Advertisement for Warm Springs Hotel Madison County North Carolina

Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,193. Its

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 ...

is Marshall. Madison County is part of the Asheville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The county was formed in 1851 from parts of Buncombe County and Yancey County. It was named for James Madison, fourth

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

(1809–1817). The community of Long Ridge, outside of Mars Hill, is a traditionally African American community, and boasts one of the last remaining Rosenwald Schools in Western North Carolina.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.41%) is water. Madison County is located deep in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina, and much of the county's terrain is rugged, heavily forested, and sparsely populated. The county's northern border is with the State of Tennessee. Madison County's largest river is 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 ...

, which flows north-northwest through the county, first past the county seat of Marshall, then past the resort town of Hot Springs.

National Protected area

* Pisgah National Forest (part)

State and local protected areas

* Harmon Den Wildlife Management Area (part) * Pisgah National Forest Game Land (part) * Sandy Mush Game Land (part)

Major water bodies

* Big Laurel Creek *

* Gabriel Creek * Ivy Creek * Little Creek * Little Laurel Creek * Simmons Creek * Whiteoak Creek

Adjacent counties

* Greene County, Tennessee – north * Unicoi County, Tennessee – northeast * Yancey County – east * Buncombe County – south * Haywood County – southwest * Cocke County, Tennessee – northwest

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 21,193 people, 8,403 households, and 5,456 families residing in the county.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 19,635 people, 8,000 households, and 5,592 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 9,722 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.63%

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 ...

, 0.83% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.45% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. 1.35% of the population were

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. There were 8,000 households, out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.50% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 26.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.81. In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.20% under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 26.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,985, and the median income for a family was $37,383. Males had a median income of $27,950 versus $22,678 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 county was $16,076. About 10.90% of families and 15.40% 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 17.60% of those under age 18 and 19.20% of those age 65 or over.

Law, government, and politics

Government

Madison County is governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners who are elected every two years with staggered four year terms as proscribed by North Carolina state law. The Board selects its own chairman and holds scheduled meetings on the second Monday of each month. Madison County is a member of the Land-of-Sky Regional Council of governments.

Law and policing

The Madison County Sheriff's Office protects the court, manages the jail, protects county owned facilities, and provides patrol and detective services for the unincorporated areas of the county. The towns of Mars Hill, Hot Springs, and Marshall have municipal police departments.

Politics

In Madison County, Republicans dominate by wide margins in national and state elections, though Democrats remain competitive in county and municipal elections.

Education

Madison County's public educational system consists of one early college high school, one traditional high school ( Madison High School, located in the county seat of Marshall), one middle school (Madison Middle School), and three elementary schools (Brush Creek Elementary, Hot Springs Elementary, and Mars Hill Elementary). Brush Creek Elementary was built as a merger of Marshall Elementary and Walnut Elementary after the latter burned down in 1998. The county is also home to Mars Hill University, a private, coed, four-year liberal-arts university. Founded in 1856, Mars Hill is the oldest college or university in western North Carolina. The university offers 34 majors and seven degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Social Work, and Master of Education.

Culture

Madison County was historically a center for old-time folk music. Among others, the folk song '' Rain and Snow'' likely originated there, in the late 19th century.

Communities

Towns

* Hot Springs * Mars Hill (largest municipality) * Marshall (county seat)

Townships

The county is divided into twelve townships that are both numbered and named: * Township 1, North Marshall * Township 1, South Marshall * Township 2, Laurel * Township 3 Mars Hill * Township 4, Beech Glenn * Township 5, Walnut * Township 6, Hot Springs * Township 7, Ebbs Chapel * Township 8, Spring Creek * Township 9, Sandy Mush * Township 10, Grapevine * Township 11, Revere Rice Cove Formerly there were sixteen townships, which were both numbered and named: * 1 (Marshall) * 2 (Shelton Laurel) * 3 (Bull Creek) * 4 (Middle Fork of Ivy) * 5 (West Fork of Ivy) * 6 (Sandy Mush) * 7 (Little Pine Creek) * 8 (Spring Creek) * 9 (Hot Springs) * 10 (Big Laurel) * 11 (Upper Laurel) * 12 (Big Pine Creek) * 13 (Meadow Fork of Spring Creek) * 14 (Grapevine) * 15 (Mars Hill) * 16 (Foster Creek)

Unincorporated communities

* Barnard * Faust * Hurricane * Joe * Luck * Paint Rock * Petersburg * Revere *

Spring Creek A spring creek is a type of free flowing river whose name derives from its origin: an underground Spring (hydrology), spring or set of springs which produces sufficient water to consistently feed a unique river. The water flowing in a spring cree ...

* Trust * Walnut * White Rock

Notable people

* Claude DeBruhl, North Carolina House of Representatives

References

External links

* *
NCGenWeb Madison County
genealogy resources for the county {{Authority control Asheville metropolitan area 1851 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1851