Haywood County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 62,089. The county seat and its largest community is Waynesville.
Haywood County is part of the Waynesville, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The earliest inhabitants of the area eventually comprising Haywood County were Cherokee Native Americans. Their local population was severely impacted by a smallpox outbreak in 1715. In July 1776, during the early stages of the American Revolutionary War, Cherokee warriors began attacking white settlements in western North Carolina. In response, a militia led by General Griffith Rutherford led an expedition through the region and destryoed dozens of Cherokee villages. White settlement increased after the war, with most of the settlers being of Scotch-Irish, German, and Dutch descent. The county was formed in 1808 from the western part of Buncombe County. It was named for John Haywood, who served as the North Carolina State Treasurer from 1787 to 1827. The county seat was designated at Mount Pleasant, which was renamed Waynesville in 1811. The first county courthouse was completed the following year. In 1828, a part of Haywood County was split off and made Macon County. In 1851, parts of Haywood and Macon counties were combined to form Jackson County.
The last shot of the Civil War east of the Mississippi was fired in Waynesville on May 9, 1865, when elements of the Thomas Legion (Confederate) skirmished with the 2nd North Carolina Mounted Infantry (Union). In the 1880s, the Western North Carolina Railroad extended lines through the county, creating new economic industries centered on logging and tourism.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.17%) is water. It is bordered by Madison, Buncombe, Henderson, Transylvania, Jackson, Swain counties in North Carolina, and Cocke and Sevier counties in Tennessee.
Haywood County lies within the French Broad River basin. Since the county's borders follow mountain ridgelines, all water in the county derives from rain fallen over it or from local springs, with no external watercourses crossing its boundaries. The Pigeon River originates in Haywood County.
Haywood County is situated amidst the Blue Ridge Mountains and contains parts of several major subranges of the Blue Ridge, namely the Great Smoky Mountains in the west and the Plott Balsams and Great Balsam Mountains in the south. Notable peaks in the county include Cold Mountain, at , Mount Sterling, at , and Richland Balsam, at in elevation. Mt. Guyot, the county's highest point at , is the 4th highest mountain east of the Mississippi River. Black Balsam Knob, in the Great Balsam Mountains in the southeastern section of the county, is the highest grassy bald in the entire Appalachian range. Haywood County is believed to be the highest county (by mean elevation) east of the Mississippi River, with a mean elevation of . About 40 percent of the county's land lies within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Pisgah National Forest.
National protected areas
Blue Ridge Parkway (part) Middle Prong Wilderness Mount Pisgah (part) Nantahala National Forest (part) Pisgah National Forest (part) Shining Rock Wilderness Waterrock Knob (part)
State and local protected areas
Cold Mountain Game Land
Harmon Den Wildlife Management Area (part) Nantahala National Forest Game Land (part) Pisgah National Forest Game Land (part) Pisgah View State Park (part) William H. Silver Game Land (part)
Major water bodies
Bald Creek
Big Creek
Cooks Creek
Cove Creek
Crabtree Creek
Lake Junaluska
Lake Logan
Laurel Creek
Little Creek
Pigeon River
Rocky Branch Lake
Waterville Lake
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 62,089 people, 26,653 households, and 17,170 families residing in the county.
2000 census
At the 2000 census, there were 54,033 people, 23,100 households, and 16,054 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 28,640 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.85% White, 1.27% Black or African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. 1.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 30.8% were of American, 12.9% English, 12.0% German, 10.4% Irish and 8.3% Scots-Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 97.1% spoke English and 1.9% Spanish as their first language.