Burnsville is a town that serves as the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of
Yancey County, North Carolina
Yancey County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 18,470. Its county seat is Burnsville, North Carolina, Burnsville.
History
The ...
, United States.
Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, sits in the shadow of Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in the Eastern Continental United States. The population was 1,612 at the
2020 census.
History
The town was founded on March 6, 1834, from land conveyed by John "Yellow Jacket" Bailey, and it was named after Captain
Otway Burns
Otway Burns (c. 1775 – August 25, 1850) was an American privateer during the War of 1812 and later, a North Carolina State Senator.
Early life
Burns was born at Queen's Creek, near Swansboro, North Carolina. He became a seaman after learning ...
, a naval hero of the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
. In 1909, a
statue
A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or Casting (metalworking), cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to ...
of Captain Burns was given to the town by his grandson, Walter Francis Burns Sr., and it was set on a granite pedestal in the center of the town square. It has an inscription that reads, in part, "He Guarded Well Our Seas, Let Our Mountains Honor Him." Due to damages, the original statue was replaced in the early 2000s.
On April 6, 2010, Burnsville, the only incorporated town within Yancey County, held a referendum providing for the legal sale of alcohol within the town limits. The referendum passed. After applying for and receiving the applicable permits, Burnsville now operates an ABC store; some retail establishments now sell beer and wine; and a few restaurants sell beer, wine, and mixed drinks.
Graham County is the last remaining fully dry county in the state of North Carolina.
In September 2024, Burnsville and the surrounding area was heavily impacted by Hurricane Helene and subsequent storm-induced landslides, resulting in devastating property and infrastructure damage to Yancey, Mitchell, and Avery Counties. Officials reported the damages and repairs to the area to be over $50 billion.
Historic structures
One of the oldest buildings is the
Nu-Wray Inn
The Nu Wray Inn is an historic hotel located at Burnsville, Yancey County, North Carolina. It was built in 1833 at the time Yancey County was formed and a year before Burnsville was established. It was originally built of logs and had eight bedro ...
. It was built in 1833 and now, is listed on the National Register of Historic Place
The
Parkway Playhouse
The Parkway Playhouse, located in Burnsville, North Carolina, is the oldest continually operating summer theater in North Carolina.
It was established in 1947 by Dr. William Raymond Taylor, a professor of drama at Woman's College on Greensboro, N ...
, the oldest continually operating summer stock theater company in North Carolina, is located in Burnsville. It was founded in 1947 by W. R. Taylor, a professor of drama from the Woman's College of North Carolina-now the
University of North Carolina-Greensboro
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. It is accredited by the Southern Association of College ...
, and a group of dedicated community leaders. Several other structures in Burnsvile are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. They include the
Bald Creek Historic District,
Chase-Coletta House,
Citizens Bank Building,
John Wesley McElroy House,
Yancey Collegiate Institute Historic District
Yancey Collegiate Institute Historic District is a historic school complex and national historic district located at Burnsville, Yancey County, North Carolina. The district encompasses seven contributing buildings, one contributing structure, ...
, and
Yancey County Courthouse.
Annual fair

The Mt. Mitchell Craft Fair is held in Burnsville. This annual event, founded in 1956, attracts thousands of tourists and more than 200 vendors and performers. The fair is known for the local and visiting artisans who exhibit their handmade arts and crafts.
Established in 1956, The Mount Mitchell Arts & Crafts Fair is coordinated and sponsored by the Burnsville-Yancey Chamber of Commerce. It is the first Friday and Saturday in August in historic downtown Burnsville and features more than 200 vendors and performers. The event includes bluegrass and acoustic music, food vendors, and a unique selection of handmade arts and crafts from artisans across the country.
The Mt. Mitchell Arts & Crafts Fair brings together mountain heritage, traditional crafting, and contemporary art creating an event not to be missed.
Geography
Burnsville is located in the mountains of
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 ...
, at 2,749 feet above sea level. It is on a tributary of the
Cane River
The Cane River (French: ''Rivière aux Cannes'') is a riverU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 3, 2011 in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, originating from a portion o ...
