Editing Bakersville, North Carolina

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name            = Bakersville, North Carolina
| settlement_type          = [[Town]]
| nickname                 = 
| motto                    = "Gateway to the Roan, Home to the Arts"
| named_for                = David Baker<ref name=gazetteer>{{cite web |url=https://ncpedia.org/gazetteer/search/bakersville/0 |title=North Carolina Gazetteer |access-date= December 26, 2020}}</ref>
| image_skyline            = Bakersville, NC.JPG
| imagesize                = 
| image_caption            = North Mitchell Ave in downtown Bakersville
| image_seal               = Bakersville, NC Town Seal.jpg
| image_map                = NCMap-doton-Bakersville.PNG
| mapsize                  = 250x200px
| map_caption              = Location in North Carolina
| image_map1               = 
| mapsize1                 = 
| map_caption1             = 
| subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name         = United States
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1        = [[North Carolina]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in North Carolina|County]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Mitchell County, North Carolina|Mitchell]]
| government_footnotes     = 
| government_type          = 
| leader_title             = 
| leader_name              = 
| leader_title1            = 
| leader_name1             = 
| established_title        = Incorporated
| established_date         = 1868<ref name=gazetteer/>
| unit_pref                = Imperial
| area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2024">{{cite web |title=2024 U.S. Gazetteer Files: North Carolina|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_gaz_place_37.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=March 21, 2025}}</ref>
| area_total_km2           = 1.97
| area_land_km2            = 1.97
| area_water_km2           = 0.00
| area_total_sq_mi         = 0.76
| area_land_sq_mi          = 0.76
| area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes     = <ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPL2020.P1?q=&g=160XX00US3703100| title=P1. Race – Bakersville town, North Carolina: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=March 21, 2025}}</ref>
| population_total         = 450
| pop_est_as_of            = 
| pop_est_footnotes        = 
| population_est           = 
| population_density_km2   = 228.58
| population_density_sq_mi = 592.11
| timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset               = -5
| timezone_DST             = EDT
| utc_offset_DST           = -4
| elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft             = 2464
| coordinates              = {{coord|36|00|55|N|82|09|30|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code              = 28705
| area_code                = [[Area code 828|828]]
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info               = 37-03100<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 2405201<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2405201}}</ref>
| website                  = {{URL|www.bakersvillenc.com}}
| footnotes                = 
}}

'''Bakersville''' is a town in [[Mitchell County, North Carolina]], United States. The population was 450 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="Census 2020"/> It is the [[county seat]] of Mitchell County.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 }}</ref>

==History==
In prehistoric times, local [[mica]] deposits were extensively mined by [[Native Americans in the United States|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<ref name=Mica/> and was named for David Baker, a Revolutionary War soldier and one of the first to live in the area around 1790 and described as "a large land owner, innkeeper, merchant and political leader until his death in 1838. Some of David's sons and daughters remained and were equally influential in the area for many years after David's death."<ref name=Neufeld/> Situated on the main route leading over [[Roan Mountain (Roan Highlands)|Roan Mountain]] and westward into [[Tennessee]], the town developed slowly. Traveler [[Frederick Law Olmsted]] passed through Bakersville in the early 1850s and noted that the "town" consisted of only a couple of cabins within a quarter-mile radius.<ref name=Mica/> In 1861, a post office was established and named "Davis" after [[Jefferson Davis]].<ref name=Neufeld>{{cite news|url=http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2017/04/16/visiting-our-past-mitchell-mill-sifts-through-150-years/100459318/|title=Visiting Our Past: Mitchell mill sifts through 150 years|last=Neufeld|first=Rob|work=[[Asheville Citizen-Times]]|date=April 16, 2017|access-date=April 17, 2017}}</ref> Following the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], the county seat of newly created Mitchell County was relocated to the town that had been renamed Bakersville by the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] state government,<ref name=Neufeld/><ref name=Mica/> 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.<ref name=Mica>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.</ref> 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 1968.

Historian and sociologist [[James W. Loewen]] has identified Bakersville as one of several possible [[sundown town]]s in North Carolina.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Possible Sundown Towns in NC|url=https://sundown.tougaloo.edu/sundowntownsshow.php?state=NC|url-status=live|access-date=March 6, 2021|website=sundown.tougaloo.edu|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428210821/http://sundown.tougaloo.edu:80/sundowntownsshow.php?state=NC |archive-date=April 28, 2018 }}</ref>

The [[Mitchell County Courthouse (North Carolina)|Mitchell County Courthouse]] was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1979.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

==Geography==
Bakersville is in central Mitchell County, in the valley of Cane Creek, sitting at an elevation of {{convert|2471|ft}} above sea level.<ref>{{cite gnis|1018913|Bakersville}}</ref> Pumpkin Patch Mountain ({{convert|4098|ft|m|disp=sqbr}})<ref>{{Cite gnis|1022102|Pumpkin Patch Mountain}}</ref> and Meadlock Mountain ({{convert|3895|ft|m|disp=sqbr}})<ref>{{Cite gnis|1021397|Meadlock Mountain}}</ref> rise above the town to the north, and [[Roan Mountain (Roan Highlands)|Roan Mountain]] rises to {{convert|6283|ft}}<ref>{{Cite gnis|1022307|Roan High Knob}}</ref> beyond them, {{convert|6|mi|0}} north of the town.

[[North Carolina Highway 226]] runs through the center of Bakersville, leading southeast {{convert|11|mi|0}} to [[Spruce Pine, North Carolina|Spruce Pine]], the largest town in Mitchell County, and west, then north {{convert|15|mi}} to the [[Tennessee]] border at Iron Mountain Gap. [[North Carolina Highway 261]] starts in Bakersville and leads north {{convert|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 {{convert|0.8|sqmi|km2}}, 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 middle school, with approximately two hundred students.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1900= 511
|1910= 416
|1920= 332
|1930= 426
|1940= 437
|1950= 428
|1960= 393
|1970= 409
|1980= 373
|1990= 332
|2000= 357
|2010= 464
|2020= 450
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015 }}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 357 people, 168 households, and 97 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|474.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 206 housing units at an average density of {{convert|273.8|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 99.72% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]] and 0.28% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|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 [[Marriage|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–4), Bowman Middle School (5–8), and [[Mitchell High School (North Carolina)|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 music|bluegrass]] musician<ref>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.</ref>
* [[Red Wilson (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<ref>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.</ref>

==See also==
* [[Roan Mountain, Tennessee]]
* [[Roan Mountain State Park]]

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*{{Official|www.bakersvillenc.com}}

{{Mitchell County, North Carolina}}
{{North Carolina county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Mitchell County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Towns in North Carolina]]
[[Category:County seats in North Carolina]]