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66-704: The American Enka Company was established outside of Asheville, North Carolina , in late September 1928 by a Dutch firm, the Nederlandse Kunstzijdefabriek  [ nl ] (Netherlands Artificial Silk Company). The name is derived from the sound of N-K , the initial letters of the parent firm, spoken in Dutch. The Netherlands' Nederlandse Kunstzijdefabriek was founded by Jacques Coenraad Hartogs shortly before World War I . By 1928, it had merged with several other Dutch and German firms, so that Business Week would subsequently describe it as

132-526: A Freemason . It was the meeting place for local Masons through much of the 20th century. On July 15–16, 1916, the Asheville area was subject to severe flooding from the remnants of a tropical storm which caused more than $ 3 million in damage. Areas flooded included part of the Biltmore Estate, and the company that ran it sold some of the property to lower their maintenance costs. This area

198-563: A "giant international textile combine". Already in 1924, it looked toward expanding into the American marketplace. Simultaneously, it and other like manufacturers worldwide were experiencing difficulties with the manufacturing devices to make synthetic fibers because they easily and continually broke down. The Nederlandse Kunstzijdefabriek (ENKA) was a member of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce's heavy industry division whose president at

264-640: A 40-hour week during a time when most areas in the United States were experiencing the throes of the Great Depression . The ENKA's manufacturing needs also created economic opportunities for other industries: Its huge coal needs were met by the mining companies of eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, and southwest Virginia. Caprolactam, wood pulp, sulfuric acid, caustic soda and carbon disulfide needed for rayon production came from eastern Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. All of this positively impacted

330-531: A January daily average of 37.1 °F (2.8 °C) and highs remaining at or below freezing on 5.5 afternoons. Official record temperatures range from −16 °F (−26.7 °C) on January 21, 1985 to 100 °F (37.8 °C) on August 21, 1983; the record cold daily maximum is 4 °F or −15.6 °C on February 4, 1895, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is 77 °F or 25 °C on July 17, 1887. Readings as low as 0 °F (−17.8 °C) or as high as 95 °F (35 °C) rarely occur,

396-649: A bill to redraw the boundaries of Buncombe and Henderson counties to include the proposed airport property entirely in Buncombe, allowing Asheville to annex the complete site. The last passenger train to serve Asheville, a coach-only remnant of the Southern Railway's Carolina Special , made its last run on December 5, 1968. From the 1950s to the 1970s, urban renewal displaced much of Asheville's African-American population. Asheville's neighborhoods of Montford and Kenilworth, now mostly white, used to have

462-423: A combined population of 469,015 at the 2020 census . Asheville's East End/Valley Street stands as the oldest and most culturally significant black community in the city. As of the 2020 census , there were 94,589 people, 40,340 households, and 18,902 families residing in the city. At the 2000 census , there were 68,889 people, 30,690 households and 16,726 families residing in the city. The population density

528-570: A majority of black home owners. Since the late 20th century, there has been an effort to maintain and preserve the South Asheville Cemetery, in the Kenilworth neighborhood. It is the largest public black cemetery in the state, holding about 2000 burials, dating from the early 1800s and slavery years, to 1943. Fewer than 100 of the graves are marked by tombstones. In 2003, Centennial Olympic Park bomber Eric Robert Rudolph

594-651: A number of Baptist churches, Roman Catholic , Methodist , Lutheran , Presbyterian , and Churches of Christ , as well as a few non-Christian places of worship, such as Urban Dharma, a Tibetan Buddhist center of the Drikung Kagyu school. Asheville is the headquarters of the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina , which is seated at the Cathedral of All Souls . Asheville is an important city for North Carolinian Catholics, who make pilgrimages to

660-641: Is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina , United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the most populous city in Western North Carolina , and the state's 11th-most-populous city . According to the 2020 census , the city's population was 94,589, up from 83,393 in the 2010 census . It is the principal city in the three-county Asheville metropolitan area , which had an estimated population of 417,202 in 2023. Before

726-544: Is an important example of architecture and design of the Arts and Crafts movement . Asheville's recovery from the Depression was slow and arduous. Because of the financial stagnation, there was little new construction and much of the downtown district remained unaltered. The Montford Area Historic District and other central areas are considered historic districts and include Victorian houses. Biltmore Village , located at

