Editing Bryson City, North Carolina

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name            = Bryson City, North Carolina
| settlement_type          = [[Town]]
| nickname                 = 
| motto                    = 
| named_for                = Thaddeus Dillard Bryson
<!-- Images -->
| image_skyline            = Aerial-View-Downtown-Bryson-City-CS.jpg
| imagesize                = 
| image_caption            = Downtown Bryson City
| image_flag               = 
| image_seal               = <!-- Maps -->
| pushpin_map              = North Carolina##USA
| pushpin_label            = Bryson City
| pushpin_label_position   = right <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
| pushpin_map_caption      = Location within North Carolina##Location within the United States
| pushpin_mapsize          = <!-- Location -->
| 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        = [[Swain County, North Carolina|Swain]]
| government_footnotes     = 
| government_type          = 
| leader_title             = 
| leader_name              = 
| leader_title1            = 
| leader_name1             = 
| established_title        = 
| established_date         = 
<!-- Area -->
| unit_pref                = Imperial
| area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=September 20, 2022}}</ref>
| area_magnitude           = 
| area_total_km2           = 5.94
| area_land_km2            = 5.66
| area_water_km2           = 0.28
| area_total_sq_mi         = 2.29
| area_land_sq_mi          = 2.18
| area_water_sq_mi         = 0.11
<!-- Population -->
| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes     = 
| population_total         = 1558
| population_density_km2   = 275.48
| population_density_sq_mi = 713.37
<!-- General information -->
| 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             = 1752
| coordinates              = {{coord|35|25|34|N|83|26|51|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code              = 28713
| area_code                = [[Area code 828|828]]
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info               = 37-08480<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              = 2405339<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2405339}}</ref>
| website                  = {{URL|http://www.brysoncitync.gov/}}
| footnotes                = 
| pop_est_as_of            = 
| pop_est_footnotes        = 
| population_est           = 
}}

'''Bryson City''' is a town in [[Swain County, North Carolina]], United States, and its [[county seat]].<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> The population was 1,558 as of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?q=Bryson+City+&page=1&stateGeo=none&searchtype=web&cssp=SERP&_charset_=UTF-8 |title=Bryson City, North Carolina (NC 28713) profile: population, maps, real estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, moving, houses, news, sex offenders |publisher=City-data.com |access-date=May 14, 2012}}</ref> Located in what was historically the land of the [[Cherokee]], Bryson City was founded as Charleston to serve as the county seat of Swain County when it was formed from parts of surrounding counties. It grew into an important local rail hub. Today the city serves as a popular tourist destination, lying just to the west of the entrance to the [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]], for outdoor activities in the [[Nantahala National Forest]], and along the [[Nantahala River]] and [[Fontana Lake]], and serves as the home of the [[Great Smoky Mountains Railroad]], a [[heritage railroad]] that provides tours of the Nantahala valley. The popular [[Nantahala Outdoor Center]] provides guide services for many of the outdoor activities in the area.

==History==
===Indigenous settlements===
Indigenous cultures of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] have been living and hunting along the [[Tuckasegee River]] in the vicinity of what is now Bryson City for nearly 14,000 years.<ref>{{cite web |first=Michael |last=Beadle |url=http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/05_06/05_24_06/out_mothertown.html |title=Remembering the Mother Town |publisher=Smokymountainnews.com |date=May 24, 2006 |access-date=August 18, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813081547/http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/05_06/05_24_06/out_mothertown.html |archive-date=August 13, 2009 }}</ref> The village of [[Keetoowah|Kituwa]], which the [[Cherokee]] believed to be their oldest village and "mother town", was located along the Tuckasegee River. The ancient mound and village site is now controlled again by the federally recognized [[Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians]] and is preserved as a sacred site. (Bryson City developed downstream from this site.)

