Bakersville, North Carolina

History

In prehistoric times, local mica deposits were extensively mined by Native Americans. The first Euro-American settlers arrived in the area after the American Revolution, establishing scattered homesteads. The town of Bakersville dates from the 1850s Following the Civil War, the county seat of newly created Mitchell County was relocated to the town that had been renamed Bakersville by the Republican state government, Bakersville is also home to the North Carolina Rhododendron Festival. The pageant attracts visitors from across the state and nation, most notably Richard Nixon in 1958.

Historian and sociologist James W. Loewen has identified Bakersville as one of several possible sundown towns in North Carolina.

The Mitchell County Courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Geography

Bakersville is in central Mitchell County, in the valley of Cane Creek, sitting at an elevation of 2471 ft above sea level. Pumpkin Patch Mountain (4098 ft) and Meadlock Mountain (3895 ft) rise above the town to the north, and Roan Mountain rises to 6283 ft beyond them, 6 mi north of the town.

North Carolina Highway 226 runs through the center of Bakersville, leading southeast 11 mi to Spruce Pine, the largest town in Mitchell County, and west, then north 15 mi to the Tennessee border at Iron Mountain Gap. North Carolina Highway 261 starts in Bakersville and leads north 12 mi to the crest of Roan Mountain at Carvers Gap on the Tennessee border.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town of Bakersville has a total area of 0.8 sqmi, all land. Cane Creek, running through the center of town, is a west-flowing tributary of the North Toe River, one of the headwaters of the Nolichucky River which flows west into Tennessee.

Education

Bakersville has one public primary and used to have a middle school, with approximately two hundred students.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 357 people, 168 households, and 97 families residing in the town. The population density was 474.4 PD/sqmi. There were 206 housing units at an average density of 273.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 99.72% White and 0.28% Native American. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.28% of the population.

There were 168 households, out of which 20.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.7% were non-families. 39.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.72.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 19.3% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 20.4% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 26.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 77.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $19,286, and the median income for a family was $31,563. Males had a median income of $27,500 versus $22,083 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,997. About 15.2% of families and 18.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.9% of those under age 18 and 23.7% of those age 65 or over.

Educational facilities

Bakersville is home to Gouge Primary School (K–2), Former Bowman Middle School (5–8), Mitchell Middle School (3-8) and Mitchell High School (9-12).

The Mitchell County Library, a branch of the Avery-Mitchell-Yancey Regional Library, is located at 18 North Mitchell Avenue.

Notable people

• Del McCoury, bluegrass musician
• Red Wilson, bluegrass musician
• Waddell Wilson, former crew chief and engine builder in NASCAR
• Ralph Yelton, served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1977 to 1989

References

References

1. "North Carolina Gazetteer".
2. "2024 U.S. Gazetteer Files: North Carolina". United States Census Bureau.
3. "P1. Race – Bakersville town, North Carolina: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau.
4. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
5. {{GNIS. 2405201
6. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
7. Neufeld, Rob. (April 16, 2017). "Visiting Our Past: Mitchell mill sifts through 150 years". [[Asheville Citizen-Times]].
8. leading to the construction of a courthouse and a growth in population. In the 1870s, as mica became commercially valuable, the rich local deposits of the mineral caused a temporary economic boom.Kevin W. Young, "Following in Ancient Footsteps: The Birth of the Mica Industry in Bakersville, North Carolina." ''Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine'' (Summer 2013), pp. 30-31.
9. "Possible Sundown Towns in NC".
10. {{NRISref
11. {{cite gnis. 1018913. Bakersville
12. {{Cite gnis. 1022102. Pumpkin Patch Mountain
13. {{Cite gnis. 1021397. Meadlock Mountain
14. {{Cite gnis. 1022307. Roan High Knob
15. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
16. Thompson, Richard. (November 6, 2013). [https://bluegrasstoday.com/del-mccoury-highway-dedicated-in-nc/ Del McCoury Highway dedicated in NC]. ''Bluegrass Today''. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
17. Hayes, Hank. (February 8, 2015). [https://www.timesnews.net/news/local-news/colleagues-remember-late-state-representative/article_1f306228-219f-5110-aabb-88779a2190a3.html Colleagues remember late state representative]. ''timenews.net''. Retrieved December 16, 2020.