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792-412: Is sporadic, averaging 10.3 inches or 0.26 metres per winter season, but actual seasonal accumulation varies considerably from one winter to the next; accumulation has ranged from trace amounts in 2011–12 to 48.2 inches or 1.2 metres in 1968–69. Freezing rain often occurs, accompanied by significant disruption. Hail is not uncommon during the spring and summer, accompanied by intense severe thunderstorms but

858-633: Is the only Low & Bonar holding in the United States. Plans were announced in 2008 to expand its Asheville Geosynthetics department. Some of the ENKA's manufacturing operations in the United States became part of Union Carbide , a Dow chemical subsidiary. Whatever ENKA manufacturing operations BASF still had in Asheville had been phased out in 2008 and moved to other manufacturing sites. [REDACTED] Media related to American Enka Company at Wikimedia Commons Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( / ˈ æ ʃ v ɪ l / ASH -vil )

924-599: Is west of Hickory , northwest of Charlotte , and southwest of Winston-Salem . Asheville features a climate that borders between a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen : Cfa ) and an oceanic climate ( Trewartha : Do ) with noticeably cooler temperatures than the rest of the Piedmont region of the Southeast due to the higher elevation; it is part of USDA Hardiness zone 7a. The area's summers in particular, though warm, are not as hot as summers in cities farther east in

990-584: The Asheville-Waynesville-Brevard, NC Combined Statistical Area , which includes Buncombe , Haywood , Henderson , Madison , and Transylvania counties, which had a combined population of 513,720 in 2023, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau . Asheville first appeared in the 1800 U S. Census with "Ashville" as the spelling. Only 38 inhabitants were recorded. Asheville did not appear again until

1056-667: The Basilica of St. Lawrence . There are several historical churches located throughout the city, including the First Baptist Church of Asheville . Lowland, Tennessee Lowland is an unincorporated community in Hamblen County, Tennessee . Lowland has historically been the site of many synthetic fiber plants; the American Enka Company , BASF , and Liberty Fibers once operated on

1122-675: The Harris Research Laboratories after World War II , his relationship with the American Enka Company continued and expanded. Others associated with ENKA's research over the years would also be honored with major honors in the fields of chemistry, polymer chemistry and textiles. Ralph McGregor would be the last to be honored with his receipt of the Louis Atwell Olney Medal ( Louis Olney ). Attendant with this emphasis on research

1188-617: The I. M. Pei designed Akzona headquarters could be built. In the early 1980s, the American Enka began to restructure itself to remain competitive in the American marketplace because it was hard hit by imports from the Far East . Toward the end of 1985, the ENKA was purchased by the Badische Corporation ; and its fibers operation combined with those of Badische's to form BASF Corporation Fibers Division. During

1254-766: The ISEM was fully integrated with the AKU , the Algemene Kunstzijde Unie which had resulted when the German Vereinigte Glanzstoff-Fabriken merged with the Nederlandse Kunstzijdefabriek in 1929. Initially, the Dutch brought in technicians and workers from the Netherlands to supervise the creation of the physical plant and to train an American labor force the skills necessary for the manufacturing of rayon. Their success

1320-549: The 1800s, James McDowell established land for burial of slaves belonging to his and the Smith families in Asheville. His son William Wallace McDowell continued this practice, setting aside about two acres of land for this purpose. On the eve of the Civil War, James W. Patton, son of an Irish immigrant, was the largest enslaver in the county, and had built a luxurious mansion, known as The Henrietta, in Asheville. Buncombe County had

1386-654: The 1850 U.S. Census with "Ashville" once again as the spelling. The population recorded was 502. Asheville did not report separately in 1860. Asheville is the larger principal city of the Asheville-Waynesville-Brevard, NC Combined Statistical Area that includes the Asheville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area (Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, and Madison counties) and the Brevard, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area (Transylvania County), which had

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1452-544: The 1980s, economic growth in Asheville was slow. During this time of financial stagnation, most of the buildings in the downtown district remained unaltered. As a result, Asheville has one of the most impressive, comprehensive collections of Art Deco architecture in the United States. In 1959, the City Council purchased property partially located in neighboring Henderson County for the development of Asheville Regional Airport . The North Carolina General Assembly passed

