U.S. Route 25 (US 25) is a north–south

United States highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these hi ...

that runs for from the

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

state line, near

Tuxedo Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element fo ...

, to the

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

state line, near

Hot Springs A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...

. It is part of the longer

U.S. Route 25 U.S. Route 25 (US 25) is a north–south United States Highway that runs for in the southern and midwestern US. Its southern terminus is in Brunswick, Georgia, from where it proceeds mostly due north, passing through the cities of Augusta, Georg ...

, which runs from

Brunswick, Georgia Brunswick () is a city in and the county seat of Glynn County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As the primary urban and economic center of the lower southeast portion of Georgia, it is the second-largest urban area on the Georgia coastline after Sa ...

Covington, Ohio Covington is a village in Miami County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,584 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village was incorporated as Covington in 1835 on the site of the 1793 Fort Rowdy ...

. It is a major north-south route through

Western North Carolina Western North Carolina (often abbreviated as WNC) is the region of North Carolina which includes the Appalachian Mountains; it is often known geographically as the state's Mountain Region. It contains the highest mountains in the Eastern United S ...

. The route is mostly

expressway Expressway may refer to: * Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic. * Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road. *Expressway, the fictional s ...

freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

grade, except for the section through the city of

Asheville Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

, where it follows several city streets. Two short sections are co-signed with I-26, and the northernmost are cosigned with

US 70 U.S. Route 70 or U.S. Highway 70 (US 70) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. It is a major east–west highway of the Southeastern, Southern and Southwestern United States. ...

. It originally followed the route of the historic

Dixie Highway Dixie Highway was a United States auto trail first planned in 1914 to connect the Midwest with the South. It was part of a system and was expanded from an earlier Miami to Montreal highway. The final system is better understood as a network of ...

, though in several places it bypasses the original route on new alignments, several of which are now signed as either NC 225 or US 25 Business.

Route description

US 25 enters from

between Frank and Panther Mountains (part of the

Saluda Mountains The Saluda Mountains are a mountain range that straddles along the North Carolina and South Carolina border, in the southeastern United States. They are part of the Blue Ridge Province of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Geography The range ...

) and also changes from an

. The first of US 25 is solo, bypassing the smaller communities of

Zirconia Zirconium dioxide (), sometimes known as zirconia (not to be confused with zircon), is a white crystalline oxide of zirconium. Its most naturally occurring form, with a monoclinic crystalline structure, is the mineral baddeleyite. A dopant stabi ...

, Flat Rock and East Flat Rock. Its original alignment in the area is NC 225 and US 25 Bus. through Hendersonville, before it was signed along Corridor W, part of the

Appalachian Development Highway System The Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) is a series of highway corridors in the Appalachia region of the eastern United States. The routes are designed as local and regional routes for improving economic development in the historical ...

(ADHS). At exit 9, US 25 merges with I-26/ US 74 and goes northwesterly, crossing 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 ...

(elevation ), at the Crest Road overpass (SR 1803). In Hendersonville, it connects with US 64, which connect travelers to nearby Chimney Rock,

Lake Lure Lake Lure is a town in Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States. In 2020 the town population was 1,634. Lake Lure was incorporated in 1927, and acquired the lake after which it is named in 1965. History In 1902, Dr. Lucius B. Morse and ...

and Brevard. At I-26's exit 44, US 25 splits from I-26/US 74 and onto a four-lane road through

Fletcher Fletcher may refer to: People * Fletcher (occupation), a person who fletches arrows, the origin of the surname * Fletcher (singer) (born 1994), American actress and singer-songwriter * Fletcher (surname) * Fletcher (given name) Places United ...

. In

Arden Arden may refer to: Places ;Australia *Arden, an area in North Melbourne, Victoria near the Arden Street Oval ;Canada * Arden, Ontario ;Denmark * Arden, Denmark, a town **Arden Municipality, a former municipality, including the town of Arden ; ...

, US 25A begins, providing a alternate route that avoids Skyland and Biltmore Forest; the intersection also begins the

city limit, which encompasses everything between US 25 and US 25A. Between Skyland and Biltmore Forest, 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 ...

crosses over US 25 with access roads along both north and southbound lanes. US 25 enters Asheville proper near

I-40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

; passing underneath, it enters the

Biltmore Village Biltmore Village, formerly Best, is a small village that is now entirely in the city limits of Asheville, North Carolina and near the town of Biltmore Forest. It is adjacent to the main entrance of the Biltmore Estate, built by George W. Vande ...