In 1567, an ''orata'' (minor chief) from Kituwa is believed to have met with Spanish explorer [[Juan Pardo (explorer)|Juan Pardo]] in the [[French Broad River|French Broad Valley]] to the north.<ref>Charles Hudson, ''The Juan Pardo Expeditions: Explorations of the Carolinas and Tennessee, 1566-1568'' (Tuscaloosa, Ala.: University of Alabama Press, 2005), 97.</ref> During the American Revolutionary War, many Cherokee allied with the British, hoping to expel European Americans from their territory. American soldiers burned and destroyed the town of Kituwa in 1776, but the Cherokee continued to hold annual ceremonial dances at the site throughout the 19th century.<ref name="brysoncitync.info">{{cite web |url=http://www.brysoncitync.info/cherokee.htm |title=History of Bryson City and Swain County, North Carolina |publisher=Brysoncitync.info |access-date=August 18, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509134549/http://www.brysoncitync.info/cherokee.htm |archive-date=May 9, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:Everett Street, Bryson City, NC (46647749271).jpg|alt=|thumb|Buildings on Everett Street]]
Around 1818, a Cherokee chief known as Big Bear received a {{convert|640|acre|km2|adj=on}} reservation of land immediately west of the confluence of Deep Creek and the Tuckasegee River. Big Bear sold part of his reservation to Darling Belk in 1819 and another part to John B. Love in 1824.  Throughout the 1830s, Belk's heirs and Love fought an extended legal battle over control of the former Big Bear land, with Love finally prevailing in 1840. The following year, Love sold part of the land to James and Diana Shuler. The Shulers, in turn, sold parts of their land to Colonel Thaddeus Bryson and merchant Alfred Cline.  A small hamlet known as Bear Springs developed on what was once Big Bear's reservation.<ref name="brysoncitync.info" />

===Contemporary history===
With its population having increased, Swain County was formed from parts of [[Jackson County, North Carolina|Jackson]] and [[Macon County, North Carolina|Macon]] counties in 1871, during the [[Reconstruction era]]. The new commissioners first met at Cline's store at Bear Springs. Lucy Ann (Raby) Cline agreed to sell several lots of her land to form a county seat. Initially known as Charleston, the county seat was laid out in a T-shape, formed by what are now Main and Everett streets (the latter street was named for the county's first sheriff, Epp Everett). The first Swain County Courthouse was completed in 1874.<ref name="Swain County 2008">{{cite web |url=http://www.brysoncitync.info/first_years.htm |title=History of Bryson City and Swain County, North Carolina |publisher=Brysoncitync.info |access-date=August 18, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509082351/http://www.brysoncitync.info/first_years.htm |archive-date=May 9, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  In 1872, shortly after completion of the new jail, a gang led by Harvey Cooper stormed the jail and freed Tom Colvert, whom they deemed unjustly imprisoned for killing a rival at a saloon in [[Robbinsville, North Carolina|Robbinsville]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brysoncitync.info/Jailbreak.htm |title=History of Bryson City and Swain County, North Carolina |publisher=Brysoncitync.info |access-date=August 18, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509133431/http://www.brysoncitync.info/Jailbreak.htm |archive-date=May 9, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1889, the people of Charleston changed the city's name to "Bryson City" to acknowledge the role of Thaddeus Bryson in its development, and to eliminate confusion from sharing a name with [[Charleston, South Carolina]].  The Western North Carolina Railroad laid tracks through Bryson City in 1884, greatly improving transportation to the previously isolated area. The Bryson City Bank opened in 1904. The current Swain County Courthouse was completed in 1908, replacing the former one.<ref name="Swain County 2008" />

[[File:Bryson City Depot, Bryson City, NC (45732828165).jpg|alt=|thumb|[[Bryson City Depot]]]]
The [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]], which was established in 1933 during the [[Great Depression]], generates considerable revenue to for Swain County.  [[Horace Kephart]], an author and outdoors enthusiast who was based in Bryson City for several years, was a key early proponent for creation of the park.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brysoncitync.info/horancekephart.htm |title=History of Bryson City and Swain County, North Carolina |publisher=Brysoncitync.info |access-date=August 18, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721190230/http://www.brysoncitync.info/horancekephart.htm |archive-date=July 21, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  The Deep Creek section of the park, which is immediately north of Bryson City, has a large campground and multiple trailheads.  The park's main eastern entrance is located just a few miles east of Bryson City at [[Cherokee, North Carolina|Cherokee]].  Cherokee is the southern terminus of the [[Blue Ridge Parkway]]. It is also the base of the [[Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians]], the only federally recognized tribe in North Carolina. Many are descendants of Cherokee who avoided removal in the late 1830s.

