Black Mountain

History

Black Mountain in its present form was incorporated on March 4, 1893. The first recorded inhabitants of the area were the Cherokee. A road was built through the area in 1850 and a railroad followed in 1879. The Black Mountain College Historic District, Black Mountain Downtown Historic District, Blue Ridge Assembly Historic District, Dougherty Heights Historic District, Rafael Guastavino Sr., Estate, Intheoaks, Monte Vista Hotel, South Montreat Road Historic District, and Thomas Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In September 2024, Black Mountain was severely impacted by flooding from Hurricane Helene. The town's power, water, and sewer systems went down for days. Roads and bridges were washed away. The headquarters and distribution center for the Ingles supermarket chain is based in Black Mountain. The company's local facilities were flooded, leading to mass closures, shortages, and payment processing issues at grocery stores across the chain.

Geography

Black Mountain is located in eastern Buncombe County. The town of Montreat borders Black Mountain to the north, and the unincorporated community of Swannanoa is on the western border. U.S. Route 70 (State Street) is the main road through the center of town. Interstate 40 passes just to the south of downtown, with access from exits 64 and 65. Via I-40, it is west to Asheville and east to Morganton. The Swannanoa River flows from east to west through the town, rising just to the east at Swannanoa Gap on the crest of the Appalachians. The Swannanoa River flows west to the French Broad River, part of the Tennessee River basin that ultimately flows to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River, while Swannanoa Creek east of the gap is part of the Catawba River-Santee River system, reaching the Atlantic Ocean north of Charleston, South Carolina. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Black Mountain has a total area of , of which , or 0.23%, is water.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Reynolds High
  High · Asheville · 1,133 students · 16.4:1 ratio
• Owen High
  High · Black Mountain · 689 students · 15:1 ratio
• Fairview Elementary
  Elementary · Fairview · 659 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• Reynolds Middle
  Middle · Asheville · 479 students · 12.9:1 ratio
• Williams Elementary
  Elementary · Swannanoa · 460 students · 12.8:1 ratio
• Evergreen Community Charter
  Elementary · Asheville · 441 students · 14.7:1 ratio
• Owen Middle
  Middle · Swannanoa · 418 students · 11.6:1 ratio
• ArtSpace Charter School
  Elementary · Swannanoa · 398 students · 12.8:1 ratio