1518-546: The Buncombe Turnpike. The Union force had been ordered to take Asheville only if they could accomplish it without significant losses. An engagement was fought later that month at Swannanoa Gap, as part of the larger Stoneman's Raid throughout western North Carolina, Virginia , and Tennessee. Union forces retreated in the face of resistance from Brig. Gen. James Green Martin , commander of Confederate troops in western North Carolina. Later, Union forces returned to

1584-538: The Cherokee Native Americans as a separate nation. Buncombe County was officially formed in 1792. In the 1800 US Census, some 107 settlers in the county were enslavers, owning a total of 300 slaves. Total county population was 5,812. The county seat, named "Morristown" in 1793, was established on a plateau where two Indian trails crossed. In 1797, Morristown was incorporated and renamed "Asheville" after North Carolina Governor Samuel Ashe . In

1650-482: The ENKA broke ground for a new nylon plant in Enka, North Carolina . A year later the ENKA became the first U.S. producer of fine denier Nylon 6 . This had been developed earlier and independently by ENKA's Dutch parent company, the AKU , which had transferred the know-how to this U.S. manufacturer. Like with its promotion of rayon, the ENKA relied on the same avenues to make the public aware of its superior nylon from

1716-647: The ENKA employed 3,000 workers. In 1943, a multi-million dollars expansion occurred so it could produce an even more high-tenacity yarn for the Allied war effort, to be used for parachutes. On February 18, 1945, President Roosevelt signed executive order 9523 to authorize the Secretary of War to operate plants and facilities of the American Enka Corporation near Enka, North Carolina. Since its origin, it also experimented and produced other fibers for

1782-424: The ENKA's industrial relations department and would over time become president of the company; and James E. Bostic, Jr. , who would begin his career at the ENKA and go on to Washington, D.C. , and then take on varied executive positions in the paper industry and serve on various boards as the first black director or trustee. In the mid-1950s, the American Enka moved its headquarters from New York's Madison Avenue to

1848-403: The Netherlands on May 6, 1925, and in the United States on May 3, 1926; thereafter it became fully patented in the United States on March 31, 1931. Thereafter, one of Hofstede Crull's companies, De Vijf and the Nederlandse Kunstzijdefabriek formed a joint venture, De Internationale Spinpot Exploitatie Maatschappij ( ISEM ) to manufacture and market Hofstede Crull's machines. This solution in

1914-529: The age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.5% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.81. Age distribution was 19.6% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

1980-610: The area largely isolated from the outside. Asheville is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains at the confluence of the Swannanoa River and the French Broad River . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 45.86 square miles (118.8 km ), of which 45.47 square miles (117.8 km ) is land and 0.39 square miles (1.0 km ) (0.85%) is water. Asheville

2046-773: The area of Asheville in 1784, after the United States gained independence in the American Revolutionary War. In that year, Colonel Samuel Davidson and his family settled in the Swannanoa Valley , redeeming a soldier's land grant from the state of North Carolina made in lieu of pay. Soon after building a log cabin at the bank of Christian Creek, Davidson was lured into the woods and killed by a band of Cherokee hunters resisting white encroachment. Davidson's wife, child, and female slave fled on foot overnight to Davidson's Fort (named after Davidson's father General John Davidson) 16 miles away. In response to

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2112-470: The area via Howard's Gap and Henderson County . In late April 1865, North Carolina Union troops from the 3rd North Carolina Mounted Infantry , under the overall command of Union Gen. George Stoneman , captured Asheville. After a negotiated departure, the 2,700 troops left town, accompanied by "hundreds of freed slaves". Later, the federal troops returned and plundered Asheville, burning a number of Confederate supporters' homes in Asheville. George Avery

2178-564: The arrival of the European Colonists , the land where Asheville now exists lay within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation, which had homelands in modern western North and South Carolina , southeastern Tennessee , and northeastern Georgia . A town at the site of the river confluence was recorded as Guaxule by Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto during his 1540 expedition through this area. His expedition comprised

