Montreat is a town in Buncombe County,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

, United States. The population was 723 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Asheville

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

. The town is best known for

Montreat Conference Center Montreat Conference Center (also known as the Mountain Retreat Association) located in Montreat, North Carolina, United States, is a conference center serving the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The word 'Montreat' is a contraction of the words ' ...

, Montreat College, and for having been the home of the evangelist

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...

(1918 – 2018) and his wife

Ruth Bell Graham Ruth McCue Bell Graham (June 10, 1920 – June 14, 2007) was an American Christian author, most well known as the wife of evangelist Billy Graham. She was born in Qingjiang, Jiangsu, Republic of China, the second of five children. Her parents, Vir ...

(1920 – 2007).

Geography

Montreat is located in eastern Buncombe County at (35.645590, -82.300434). Its eastern border is the county line, with McDowell County to the east. The town is located in the valley of Flat Creek and is surrounded by mountains on three sides. The only road access is via North Carolina Highway 9, which leads southwest to the town of Black Mountain. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, Montreat has a total area of .

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, there were 901 people, 69 households, and 57 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 630 people, 185 households, and 98 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 227.3 people per square mile (87.8/km²). There were 572 housing units at an average density of 206.3 per square mile (79.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.40%

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

, 0.95%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.63% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.79% from other races, and 1.59% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.43% of the population. There were 185 households, out of which 11.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were

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

living together, 2.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.0% were non-families. 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.63. In the town, the population was spread out, with 9.4% under the age of 18, 45.7% from 18 to 24, 10.3% from 25 to 44, 11.6% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 102.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $45,625, and the median income for a family was $60,625. Males had a median income of $39,375 versus $22,292 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $16,699. About 3.6% of families and 11.9% 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 7.8% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over. The town is the location of the main campus of Montreat College.

History

The town of Montreat was incorporated as a North Carolina township in 1967. Much of the property in the area is still owned by the Mountain Retreat Association, formed in 1897 by John Collins, a Congregationalist minister from

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

. Funding for the retreat's creation was secured from candy manufacturer and philanthropist John S. Huyler, founder of

Huyler's Huyler's was a candy and restaurant chain in the New York City metropolitan area that operated from 1874 to 1964, and for a time was the largest and most prominent chocolate maker in the United States. It was founded by John S. Huyler (rhymes wit ...

. The name of Montreat is a portmanteau of the words "Mountain" and "Retreat". In 1907 control of the Mountain Retreat Association (MRA) passed to the Presbyterian Church in the US, and for many years Montreat has been host to religious conferences, mainly Presbyterian, organized through the MRA. Significant organizations in the contemporary town of Montreat, in addition to the Mountain Retreat Association, include Montreat Presbyterian Church: PC(USA), Montreat College (founded in 1916), and Christ Community Church, EPC (formerly Montreat Presbyterian Church).

References

External links

* {{Authority control Towns in Buncombe County, North Carolina Populated places established in 1897 Asheville metropolitan area