, where US 25A merges back and the

Biltmore Estate Biltmore Estate is a historic house museum and tourist attraction in Asheville, North Carolina. Biltmore House (or Biltmore Mansion), the main residence, is a Châteauesque-style mansion built for George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889 a ...

is located. Passing over the

Swannanoa River The Swannanoa River flows through the Swannanoa Valley of the region of Western North Carolina, and is a major tributary to the French Broad River. Its headwaters arise in Black Mountain, NC; however, it also has a major tributary near its head ...

, US 25 enters the downtown area along McDowell Street then onto Southside Avenue and Biltmore Avenue. US 25 goes through the center of Asheville, which is marked by on

Obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by Anc ...

Zebulon Baird Vance Zebulon Baird Vance (May 13, 1830 – April 14, 1894) was the 37th and 43rd governor of North Carolina, a U.S. Senator from North Carolina, and a Confederate officer during the American Civil War. A prolific writer and noted public speake ...

. From the city center, it continues on Broadway Street to I-240, where it switches onto Merrimon Avenue. At Beaver Lake, the road drops form four to two-lane for before merging with Future I-26/ US 19/ US 23/ US 70, in Woodfin; Merrimon Avenue continues on as Weaverville Road, signed as US 19 Bus. US 25 has a short concurrency with Future I-26/US 19/US 23, before continuing northwest, on a four-lane expressway with US 70, in Weaverville. US 25/US 70 bypasses north of

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

, with Business US 25/ US 70 utilizing the original route through town. Northwest of Marshall, US 25/US 70 drops from four to two-lane, which it will remain for the rest of its routing through North Carolina. Entering the

Pisgah National Forest Pisgah National Forest is a 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 Pisgah National Forest is complet ...

near

Walnut A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true ...

, US 25/US 70 go westerly, crossing 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 in Transylvania County, North Carolina, into Tennessee, where its confluence with the Holston River at Knoxville forms ...

, then crossing through the Bald Mountains into

Scenic byways

US 25 is part of two scenic byways in the state (indicated by a Scenic Byways sign). French Broad Overview is an byway from Weaverville to

; it is known for its scenic views along the

. The byway begins at the Monticello Road intersection in Weaverville, where it connects with NC 251 along the banks of the

; it continues north, switching to US 25/70 Business into

and it back along US 25/70. Appalachian Medley is a byway from near Lake Junaluska to

; it is known for several recreational areas, the

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...

, and its scenic mountain drive. US 25/70 is on of the byway from

, where it continues via NC 209.

History

Established as an original U.S. Route (1926), US 25 was assigned along the

, which followed NC 29 from

, through

, Flat Rock, Hendersonville, and Biltmore Forest, to

. In the downtown area, US 25 links-up with US 70/ NC 20 on College Street; it then proceeds north along Merrimon Avenue out of the city. Following Old Marshall Highway to

, it continues along the same route as today into

. In 1929, NC 29 was replaced by an extension of NC 69; in 1934, both NC 20 and NC 69 were dropped from the route. Around 1933, US 25 was rerouted along McDowell Street from Biltmore Avenue. During the mid-1950s, US 25 was split onto one-way streets in Hendersonville (northbound King Street/southbound Main Street); by the early 1960s, southbound traffic moved onto College Street, replacing US 25 Alternate (originally established sometime in 1939-1944 as a bypass through the main roads of town). In 1960, a bypass north around

was completed, old route through town became US 25 Business (along with US 70). Around 1969, the community of

was bypassed. In 1981, US 25 was moved onto the existing US 19/ US 23 freeway north of

, it then went on to new four-lane road west of Weaverville; the most of the old route was replaced by NC 251. In 1974, US 25 was placed onto new

between

to the

state line, the old route would later become part of NC 225 in 1997. In September, 2003, US 25 was rerouted onto I-26/ US 74, bypassing Flat Rock and Hendersonville, then replacing part of NC 225 that bridged the connection from the interstate to

. The old route was replaced by NC 225 through Flat Rock and US 25 Business through Hendersonville via US 176.

Junction list

References

External links