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2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Cities and towns 5 External links |
History
The county was formed in 1799 from the northern and western parts of Wilkes County. It was named for Samuel Ashe, Governor of North Carolina from 1795 to 1798.
In 1849 the southwestern part of Ashe County was combined with parts of Caldwell County, Wilkes County, and Yancey County to form Watauga County. In 1859 the eastern part of the remainder of Ashe County became Alleghany County.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,105 km² (427 mi²). 1,104 km² (426 mi²) of it is land and 2 km² (1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.15% water.
Townships
The county is divided into nineteen townships: Chestnut Hill, Clifton, Creston, Elk, Grassy Creek, Helton, Horse Creek, Hurricane, Jefferson, Laurel, North Fork, Obids, Old Fields, Peak Creek, Pine Swamp, Piney Creek, Pond Mountain, Walnut Hill, and West Jefferson.
Adjacent Counties
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 24,384 people, 10,411 households, and 7,423 families residing in the county. The population density is 22/km² (57/mi²). There are 13,268 housing units at an average density of 12/km² (31/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 97.16% White, 0.66% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.05% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. 2.42% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 10,411 households out of which 26.20% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.40% are married couples living together, 8.40% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% are non-families. 25.80% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.10% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.31 and the average family size is 2.75.
In the county the population is spread out with 19.80% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 27.00% from 25 to 44, 27.70% from 45 to 64, and 18.00% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 42 years. For every 100 females there are 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 94.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $28,824, and the median income for a family is $36,052. Males have a median income of $25,666 versus $19,983 for females. The per capita income for the county is $16,429. 13.50% of the population and 10.10% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 16.30% are under the age of 18 and 17.30% are 65 or older.
Cities and towns
External links
See also: List of North Carolina counties