The completion of [[Fontana Dam]] in 1944 created a reservoir, which inundated the only highway connecting Bryson City with the remote area of the Smokies known as the North Shore.  The U.S. government began constructing a new highway in 1948, now known as Lakeview Drive, but it was slow. By 1972, only {{convert|7|mi|km}} had been completed.  Environmental and financial issues stalled the project, and the road became known to locals as "The Road to Nowhere".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thesmokies.com/road-to-nowhere/ |title=Road to Nowhere NC: History of the unfinished road in Bryson City |date=November 2021 |publisher=TheSmokies.com}}</ref>

In 2007, the National Park Service deemed the road's construction to be in violation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's general management plan, and began working with Swain County to find an alternative.<ref>{{cite web|work=The National Park Service, et al. |url=http://www.northshoreroad.info/feis.htm |title=Final Environmental Impact Statement &mdash; North Shore Road |date=September 2007 |publisher=Northshoreroad.info |access-date=November 9, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509071518/http://www.northshoreroad.info/feis.htm |archive-date=May 9, 2008 }}</ref>

The increasing usage of the automobile led to a decline in railroad transportation, and [[Southern Railway (U.S.)|Southern Railway]] (which had replaced the [[Western North Carolina Railroad]]) dropped passenger service in 1948. After [[Norfolk Southern]] ended freight traffic on the railroad in 1985, the state of North Carolina purchased the tracks. In 1988, the state established a scenic line, known as the [[Great Smoky Mountains Railroad]], with its [[Bryson City Depot|depot]] and departure point in Bryson City.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gsmr.com/about/history.php |title=About the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad |publisher=Gsmr.com |access-date=August 18, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820205801/http://gsmr.com/about/history.php |archive-date=August 20, 2008 }}</ref>

In 2015, the city's first FM station was launched. [[WTIJ-LP]] (100.7) broadcasts local and nationally syndicated ministers, and Christian music.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Call Sign History |url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=197575&Callsign=WTIJ |access-date=2024-11-28 |website=licensing.fcc.gov}}</ref>  The station is owned by Grace Christian Academy and broadcasts over the air and online 24/7.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Patrick |first=Emily |title=Community radio comes to Swain County |url=https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2015/11/23/new-community-radio-station-bryson-city-swain-county/76260524/ |access-date=2024-11-28 |website=The Asheville Citizen Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Geography==
Bryson City is located just west of the confluence of the [[Tuckasegee River]], which flows westward from its source in the mountains to the east, and Deep Creek, which flows south from its source near [[Newfound Gap]] in the [[Great Smoky Mountains]].  After flowing around the [[Bryson City Island Park]], and passing through Bryson City, the Tuckasegee flows southwestward for another {{convert|12|mi|km}} before emptying into the [[Little Tennessee River]].  [[Fontana Lake]], an [[Dam|impoundment]] of the Little Tennessee, covers the lower {{convert|11|mi|km}} of the Tuckasegee.

The town is surrounded on all sides by mountains.  The Great Smoky Mountains rise to the north, the Cowee Mountains rise to the south, and the [[Plott Balsams]] rise to the east.  The boundary of the [[Nantahala National Forest]] passes just south of the city, and the boundary of the [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]] passes just to the north.  The [[Qualla Boundary]], which comprises the bulk of the reservation of the [[Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians]], dominates the area to the east.

Bryson City is centered around the junction of Everett Street and Main Street.  Main Street is part of [[U.S. Route 19]], which connects Bryson City to [[Cherokee, North Carolina|Cherokee]] to the northeast and [[Murphy, North Carolina|Murphy]] to the southwest.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|2.2|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|2.1|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|0.1|sqmi|km2}} (5.33%) is water.

