Asheville Local History
Asheville History
In the year 1540 Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto first came to western North Carolina. 100 years later Asheville’s present day location sat at the crossroads of Cherokee trading routes. The first of the area’s settlers, mainly Scotch-Irish, started arriving in the 1770s and called it Eden Land and then Morristown for the next 30 years.
Renamed Asheville in honor of Governor Samuel Ashe, the area became a popular resting spot for settlers heading west and for those driving herds east to South Carolina. A tremendous population growth came along with the introduction of the railway and by 1883 Asheville was officially a city.
Thinking Asheville’s crisp mountain air and ideal climate was beneficial to those with tuberculosis, those who could afford to came to town to convalesce. At this time Asheville was also becoming a playground for the wealthy and famous. Several Luxury hotels went up and George Vanderbilt began the awesome task of erecting the Biltmore.
The booming economy Asheville experienced in the 1920s was a stark contrast to the extreme debt the city experienced after the stock market crash of 1929. With the highest per capita debt of any city in the country, Asheville struggled until 1977 to pay off its bonds.
Today, Asheville again boasts a healthy economy and still retains its charm from an earlier era. The numerous art-deco buildings, the Grove Park Inn, and the Biltmore Estate, offer an excellent opportunity to step back in time and experience Asheville as it once was.
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