Rosman is a town in

Transylvania County Transylvania County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census the population is 32,986. Its county seat is Brevard. Transylvania County comprises the Brevard, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also incl ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, United States. The population was 576 at the 2010 census. The northern terminus of U.S. Route 178 is less than one mile northwest of Rosman on

U.S. Route 64 U.S. Route 64 (US 64) is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,281 miles (3,672 km) from Nags Head in eastern North Carolina to just southwest of the Four Corners in northeast Arizona. The western terminus is at U.S. Route ...

. The

Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) (pronounced ''perry'') is a non-profit astronomical observatory located in the Pisgah National Forest near Balsam Grove, North Carolina. PARI operates multiple radio telescopes and optical telescop ...

is located approximately six miles north of Rosman, near Balsam Grove.

History

Known first by European Americans as Jeptha, the settlement was known as "Toxaway" in the early 20th century. Because this caused confusion with the nearby resort town of

Lake Toxaway Lake Toxaway is the largest privately held lake in North Carolina. The lake, developed by the Lake Toxaway Company, is man-made and covers , and the shoreline is . Water sources for the lake include multiple free-flowing mountain streams wit ...

(10 miles to the west), in 1903 the name was changed to "Eastatoe," the name of a historic

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

town in the area. It was also the name for nearby Eastatoe Gap and Eastatoe Falls. The Cherokee word for the

Carolina parakeet The Carolina parakeet (''Conuropsis carolinensis''), or Carolina conure, is an extinct species of small green neotropical parrot with a bright yellow head, reddish orange face, and pale beak that was native to the Eastern, Midwest, and Plains ...

was ''eastatoe.'' Town residents promoted another change, and Joseph Silversteen (a local industrialist) suggested Rosman in 1905, after two of his business associates, Joseph Rosenthal and Morris Osmansky. This was approved.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , all land. Within the town limits of Rosman and to the south of the town limits, U.S. Route 178 is called Pickens Highway, referring to

Pickens, South Carolina Pickens, formerly called Pickens Courthouse, is a city in and the county seat of Pickens County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,126 at the 2010 census. Pickens changed its classification from a town to a city in 1998, but i ...

. South of Rosman, the highway continues across mountainous terrain through a series of switchback curves into South Carolina, eventually reaching Pickens. Rosman sits on the eastern boundary of

Pisgah National Forest Pisgah National Forest is a United States National Forest, National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. It is administered by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. The P ...

. The

French Broad River The French Broad River is a river in the U.S. states of North Carolina and Tennessee. It flows from near the town of Rosman, North Carolina, Rosman in Transylvania County, North Carolina, into Tennessee, where its confluence with the Holston R ...

runs through the town of Rosman. The river's origin, where the North Fork French Broad and the West Fork French Broad converge to form the river proper, lies just west of the town. A

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an government agency, agency of the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geograp ...

stream gauge A stream gauge, streamgage or stream gauging station is a location used by hydrologists or environmental scientists to monitor and test terrestrial bodies of water. Hydrometric measurements of water level surface elevation (" stage") and/or v ...

station, number 03439000, is located on the French Broad River in Rosman. The climate is very wet, with a mean annual rainfall since 1936 of —one of the highest in the US east of the Cascades. The record annual rainfall of in 1964 is the second heaviest for a calendar year within this region, only behind

Mount Washington Mount Washington is an ultra-prominent mountain in the state of New Hampshire. It is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at and the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. The mountain is notorio ...

’s record from 1969.Maximum Annual Precipitation by State
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Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 701 people, 240 households, and 104 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 490 people, 210 households, and 149 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 236 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.57%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.20% Asian, and 1.22% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.22% of the population. There were 210 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 20.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.77. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $20,179, and the median income for a family was $24,219. Males had a median income of $21,500 versus $21,042 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $9,626. About 23.1% of families and 25.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 25.6% of those under age 18 and 35.8% of those age 65 or over.

Camps

Rosman is home to The Wilds Christian Camp and Conference Center, as well as Ridge Haven.

Schools

The schools in the Rosman area include Rosman Elementary & TC Henderson Elementary, Rosman Middle and Rosman High School. Rosman's athletic teams are nicknamed the Tigers.

References

External links

* {{authority control Towns in Transylvania County, North Carolina Towns in North Carolina North Carolina populated places on the French Broad River