Madison County, North Carolina

Madison County
Madison County
County
	Madison County Courthouse in Marshall
	Flag Seal
	Location within the U.S. state of North Carolina
	North Carolina's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 35°52′N 82°43′W / 35.86°N 82.71°W
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Founded	1851
Named for	James Madison
Seat	Marshall
Largest municipality	Mars Hill
Area
• Total	451.49 sq mi (1,169.4 km2)
• Land	449.62 sq mi (1,164.5 km2)
• Water	1.87 sq mi (4.8 km2) 0.41%
Population (2020)
• Total	21,193
• Estimate (2023)	22,071
• Density	47/sq mi (18/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	11th
Website	www.madisoncountync.gov

Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,193.^[1] Its county seat is Marshall.^[2] Madison County is part of the Asheville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The county was formed in 1851 from parts of Buncombe County and Yancey County. It was named for James Madison, fourth president of the United States (1809–1817).^[3]

The community of Long Ridge, outside of Mars Hill, is a traditionally African American community, and boasts one of the last remaining Rosenwald Schools in Western North Carolina.^[4]

Geography

Interactive map of Madison County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 451.49 square miles (1,169.4 km²), of which 449.62 square miles (1,164.5 km²) is land and 1.87 square miles (4.8 km²) (0.41%) is water.^[5]

Madison County is located deep in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina, and much of the county's terrain is rugged, heavily forested, and sparsely populated. The county's northern border is with the State of Tennessee. Madison County's largest river is the French Broad River, which flows north-northwest through the county, first past the county seat of Marshall, then past the resort town of Hot Springs.

National Protected area

Pisgah National Forest (part)

State and local protected areas

Harmon Den Wildlife Management Area (part)
Pisgah National Forest Game Land (part)^[6]
Sandy Mush Game Land (part)^[6]

Major water bodies

Adjacent counties

Greene County, Tennessee – north
Unicoi County, Tennessee – northeast
Yancey County – east
Buncombe County – south
Haywood County – southwest
Cocke County, Tennessee – northwest

Major highways

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	5,908		—
1870	8,192		38.7%
1880	12,810		56.4%
1890	17,805		39.0%
1900	20,644		15.9%
1910	20,132		−2.5%
1920	20,083		−0.2%
1930	20,306		1.1%
1940	22,522		10.9%
1950	20,522		−8.9%
1960	17,217		−16.1%
1970	16,003		−7.1%
1980	16,827		5.1%
1990	16,953		0.7%
2000	19,635		15.8%
2010	20,764		5.7%
2020	21,193		2.1%
2023 (est.)	22,071	^[1]	4.1%
U.S. Decennial Census^[7] 1790–1960^[8] 1900–1990^[9] 1990–2000^[10] 2010^[11] 2020^[1]

2020 census

Madison County racial composition^[12]
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	19,233	90.75%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	197	0.93%
Native American	56	0.26%
Asian	84	0.4%
Pacific Islander	1	0.0%
Other/Mixed	874	4.12%
Hispanic or Latino	748	3.53%

As of the 2020 census, there were 21,193 people, 8,403 households, and 5,456 families residing in the county.

2000 census

At the 2000 census,^[13] there were 19,635 people, 8,000 households, and 5,592 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile (17 people/km²). There were 9,722 housing units at an average density of 22 units per square mile (8.5 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.63% White, 0.83% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. 1.35% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,000 households, out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.50% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 26.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.20% under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 26.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,985, and the median income for a family was $37,383. Males had a median income of $27,950 versus $22,678 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,076. About 10.90% of families and 15.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.60% of those under age 18 and 19.20% of those age 65 or over.

Law, government, and politics

Government

Madison County is governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners who are elected every two years with staggered four year terms as proscribed by North Carolina state law. The Board selects its own chairman and holds scheduled meetings on the second Monday of each month.^[14] Madison County is a member of the Land-of-Sky Regional Council of governments.^[15]

Law and policing

The Madison County Sheriff's Office protects the court, manages the jail, protects county owned facilities, and provides patrol and detective services for the unincorporated areas of the county. The towns of Mars Hill, Hot Springs, and Marshall have municipal police departments.

Politics

In Madison County, Republicans dominate by wide margins in national and state elections, though Democrats remain competitive in county and municipal elections.^[16]^[17]

United States presidential election results for Madison County, North Carolina^[18]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	7,979	61.02%	4,901	37.48%	196	1.50%
2016	6,783	60.19%	3,926	34.84%	560	4.97%
2012	5,404	53.44%	4,484	44.34%	225	2.22%
2008	5,192	50.02%	5,026	48.42%	161	1.55%
2004	5,175	54.69%	4,234	44.74%	54	0.57%
2000	4,676	56.17%	3,505	42.10%	144	1.73%
1996	3,110	44.24%	3,333	47.41%	587	8.35%
1992	3,121	39.07%	3,980	49.82%	888	11.12%
1988	3,453	53.07%	3,033	46.62%	20	0.31%
1984	3,666	54.81%	2,988	44.67%	35	0.52%
1980	2,629	44.02%	3,202	53.62%	141	2.36%
1976	2,446	41.49%	3,433	58.24%	16	0.27%
1972	3,273	61.18%	2,039	38.11%	38	0.71%
1968	3,130	49.18%	2,201	34.58%	1,034	16.25%
1964	3,336	46.56%	3,829	53.44%	0	0.00%
1960	4,422	49.31%	4,546	50.69%	0	0.00%
1956	4,263	53.58%	3,693	46.42%	0	0.00%
1952	4,751	56.45%	3,666	43.55%	0	0.00%
1948	3,341	55.73%	2,558	42.67%	96	1.60%
1944	4,388	65.70%	2,291	34.30%	0	0.00%
1940	4,617	59.28%	3,171	40.72%	0	0.00%
1936	5,099	61.94%	3,133	38.06%	0	0.00%
1932	4,552	61.76%	2,769	37.57%	49	0.66%
1928	4,776	81.38%	1,093	18.62%	0	0.00%
1924	3,252	67.79%	1,471	30.66%	74	1.54%
1920	3,616	72.96%	1,340	27.04%	0	0.00%
1916	1,965	66.91%	972	33.09%	0	0.00%
1912	430	16.24%	897	33.89%	1,320	49.87%

Education

Madison County's public educational system consists of one early college high school, one traditional high school (Madison High School, located in the county seat of Marshall), one middle school (Madison Middle School), and three elementary schools (Brush Creek Elementary, Hot Springs Elementary, and Mars Hill Elementary).^[19] Brush Creek Elementary was built as a merger of Marshall Elementary and Walnut Elementary after the latter burned down in 1998.

The county is also home to Mars Hill University, a private, coed, four-year liberal-arts university. Founded in 1856, Mars Hill is the oldest college or university in western North Carolina. The university offers 34 majors and seven degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Social Work, and Master of Education.

Culture

Madison County was historically a center for old-time folk music. Among others, the folk song Rain and Snow likely originated there, in the late 19th century.^[20]