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In 1838, another piece of Buncombe County was peeled off to
create Henderson County. The county was named as a memoriam to
Chief Justice Leonard Henderson. (Hendersonville, the county
seat, was also named after him when it was incorporated nine
years later.
Situated between Buncombe County and the South Carolina State
Line, the byways connecting Asheville were routed through
Henderson County. Soon the railroads followed which certainly
helped spur the local economy. The construction of Interstate 26
connecting Interstate 40 (at Asheville) with Interstate 85
(Greenville-Spartanburg, SC) replaced the two, very difficult to
traverse, US highways.
Apples and tourism are
Henderson County's primary industries (some say retirees is also
an industry) and Henderson County has been able to mostly avoid
the effects of industrial moves to foreign territories - a major
problem in most of North and South Carolina.
Henderson County is blessed
with exceptional favorable weather and, compared to states to
the north and south, low taxes. Hence, it has become a virtual
Mecca for retirees many of whom have taken an active interest in
the development of the local economy.
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Geographically, Henderson
County lies on a broad plain formed by the French Broad, Green
and Mills Rivers. This plain is surrounded by the Blue Ridge
Mountains which protect the county from most of the fury of
passing storms. The elevation is responsible for the mild
summers (which attract many folks from South Carolina, Georgia
and Florida) and the frequent incidence of an inversion layer
finds the temperature here slightly warmer than Upstate South
Carolina.
Hendersonville surprises many visitors and new residents when they learn
how much entertainment is available. Frequent concerts at the
Blue Ridge Community College (ranging from mountain bluegrass to
classical), the Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra which observes
a regular season, The Flat Rock Playhouse (which has the
distinction of being North Carolina's State Theater) and so much
more.
The annual Apple Festival (held around Labor Day weekend)
attracts many tens of thousand people. Hendersonville's Main
Street is converted into a string of tent shops, many featuring
apples and apple-derived products. Others fairs include an art
fair and weekend street dancing (in the summers, of course). |
