The Ultimate Guide To Asheville and the Western North Carolina Mountains
Relocation Guide to Asheville
 

Links to Websites of
Western North Carolina Cities & Towns
 

Andrews	Chimney Rock	Hayesville	Mars Hill	Spruce Pine
Asheville	Claremont	Hendersonville	Marshall	Sugar Mountain
Bakersville	Clyde	Hickory	Morganton	Sylva
Banner Elk	Columbus	Highlands	Murphy	Tryon
Beech Mountain	Connelly Springs	Hildebran	Newland	Valdese
Black Mountain	Conover	Hot Springs	Newton	Valle Crucis
Blowing Rock	Cullowhee	Hudson	North Wilkesboro	Waynesville
Boone	Dillsboro	Jefferson	Old Fort	Weaverville
Brevard	Drexel	Lake Lure	Robbinsville	West Jefferson
Bryson City	Flat Rock	Lenoir	Rutherford College	Wilkesboro
Burnsville	Fletcher	Little Switzerland	Rutherfordton	Woodfin
Canton	Forest City	Long View	Saluda
Cashiers	Franklin	Maggie Valley	Sawmills
Catawba	Glen Alpine	Maiden	Sparta
Cherokee	Granite Falls	Marion	Spindale

   Western North Carolina, the region of North Carolina that includes the Appalachian Mountains, is blessed with towering verdant mountains, lovely gentle valleys, flower-filled coves, virgin stands of untouched forest, crystal clear lakes and streams, and vibrant cities and towns. The mountains are generally separated into four distinct zones or regions. The Western Mountains, extending from Andrews and Murphy in the far western corner to Waynesville, the Central Mountains from Waynesville through Asheville to the Burnsville area, the Northern Mountains from Burnsville to Sparta, and the Foothills, extending along the full length of the mountains from Columbus to North Wilkesboro.
    The major cities with populations over 10,000 are Asheville (92,000), Boone (20,000), Hendersonville (14,000), Hickory (41,000), Lenoir (18,000), Morganton (16,500), Newton (13,000) and Waynesville (10,000).
    More in-depth information, including places to stay, restaurants and attractions in the cities and towns of Western North Carolina is found in my best-selling guidebook The Ultimate Guide To Asheville & the Western North Carolina Mountains, available on Amazon.

     Tourism is the major industry in Western North Carolina, with millions of visitors each year flocking to the mountains for outdoor recreation. The area includes the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Nantahala National Forest, the Pisgah National Forest and numerous State Forests. Most of Western North Carolina is wilderness and offers an abundance of recreational opportunities from mountain climbing to whitewater rafting. Other major natural attractions include the Appalachian Scenic National Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway, both of which pass right through the mountains.

    The unique character of the Western North Carolina mountains is such that Congress has even designated them a National Heritage Area, and the region is now officially recognized as the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area There are 24 counties in Western North Carolina with a total population of over 1,000,000. The region covers approximately 11,000 square miles and is roughly the size of the state of Massachusetts. There are over 80 mountain peaks between 5,000 to 6,000 feet in elevation, and 43 that rise to over 6,000 feet.

View Larger Map
Map of the Western North Carolina Mountains