Linville is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in

Avery County Avery County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,806. The county seat is Newland. The county seat was initially established in Elk Park when the county was first formed, but wa ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, United States. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 283. Centered just south of US 221 and NC 105, the community is known as a summer

mountain resort A mountain resort is a place to holiday or vacation located in an elevated and typically at least relatively isolated area. The term resort implies integral hotel or inn accommodations, restaurants, and either or both sports facilities or scen ...

and host of the

Grandfather Mountain Highland Games The Grandfather Mountain Highland Games is a Highland games event that has been held annually since 1956 at Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina. Celebrating the history and culture of Scots in North Carolina, it is among the first and largest mod ...

, the largest modern Highland games in North Carolina.

History

The community—at times known as Clay or Porcelain—was founded in 1883 and designed by Samuel T. Kelsey of Kansas, and named for William and John Linville, who were killed by Cherokees in 1766. The East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad ("Tweetsie") passed through the community from 1916 until 1940, when a major flood washed away the tracks. The old rail route later became NC 105 in 1956.

Geography

Linville is located in eastern Avery County at (36.066389, -81.870278), in the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States, and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsylvania through Maryland, West Virgin ...

. The community is surrounded on all sides by mountains, these are: Grandmother Mountain (East), Flat Rock (Southeast), Pixie Mountain (West), Moore Mountain (Northwest), Brier Knob (North) and

Grandfather Mountain Grandfather Mountain is a mountain, a non-profit attraction, and a North Carolina state park near Linville, North Carolina. At 5,946 feet (1,812 m), it is the highest peak on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains, one of the major ch ...

(Northeast). Located east of the

Eastern Continental Divide The Eastern Continental Divide, Eastern Divide or Appalachian Divide is a hydrographic divide in eastern North America that separates the easterly Atlantic Seaboard watershed from the westerly Gulf of Mexico watershed. The divide nearly span ...

, most water drains into the

Linville River The Linville River is a river in western North Carolina. The river begins in the slopes of Peak Mountain, Sugar Mountain and Flattop Mountain, in the Linville Gap area (also known as Tynecastle). As it goes south through Avery County, it passes ...

, which traverses through the area, or either to Lake Kawahna (south) or Grandmother Lake (east).

Attractions

Linville has four country clubs in the area: Grandfather Golf and Country Club, Linville Land Harbor Golf Club, Linville Golf Course and Linville Ridge; all open late spring to early fall. Adjacent to Linville is

, best known for its mile-high swinging bridge, and the

Blue Ridge Parkway The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is America's longest linear park, runs for through 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties, linking Shenand ...

. The Linville Historic District, located between Hickory Lane and Mitchell Avenue, features various buildings built between 1892 and 1940.

Demographics

2020 census

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''

Health care

Linville has one hospital, Charles A. Cannon, Jr. Memorial Hospital, that serves all of Avery County.

Notable person

* Hugh Morton, a

photographer A photographer (the Greek language, Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographe ...

and nature conservationist who developed

References

External links

Charles A. Cannon Jr. Memorial Hospital

Eseeola Lodge

Grandfather Golf and Country Club

Linville RidgeLinville Land Harbor Golf Club
{{authority control Census-designated places in North Carolina Unincorporated communities in North Carolina Unincorporated communities in Avery County, North Carolina Populated places established in 1883