Montreat is a town in
, United States. The population was 723 at the
2010 census.
It is part of the
Asheville metropolitan area
The Asheville metropolitan area is a metropolitan area centered on the principal city of Asheville, North Carolina. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget defines the Asheville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan statistical area ...
. The town is best known for
Montreat Conference Center and
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 Evangelism, evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and Civil rights movement, civil rights advocate, whose broadcasts and world tours featuring liv ...
and his wife
Ruth Bell Graham.
Geography
Montreat is located in eastern Buncombe County. 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, 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 ...
, Montreat has a total area of .
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 901 people, 69 households, and 57 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 630 people, 185 households, and 98 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 572 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.40%
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 ...
, 0.95%
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 ...
, 0.63%
Native American, 0.63%
Asian, 0.79% from
other races, and 1.59% 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 1.43% 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 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, 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 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 $16,699. 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 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 a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
. Funding for the retreat's creation was secured from candy manufacturer and philanthropist John S. Huyler, founder of
Huyler's. 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.
Woman's Auxiliary of the Presbyterian Church, U.S. was established in Montreat in 1912. 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).
In 2024, the town was severely damaged by
Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene ( ) was a deadly and devastating tropical cyclone that caused widespread catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across the Southeastern United States in late September 2024. It was the strongest hurricane on record to ...
.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Towns in Buncombe County, North Carolina
Populated places established in 1897
Asheville metropolitan area