Canton, North Carolina
Canton, North Carolina | ||
---|---|---|
FIPS code 37-10240[3] | | |
GNIS feature ID | 2405375[2] | |
Website | www |
Canton is the second largest town in Haywood County, North Carolina, United States. It is located about 17 miles (27 km) west of Asheville and is part of that city's metropolitan area. The town is named after the city of Canton, Ohio. The population was 4,422 at the 2020 census.[4]
History
This area was long settled by succeeding indigenous cultures. What is known as the archeological
The prehistoric peoples built a total of four earthwork mounds at the site. Three have been excavated, the last two platform mounds in the 1960s prior to residential development.[7]
European Americans did not begin to settle here until the late 1780s, following the
Canton was founded in 1889 as "Buford". Later that same year, the name was changed to "Vinson". The name was changed to "Pigeon Ford" in 1891, and to "Canton" in 1893. The town was named for Canton, Ohio, the source of the steel for the bridge that was built across the Pigeon River.
Canton's river location enabled the development of industry that used water power.
Canton had 350 people when work began.[11] When the Champion Fibre Company mill opened in 1908,[10] it had about 1000 employees and resulted in other related jobs being created, including construction of neighborhoods such as Fibreville, with 60 homes for employees. Thomson had great respect for the workers, believing those who had wealth should provide jobs for those who needed them, and began an annual Labor Day celebration in 1906, which continued a hundred years later.[11]
When Champion owners decided to close the plant in 1997 because of environmental issues, the employees purchased the plant and formed Blue Ridge Paper Company.
The Canton Main Street Historic District and Colonial Theater are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[16]
On August 17, 2021, Tropical Storm Fred flooded the town near the Pigeon River. As of June 2022, many buildings surrounding the river are still not usable as a result of the storm.[17] In nearby Cruso, six people died as a result from the flooding, many of which at Laurel Bank Campground.[18]
Geography
Canton is in east-central Haywood County, on both sides of the Pigeon River. U.S. Routes 19 and 23 pass through the center of town as Park Street and Main Street. The highways lead east 17 miles (27 km) to Asheville and west 7 miles (11 km) to Lake Junaluska. Interstate 40 passes through the northernmost part of Canton, with access from Exits 31 and 33. I-40 leads east to Asheville and northwest through the Pigeon River Gorge into Tennessee.
According to the
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1900 | 230 | — | |
1910 | 1,393 | 505.7% | |
1920 | 2,584 | 85.5% | |
1930 | 5,117 | 98.0% | |
1940 | 5,037 | −1.6% | |
1950 | 4,906 | −2.6% | |
1960 | 5,068 | 3.3% | |
1970 | 5,158 | 1.8% | |
1980 | 4,631 | −10.2% | |
1990 | 3,790 | −18.2% | |
2000 | 4,029 | 6.3% | |
2010 | 4,227 | 4.9% | |
2020 | 4,422 | 4.6% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[19] |
2020 census
Race | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic)
|
3,872 | 87.56% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
|
90 | 2.04% |
Native American
|
25 | 0.57% |
Asian
|
12 | 0.27% |
Other/Mixed
|
168 | 3.8% |
Latino
|
255 | 5.77% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,422 people, 1,775 households, and 1,072 families residing in the town.
2000 census
As of the
There were 1,819 households, out of which 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.78.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 19.6% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $28,775, and the median income for a family was $38,191. Males had a median income of $28,792 versus $22,143 for females. The
Schools
- Pisgah High School
- Canton Middle School
- North Canton Elementary
- Bethel Middle School
- Bethel Elementary School
- Meadowbrook Elementary
- Bethel Christian Academy
Scouting
- Camp Daniel Boone, Boy Scouts of America
References
- ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Canton, North Carolina
- ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ a b "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Canton town, North Carolina". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
- ^ "The Woodland and Mississippian Periods in North Carolina: The South Appalachian Mississippian Tradition: Pisgah Phase (1000 - 1450 CE)". University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- ^ Rodning, Christopher B.; Moore, David G. South Appalachian and Protohistoric Mortuary Practices in Southwestern North Carolina (PDF). pp. 89–90.
- ISBN 978-1-57233-142-6.
- OCLC 2646301.
- ^ Blackmun 1977, p. 181
- ^ a b Jones, Carroll C. (August 20, 2018). "Thomson's Pulp Mill: 'Turning the Past into a History'". The Mountaineer. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ a b c Willis, Patrick (August 2, 2006). "The birth of a Haywood County institution: Negotiations for the Champion Fibre Mill and Peter G. Thomson's Labor Day Legacy". Smoky Mountain News. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ "Olmsted: the successful venture".
- ^ Nerozzi, Timothy (March 7, 2023). "Century-old NC paper mill that employs 1,100 to abruptly close, mayor says small town's soul being ripped out". FOXBusiness. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
- ^ "Company history". Pactiv Evergreen. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Burgess, Joel (March 9, 2023). "A 'regional crisis': Canton paper mill closing affects WNC, Asheville". Asheville Citizen-Times.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Tropical Storm Fred leaves Canton businesses financially underwater". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
- ^ "Body of final missing person found in Haywood County". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 19, 2021.