Welcome to Buncombe County

Buncombe County Overview

   Buncombe County and Asheville - the county seat - are the economic center of the Western North Carolina Mountain Counties. Here is the primary airport, AVL, for the region, the medical centers and Asheville is by far the largest city in the region.
   Buncombe County was formed in 1791 and named in honor of Col. Edward Buncombe, a Revolutionary War hero. At the time, Buncombe County extended westward - to include what are now Haywood, Jackson and Macon Counties - and southward - to include Henderson County.
   Asheville has been growing at a fantastic clip through annexations. Even communities which are not (yet) included in the City of Asheville are virtually indistinguishable as one drives through the area. Biltmore Forest, Skyland and Arden to the south, Enka and Candler to the west, Swannanoa to the east, Woodfin to the north, all have the appearance of being a part of the 'big city'.
   There are many historic sites in Buncombe County, especially dating to the Civil War ("War Between the States") as well as the Revolutionary War.

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   Two of the top tourist attractions here are the Biltmore Estate, House and Gardens - the largest private home in the United States - now open to tourists. The House involved about a thousand workers and five years to build and was the home of George Vanderbilt. The second top attraction is the Thomas Wolf House. Almost destroyed by fire a few years ago, it has been completely restored and is again open to tourists. For a different kind of attraction, the National Park Service (which operates and maintains the Blue Ridge Pkwy) hosts a Folk Art Center at the Tunnel Road entrance to the Parkway.
   Most of the county is divided between federal land - National Forest and National Park - and the City of Asheville which just doesn't know how to stop growing. Other communities in the county, each very individual in its own way, include Weaverville, Barnardsville and Leicester to the north, Black Mountain and Montreat to the east, Arden (site of the Asheville Regional Airport) and Fairview to the south.
   Buncombe County is where the Swannanoa River and French Broad River unite to start their journey northward into Tennessee.
   Asheville will probably be your launch point in your search for a new home in this mountain paradise.

• Annual precipitation is around
   38 inches.
• Summer average temperature
   82 degree F
• Winter average temperature
   40 degrees F
• Monthly averages & records