Sylva is an incorporated town located in central Jackson County, in the Plott Balsam Mountains of Western North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Sylva had a population of 2,578. It is the county seat, taking over the role from nearby Webster in 1913.

thumb|Historic Jackson County Courthouse in downtown Sylva

Etymology

According to popular accounts, Sylva is named after William D. Sylva, a Danish handyman who spent a month in the home of General E. R. Hampton, who owned much of the land later developed as downtown Sylva. When the town applied for a post office, Hampton asked his young daughter, Mae, what the town's name should be. She liked the handyman so much that she said, "Sylva." This account is disputed. According to a 21st-century investigation, the handyman, William D. Sylva, was not Danish, and it is likely that his surname was not Sylva. His last name was "Selvey;" the letter that he wrote to the town was likely in Portuguese, not Danish; and he was probably from the Little Canada Community. His daughter's maiden last name was Selvey, according to genealogical archives. Her daughter (who recently came to the town) said that her grandfather's surname was "Selvey" instead.

History

The town became the county seat in 1913, after the county voted to move the seat from Webster to Sylva, which had gained a railroad station. Subsequently, Webster declined, as the railroad had not established a stop there. Many businesses followed the court and railroad to Sylva. The Jackson County Courthouse was constructed in 1914 and is located on a hill at the end of Main Street in downtown Sylva. The building no longer serves as the official courthouse; the Justice Center, was constructed in 1994 a few blocks away. Since 2011, the Jackson County Courthouse has been the site of the Jackson County Public Library.

Sylva was once home to Dills Falls (also called Bumgarner Falls and Dills Cove Falls), which was partially destroyed in the early 1970s to build the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway and exists only as a remnant today. Many Sylva residents claim this made Sylva the only town in the US to have a waterfall within its town limits. (This waterfall is not to be confused with Dill Falls, also in Jackson County, NC.)

The town had the first municipally owned swimming pool west of Asheville. The stone and concrete pool was built in 1938 by the WPA during the Great Depression, and it was demolished in 1969 to be replaced by the current pool. Thomas Edison and Franklin D. Roosevelt both traveled through Sylva: Edison in 1911 and FDR in 1936 during his presidency.

The Downtown Sylva Historic District, Dr. D. D. Hooper House, and Jackson County Courthouse are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.

Sylva is close to the Cherokee Indian Reservation (the Eastern band) and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, both of which are popular, well-known vacation spots.

Demographics

thumb|right|[[Downtown Sylva Historic District]]

thumb|right|[[Dr. D. D. Hooper House (1906)]]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Sylva had a population of 2,578. The median age was 37.1 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.3 males age 18 and over.

98.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.9% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,032 households and 552 families in Sylva, of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 31.3% were married-couple households, 25.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The town was also the site of filming for the 2017 film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Notable people

  • Zeb Alley, lawyer, lobbyist, and politician
  • Michael Bingham, track athlete, 2008 Summer Olympics bronze medalist in the 400m relay
  • Sean Bridgers, actor in Deadwood, Get Shorty, Rectify, and Carolina Low
  • David McKee Hall, U.S. Representative from North Carolina
  • Frank Huguelet, professional wrestler and reality TV star
  • Evy Leibfarth, slalom canoeist and 2024 Summer Olympics bronze medalist
  • Zebby Matthews, MLB pitcher for the Minnesota Twins
  • Dan K. Moore, was the 66th Governor of North Carolina
  • John Morgan, country music artist
  • Johnny Oates, former Major League Baseball player and manager
  • Cal Raleigh, MLB catcher for the Seattle Mariners
  • Nick Searcy, actor in Cast Away, also played a sheriff in The Fugitive (which filmed partially in Sylva)
  • Matt Stillwell, country music artist
  • Ed Sutton, former NFL player

See also

  • Smoky Mountain High School
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Jackson County, North Carolina
  • Jackson County Courthouse (Sylva, North Carolina)

References

  • Town of Sylva official website