many. The town also boasts the moniker of "The Mineral City".
On August 4, 2007, the downtown area of Spruce Pine was threatened when an arsonist set fire to several buildings downtown. The fires, which brought firefighters from four counties around Spruce Pine, severely damaged the building that housed Cheapskates Music on Lower Street and caused some tense moments when it seemed that the fires might spread out of control and consume the downtown area.
The town suffered flooding and devastation as a result of Hurricane Helene in 2024.
The Downtown Spruce Pine Historic District and Gunter Building are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Geography
thumb|upright=1.3|Abandoned Bon Ami mine (2012)
Spruce Pine is in southern Mitchell County, in the valley of the North Toe River. The town is north of the Blue Ridge Parkway, northeast of Asheville, and southwest of Boone.
U.S. Route 19E passes through the southern part of the town, bypassing the downtown area. US 19E leads west to Burnsville and north to Elizabethton, Tennessee. North Carolina Highway 226 joins US 19E passing through Spruce Pine; it leads northwest to Bakersville, the Mitchell county seat, and south over the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains to Marion.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town of Spruce Pine has a total area of , all of it recorded as land.
Demographics
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2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Spruce Pine had a population of 2,194. The median age was 43.5 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 88.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.3 males age 18 and over.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 920 households in Spruce Pine, including 535 families. Of all households, 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 41.4% were married-couple households, 19.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| White (non-Hispanic)
| 1,833
| 83.55%
|-
!scope="row"| Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
| 16
| 0.73%
|-
!scope="row"| Native American
| 9
| 0.41%
|-
!scope="row"| Asian
| 10
| 0.46%
|-
!scope="row"| Other/Mixed
| 88
| 4.01%
|-
!scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino
| 238
| 10.85%
|}
2000 census
According to the census
Education
Spruce Pine is home to five schools: Greenlee Primary (K-2), Deyton Elementary (3-5), Harris Middle (6-8), Tri- County Christian School and the Spruce Pine Montessori School (18 months - 6th grade). Secondary education for Spruce Pine students is at Mitchell High School, located in the Ledger community of Mitchell County.
Mayland Community College also calls Spruce Pine home, just outside the city limits to the east on the Avery County line. Founded by an act of the North Carolina General Assembly in 1971, Mayland hosts some 35 curriculum programs and provides vocational and technical training, along with college transfer opportunities to residents of the region.
East Carolina University Dental School announced a facility would open in 2014 on the Blue Ridge Regional Hospital campus to serve Western North Carolina residents in the Mayland area (Mitchell, Avery and Yancey Counties). This facility is one of five facilities proposed throughout the state of North Carolina.
Infrastructure
Transport
Beginning in 2014, the North Carolina Department of Transportation began widening U.S. Route 19E, which is the major corridor linking the towns of Spruce Pine and Burnsville to Interstate 26. The widened highway has transformed a two-lane highway to a divided four-lane featuring grassy medians and turn lanes. The widening project was completed in 2020. Spruce Pine is served by the Avery County Airport, located 4 miles northeast of the town.
Hospital
In 1955, Blue Ridge Community Hospital opened in Spruce Pine. It eventually was renamed Blue Ridge Regional Hospital, and was absorbed by Mission Health System. It serves Mitchell and Yancey Counties and upper McDowell and lower Avery Counties.
Media
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Spruce Pine is home to The Mitchell News-Journal, a weekly newspaper printed by Community Newspapers, Inc., and to WTOE radio, at 1470 kHz on the AM dial and 101.1 FM. The radio station operates 24 hours a day and is an ABC Radio affiliate. It is owned by Mountain Valley Media, based in Burnsville.
Notable people
- Indigo De Souza, indie rock musician; raised in Spruce Pine
- Phillip D. Frye, member of the North Carolina General Assembly
- Ralph Hise, member of the North Carolina Senate
- Gaylord Perry; Major League Baseball pitcher, Baseball Hall of Fame member
- Jim Sockwell, pottery and marquetry craftsman
- Bill Szymczyk, music producer and technical engineer
- Roy Williams, UNC basketball coach; partly raised in Spruce Pine
- Gerri Willis, Fox Business Network anchor and reporter at Fox News; native of Spruce Pine
References
External links
- Events in Spruce Pine (gone)
- Spruce Pine Montessori School
- Tri-County Christian School (gone)