2244-678: The business of the Southern Railway , now the Norfolk Southern , and the railroad industry generally, e.g., such as the need for specially built box cars to transport rayon nationwide. In the latter part of the 1930s, the ENKA began to produce a high-tenacity rayon yarn for automobile tires. This led to shipments of it which required large-scale commercial production. In the 1930s, research found that 30% of American rayon workers suffered severe effects of carbon disulphide poisoning . Only twelve years after its origin in 1928,

2310-490: The city's "historic role in slavery, discrimination and denial of basic liberties". The resolution was unanimously passed, and Asheville committed to "make investments in areas where Black residents face disparities". Also in 2020, efforts were made to remove or change several monuments in the city that celebrated the Confederate States of America or slave owners . In June 2021, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer

2376-506: The damage was difficult to gauge in the immediate aftermath due to loss of critical infrastructure, including electrical, cellular telephone, and other communications services. Early reports indicated hundreds of downed trees, damaged homes, and blocked local roads. The municipal water system was catastrophically damaged, leaving most of Asheville without running water. Buildings and bridges were washed away and landslides cut off access to several major interstates including I-40 and I-26, leaving

2442-563: The downtown area, such as the Battery Park Hotel, the original of which was 475 feet long with numerous dormers and chimneys; the Neo-Gothic Jackson Building, the first skyscraper on Pack Square; Grove Arcade , one of America's first indoor shopping malls; and the Basilica of St. Lawrence . The S&W Cafeteria Building is also a fine example of Art Deco architecture in Asheville. The Grove Park Inn

2508-417: The entrance to the famous estate, showcases unique architectural features. It was here that workers stayed during the construction of George Vanderbilt's estate. The YMI Cultural Center , founded in 1892 by George Vanderbilt in the heart of downtown, is one of the nation's oldest African-American cultural centers. Asheville is the largest city in the Asheville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area , as well as

2574-457: The first European visitors, who carried endemic Eurasian infectious diseases that killed much of the native population. The Cherokee had traditionally used the area by the confluence for open hunting and meeting grounds. They called it Untokiasdiyi or Tokiyasdi (ᏙᎩᏯᏍᏗ in Cherokee), meaning "Where they race", until the middle of the 19th century. European Americans began to settle in

2640-420: The first electric street railway lines in the state of North Carolina, the first of which opened in 1889. These were replaced by buses in 1934. In 1900, Asheville was the third-largest city in the state, behind Wilmington and Charlotte . Asheville prospered in the decades of the 1910s and 1920s. During these years, Rutherford P. Hayes , son of President Rutherford B. Hayes , bought land, and worked with

2706-404: The killing, Davidson's twin brother Major William Davidson and brother-in-law Colonel Daniel Smith formed an expedition to retrieve Samuel Davidson's body and avenge his murder. Months after the expedition, Major Davidson and other members of his extended family returned to the area and settled at the mouth of Bee Tree Creek. The U.S. Census of 1790 counted 1,000 residents of the area, excluding

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2772-615: The largest number of prominent enslavers in Western North Carolina , many in the professional class based in Asheville, numbering a total of 293 countywide in 1863. Asheville, with a population of about 2,500 by 1861, remained relatively untouched by battles of the Civil War . The city contributed companies to the Confederate States Army and to the Union Army . For a time, an Enfield rifle manufacturing facility

2838-722: The last burial was conducted, it held remains of an estimated 2,000 people. On October 3, 1880, the Western North Carolina Railroad completed its line from Salisbury to Asheville, the first rail line to reach the city. Almost immediately it was sold and resold to the Richmond and Danville Railroad Company , becoming part of the Southern Railway in 1894. With the completion of the first railway, Asheville developed with steady growth as industrial plants increased in number and size, and new residents built homes. Textile mills were built to process cotton from

2904-581: The last occurrences being January 7, 2014 and July 1, 2012 , respectively. The average window for freezing temperatures is October 17 to April 18, allowing a growing season of 181 days. Asheville is located in the Appalachian temperate rainforest and precipitation is relatively well spread, though the summer months are slightly wetter, and averages 49.6 in (1,260 mm) annually, but has historically ranged from 22.79 in (579 mm) in 1925 to 79.48 in (2,019 mm) in 2018. Snowfall

