Transylvania County, NC Visitor Center

Tourist & Relocation Information Guide

Transylvania County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 29,334. Its county seat is Brevard.

History

The county was formed in 1861 from parts of Henderson County and Jackson County. Its name is derived from the Transylvania Company and has Latin origins: trans ("across") and silva or sylva ("woods").

Law and Government

Transylvania County is a member of the Land-of-Sky Regional Council of governments.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 986 km˛ (381 mi˛). 980 km˛ (378 mi˛) of it is land and 6 km˛ (2 mi˛) of it (0.57%) is water. There are over 250 waterfalls in the county.

Townships

The county is divided into nine townships: Boyd, Brevard, Catheys Creek, Dunns Rock, Eastatoe, Gloucester, Hogback, Rosman ,and Little River.

Cities and Towns

• Balsam Grove
• Brevard
• Pisgah Forest
• Rosman

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 29,334 people, 12,320 households, and 8,660 families residing in the county. The population density was 30/km˛ (78/mi˛). There were 15,553 housing units at an average density of 16/km˛ (41/mi˛). The racial makeup of the county was 93.67% White, 4.21% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. 1.02% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 12,320 households out of which 25.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.60% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.70% were non-families. 26.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.74.

In the county the population was spread out with 20.40% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 23.10% from 25 to 44, 26.90% from 45 to 64, and 21.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 92.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,587, and the median income for a family was $45,579. Males had a median income of $31,743 versus $21,191 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,767. About 6.60% of families and 9.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.80% of those under age 18 and 7.00% of those age 65 or over.