West Jefferson, North Carolina

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West Jefferson is a town in Ashe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,081 at the 2000 census.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 External links

[edit] History

West Jefferson was incorporated as a city in 1909, and it is the second-oldest incorporated town in Ashe County. West Jefferson has the distinction of having the only cheese factory in the eastern United States. For many decades West Jefferson was served by the Northwestern Railroad, better known as the "Virginia Creeper". The railroad was the primary reason for the creation of West Jefferson, as the town became a major stop on the railway. With the decline of the railroad and the loss of textile factory jobs to foreign markets, West Jefferson's economy is increasingly devoted to the tourism industry. The town's location in the Appalachian Mountains has led to a large number of tourists visiting the area each year, and many out-of-state tourists (especially from Florida), have begun to build cabins and housing developments around the town.

[edit] Geography

Location of West Jefferson, North Carolina

West Jefferson is located at 36°23′43″N, 81°29′30″W (36.395181, -81.491742)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.5 km² (1.8 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 1,081 people, 527 households, and 290 families residing in the town. The population density was 238.5/km² (619.2/mi²). There were 601 housing units at an average density of 132.6/km² (344.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.73% White, 0.37% African American, 1.57% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 2.04% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.27% of the population.

There were 527 households out of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.8% were non-families. 41.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.69.

In the town the population was spread out with 19.3% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $24,479, and the median income for a family was $35,000. Males had a median income of $22,800 versus $18,819 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,799. About 11.2% of families and 18.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.0% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.