2970-409: The mid twenties for the rayon manufacturing problem was the means for the Nederlandse Kunstzijdefabriek to enter the American market with its subsidiary, the American Enka Company in 1928 and with its creation thereby simultaneously circumventing trade protectionism (See AkzoNobel ). Two years later, the American Enka Company would become a free standing one. With the death of Hofstede Crull in 1938,

3036-540: The mid-1950s through the 1980s. Research had always been emphasized ever since the ENKA had been founded in the United States. In the mid-1950s, a separate research center was constructed and it was enlarged in the early 1960s. This led to broadening the development of synthetic fiber. Already during the late thirties, the ENKA had begun a relationship with the textile research group at the National Bureau of Standards . When its director, Milton Harris , started

3102-452: The mid-1990s AkzoNobel purchased back a portion of the BASF operation and it was named AkzoNobel Nonwovens . It began to produce a nonwoven named Colback which was/is used in carpet backing, automotive and industrial applications and Geosynthetics Products used in the building and environmental markets. After AkzoNobel's acquisition of Britain's Courtaulds Fibers in 1998, a new company

3168-508: The number of days with thunderstorms varies dramatically from year to year ranging from as few as 15 days in 2008 to as many as 44 in 2018. The month that usually experiences the most thunderstorms in Asheville is in July but number of days with thunderstorms in July has ranged from as many as 18 days in 2016 to as few as two days in 2008. Notable architecture in Asheville includes its Art Deco Asheville City Hall , and other unique buildings in

3234-601: The prominent African-American businessman Edward W. Pearson Sr. to develop his land for residential housing known as the African-American Burton Street Community. Hayes also worked to establish a sanitary district in West Asheville, which became an incorporated town in 1913, and merged with Asheville in 1917. The Asheville Masonic Temple was constructed in 1913, under the direction of famed architect Richard Sharp Smith ,

3300-480: The region, and other plants were set up to manufacture wood and mica products, foodstuffs, and other commodities. The 21-mile (34 km) distance between Hendersonville and Asheville of the former Asheville and Spartanburg Railroad was completed in 1886. By that point, the line was operated as part of the Richmond and Danville Railroad until 1894 and controlled by the Southern Railway afterward. Asheville had

3366-610: The same plant site in the community. Lowland is located near Tennessee State Route 160 , Interstate 81 and the Norfolk Southern Railway 6.2 miles (10.0 km) southeast of Morristown . Lowland had a post office from February 1, 1949, to June 11, 2011; it still has its own ZIP code , 37778. The former industrial site of the Liberty Fibers/Enka/BASF plant and its adjacent wastewater treatment plant have since been annexed into

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3432-462: The site of its Asheville campus. Expansion plans of it were announced in 1969 and the facility opened in 1970. By that time, the American Enka Company had ten plants around the country and about 11,000 employees nationwide. Also, it was then that Akzona, Inc. was created to serve as a holding company for the American Enka, International Salt Company , and Organon Inc. . Later, buildings were razed at Pack Square in downtown Asheville in 1979 so that

3498-461: The state, as the July daily average temperature is 73.8 °F (23.2 °C) and there is an average of only 9.4 afternoons with 90 °F (32.2 °C)+ highs annually; the last time a calendar year passed without a single 90 °F (32.2 °C) reading was as recently as 2009. Moreover, warm mornings where the low remains at or above 70 °F or 21.1 °C are much less common than 90 °F or 32.2 °C afternoons. Winters are cool, with

3564-717: The textile industry. Construction for a second major plant began in 1944 and it was located in Lowland, Tennessee . The new rayon factory was fully operational by 1948. Back in the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950, the American Enka was known for its superior rayon for it was used by everyone from Maurice Rentner to L'Aiglon and mentioned in advertisements appearing in periodicals such as Harper's Bazaar and Vogue . These also were teamed with high quality stores including Saks Fifth Avenue , Julius Garfinckel , Harzfeld's , Best & Co. Neiman-Marcus , Bloomingdale's , Bergdorf Goodman , Marshall Field's , I. Magnin , etc. In 1953,