==Climate==
{{Weather box|width=auto
|location = BRYSON CITY 4, NC, 1991-2020 normals
|single line = Y
| Jan high F = 47.7
| Feb high F = 51.8
| Mar high F = 59.9
| Apr high F = 68.8
| May high F = 75.0
| Jun high F = 80.3
| Jul high F = 83.6
| Aug high F = 83.0
| Sep high F = 78.2
| Oct high F = 69.7
| Nov high F = 59.9
| Dec high F = 50.4
|year high F = 67.4
|Jan mean F = 36.9
|Feb mean F = 40.2
|Mar mean F = 47.0
|Apr mean F = 55.4
|May mean F = 63.0
|Jun mean F = 69.9
|Jul mean F = 73.3
|Aug mean F = 72.6
|Sep mean F = 67.3
|Oct mean F = 56.9
|Nov mean F = 47.1
|Dec mean F = 39.9
|year mean F = 55.8
| Jan low F = 26.0
| Feb low F = 28.5
| Mar low F = 34.1
| Apr low F = 42.0
| May low F = 51.0
| Jun low F = 59.5
| Jul low F = 63.0
| Aug low F = 62.2
| Sep low F = 56.4
| Oct low F = 44.1
| Nov low F = 34.3
| Dec low F = 29.3
|year low F = 44.2
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|precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 5.26
| Feb precipitation inch = 5.31
| Mar precipitation inch = 5.44
| Apr precipitation inch = 4.96
| May precipitation inch = 5.20
| Jun precipitation inch = 5.06
| Jul precipitation inch = 5.06
| Aug precipitation inch = 4.38
| Sep precipitation inch = 4.08
| Oct precipitation inch = 3.21
| Nov precipitation inch = 4.50
| Dec precipitation inch = 6.14
|year precipitation inch = 58.60
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|source 1 = NOAA<ref>{{cite web
| url =
| title = NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00311165&format=pdf
| title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020
| publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
| accessdate = October 15, 2021
}}</ref> }}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1900= 417
|1910= 612
|1920= 882
|1930= 1806
|1940= 1612
|1950= 1499
|1960= 1084
|1970= 1290
|1980= 1556
|1990= 1145
|2000= 1411
|2010= 1424
|2020= 1558
| estyear=2022
| estimate=1525
| estref=<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2022/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2022-POP-37.xlsx |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in North Carolina: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=April 12, 2024}}</ref>
|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>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Bryson City racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US3708480&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 19, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| [[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
| 1,264
| 81.13%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 47
| 3.02%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 86
| 5.52%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 10
| 0.64%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
| 1
| 0.06%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 71
| 4.56%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 79
| 5.07%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 1,558 people, 654 households, and 424 families residing in the town.

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 1,411 people (1,353 in 2009), 588 households, and 323 families residing in the town.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://censtats.census.gov/data/NC/1603708480.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=December 20, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110617095702/http://censtats.census.gov/data/NC/1603708480.pdf |archive-date=June 17, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The population density was {{convert|663.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 713 housing units at an average density of {{convert|335.3|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 90.93% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.98% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 4.96% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.35% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.64% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.13% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.70% of the population.

There were 588 households, out of which 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.9% were non-families. 41.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.78.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 17.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 27.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 77.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $23,232, and the median income for a family was $31,875. Males had a median income of $26,528 versus $19,833 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $14,446. About 14.8% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 21.0% of those age 65 or over.

==Infrastructure==
There is a federal building and federal courthouse in Bryson City. The courthouse is in the jurisdiction of the [[United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina]].

==Education==
[[Swain County Schools]] is the local school district.<ref name=SwainSDmap>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st37_nc/schooldistrict_maps/c37173_swain/DC20SD_C37173.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Swain County, NC|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|accessdate=July 18, 2021}}</ref> [[Swain County High School]] is the local high school.

==In popular culture==
*[[Cormac McCarthy]] has his title character in his novel ''[[Suttree]]'' (1979), spend time in Bryson City.<ref>Cormac McCarthy, ''Suttree'' (Vintage, 1992), pp. 291-293.</ref>
*A scene with [[Harrison Ford]] for the film ''[[The Fugitive (1993 film)|The Fugitive]]'' (1993) was shot in downtown Bryson City.<ref>{{Cite web |first= |date=2015-01-11 |title=The Fugitive Filming Locations |url=https://roadtripmemories.com/2015/01/11/the-fugitive-filming-locations/ |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=Road Trip Memories}}</ref>

==Notable people==
* [[Horace Kephart]] {{ndash}} outdoorsman and author
* [[Jerry Reed (baseball)|Jerry Reed]] {{ndash}} pitcher for the [[Seattle Mariners]]
* [[Franklin Paul Rogers]] {{ndash}} tattoo artist
* [[Heath Shuler]] {{ndash}} professional football player; North Carolina Congressman
* [[Arthur Lee "Red" Smiley|Red Smiley]] {{ndash}} bluegrass musician
* [[Ellen Black Winston]] {{ndash}} first United States Commissioner of Welfare
* [[The Inspirations]] {{ndash}} Southern Gospel Quartet

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.greatsmokies.com/ Swain County Chamber of Commerce]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090413101750/http://brysoncitync.info/ History of Bryson City and Swain County North Carolina]

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

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Towns in Swain County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:County seats in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Communities of the Great Smoky Mountains]]