, just north of the
Black Mountains, and 30 miles northeast of
Asheville
Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populous city in Western North Carolina a ...
.
U.S. Highway 19E runs through the town, leading to
Interstate 26
Interstate 26 (I-26) is a main route of the Interstate Highway System in the Southeastern United States. Nominally east–west, as indicated by its even number, I-26 runs from the junction of U.S. Route 11W, US Route 11W (US 11W) ...
and
Mars Hill to the west and, to the east, to
Spruce Pine
A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' is the sole genus ...
.
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.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 1,614 people, 822 households, and 520 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 1,623 people, 748 households, and 412 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 845 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.50%
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 ...
, 1.91%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.49%
Native American, 0.43%
Asian, 0.86% from
other races, and 0.80% 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 3.88% of the population.
There were 748 households, out of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.2% 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, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.9% were non-families. 42.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 25.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.70.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.1% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 22.4% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 30.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 75.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 70.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $21,653, and the median income for a family was $34,712. Males had a median income of $30,227 versus $25,234 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 $16,894. About 15.3% of families and 19.5% 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 24.2% of those under age 18 and 19.4% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Burnsville is served by the Yancey County Schools System.
Mountain Heritage High School, Yancey County's public high school is located outside the town limits to the west on Highway 19E, as is a satellite campus of
Mayland Community College. Cane River Middle School lies to the west of the town limits. In 2019, Blue Ridge Elementary School was opened west of the town limits. Burnsville Elementary School and East Yancey Middle School lie to the east of the town limits.
Economy
Altec and Glen Raven are manufacturing employers in Burnsville. Glen Raven is the only operating textile factory in the county.
Formerly, Burnsville had two
textile mills
Textile manufacturing or textile engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful good ...
, with
Avondale Mills and
Glen Raven, Inc. each operating a mill in the town. The closures of the Avondale Mills facility and Taylor Togs'
Micaville blue jeans factory occurred in 2004.
''Mountain Gardens'' is a botanical garden
on Shuford Creek Road,
bordered by National Forest under the
Black Mountains.
''Paradise'' is a 2025 documentary film about Joe Hollis
and ''Mountain Gardens'', by Garret Martin.
Points of interest
* The
Nu-Wray Inn
The Nu Wray Inn is an historic hotel located at Burnsville, Yancey County, North Carolina. It was built in 1833 at the time Yancey County was formed and a year before Burnsville was established. It was originally built of logs and had eight bedro ...
has been used as a hotel since its construction in 1833.
* The
Parkway Playhouse
The Parkway Playhouse, located in Burnsville, North Carolina, is the oldest continually operating summer theater in North Carolina.
It was established in 1947 by Dr. William Raymond Taylor, a professor of drama at Woman's College on Greensboro, N ...
, founded in 1947, as a summer stock theatre, is one of the oldest continually operating theatre companies in North Carolina.
*
John Wesley McElroy House, built circa 1830s, now is used as a museum.
*
Mt. Mitchell, the tallest mountain east of the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
is located nearby in southern Yancey County.
Mayland Earth to Sky Parkoffers views of the certified dark skies with its observatory and planetarium shows.
Development
In 2006, the
North Carolina Department of Transportation
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is responsible for building, repairing, and operating highways, bridges, and other modes of transportation, including ferries in the U.S. state of North Carolina.
History
The North Carolina ...
began widening U.S. 19 and U.S. 19E from a two-lane highway to a four-lane divided highway. The construction began at the junction of Interstate 26 in Madison County and continued to where U.S. 19E intersects with Jacks Creek Road. Construction on this section was completed and was dedicated on November 2, 2012.
Work on widening the next section to the
Micaville intersection was completed and opened to a four-lane traffic pattern over the weekend of October 29–30, 2016.
References
External links
Official websiteYancey County Chamber of Commerce History PageYancey County News- weekly newspaper in Burnsville
{{authority control
Towns in North Carolina
Towns in Yancey County, North Carolina
County seats in North Carolina
Populated places established in 1834
1834 establishments in North Carolina