3630-400: The time was Rento Hofstede Crull , the Dutch electrical pioneer who already had founded several companies. Hartogs and Hofstede Crull had become friends over the years; and Hartogs turned to him about the problem with the spinning devices. By May 1925, Hofstede Crull already had formulated a solution for the problem – Driving Device For A Centrifugal Spinning Machine and filed for patents in

3696-495: Was 1,683.4 inhabitants per square mile (650.0/km ). There were 33,567 housing units at an average density of 820.3 per square mile (316.7/km ). The racial composition of the city was: 77.95% White , 17.61% Black or African American, 3.76% Hispanic or Latino American , 0.92% Asian American, 0.35% Native American, 0.06% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander , 1.53% some other race , and 1.58% two or more races . There were 30,690 households, of which 22.2% had children under

3762-481: Was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males. The median household income was $ 32,772, and the median family income was $ 44,029. Males had a median income of $ 30,463, and $ 23,488 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 20,024. About 13% of families and 19% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.9% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over. There are

3828-410: Was among 40 enslaved people known to have traveled with the troops to Tennessee. There he enlisted in the U.S. Colored Troops . He returned to Asheville after being discharged in 1866. After the war, he was hired by his former master William W. McDowell to manage the South Asheville Cemetery, a public place for black burials. This is the oldest and largest black public cemetery in the state. By 1943, when

3894-645: Was formed in 2000 that combined Courtaulds Fibers and AkzoNobel Nonwovens to successively become Colbond . Actually AkzoNobel divested all of its fibers division in 2000 to form a new company called Acordia based in Spondon , England , but its management was still located in Arnhem, Netherlands, home of AkzoNobel . Today what began as the ENKA in Asheville, North Carolina, and the part that became Colbond with its overseas plants are now divisions of London, England -based Low & Bonar . Colbond, Inc., in Asheville

3960-429: Was later developed as an independent jurisdiction known as Biltmore Forest , which is now one of the wealthiest in the country. The Great Depression hit Asheville quite hard. On November 20, 1930, eight local banks failed. Only Wachovia remained open with infusions of cash from Winston-Salem . Because of the explosive growth of the previous decades, the per capita debt owed by the city (through municipal bonds )

4026-509: Was located in the town. The war did not reach Asheville until early April 1865, when the "Battle of Asheville" was fought at the present-day site of the University of North Carolina at Asheville . Union forces withdrew to Tennessee , which they had occupied since 1862. They had encountered resistance in Asheville from a small group of Confederate senior and junior reserves, and recuperating Confederate soldiers in prepared trench lines across

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4092-409: Was one of 11 U.S. mayors to form Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity (MORE), a coalition of municipal leaders dedicated to starting pilot reparations programs in their cities. In September 2024, Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic, record-breaking flooding of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, devastating Asheville and surrounding areas of Western North Carolina . The full extent of

4158-423: Was quickly evident for in two years time they were able to turn the plant over to the ones they had taught so that they could return to the Netherlands. The American Enka (ENKA), thereby became an American entity run by Americans with an American labor force. The Dutch retained 56 per cent of the company's stock. By 1933, the American Enka rayon plant had experienced expansion and had 2,500 workers who were working

4224-490: Was the belief of having an educated work force. The American Enka supported a formal program of college education for its own work force in which its employees could participate in their spare time. A charitable trust had already been created in 1952 which provided such things as college scholarships. The American Enka Company also provided the means for local people to achieve in the company and outside of it. Two examples are Claude Swanson Ramsey, Jr. , who began his career in

4290-403: Was the highest in the nation. By 1929, both the city and Buncombe County had incurred over $ 56 million in bonded debt to pay for a wide range of municipal and infrastructure improvements, including City Hall, the water system, Beaucatcher Tunnel, and Asheville High School . Rather than default, the city paid those debts over a period of fifty years. From the start of the depression through

4356-597: Was transported to Asheville from Murphy, North Carolina , for arraignment in federal court. In September 2004, remnants of Hurricanes Frances and Ivan caused major flooding in Asheville, particularly at Biltmore Village . In 2006, the Asheville Zombie Walk was organized for the first time, starting a tradition that lasted until 2016. In July 2020, the Asheville City Council voted to provide reparations to Black residents for

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