Old Fort, North Carolina

Old Fort is a town in McDowell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 811 people in the 2020 U.S. census.

History
Before the arrival of European settlers, the area that is now Old Fort was populated by the Catawba and Cherokee. In the 1500s, Spanish explorers came through the area. English and Scottish settlers arrived in the area in the mid-1700s.

During the Revolutionary War, a stockade or fort was constructed on land owned by brothers George and Samuel Davidson, "the westernmost outpost of Colonial civilization" It was called Davidson's Fort and was the post for military expeditions such as that of Gen. Griffith Rutherford in 1776. The fort became a site for trading between settlers and Native Americans.

The arrival of the Western North Carolina Railway (WNCR) in 1869 stimulated the development of a depot and hotel. In 1871, Sanborn Worthen bought the 2200-acre Old Fort Plantation from George Davidson's grandson and changed its name to Catawba Vale. Worth hoped the railroad would build its yard there but the WNCR chose another site.

On January 25, 1872, the town of Catawba Vale was founded. The town name was changed to Old Fort on February 23, 1873, honoring its origins. The railroad came to Old Fort in 1879.

In the 1950s the Supreme Court of North Carolina dismissed a case brought by students attempting to attend the all-white school in Old Fort. They were told to attend Hudgins High School, a school for blacks, 12 miles away in Marion, North Carolina.

In 1984, the town began free weekly mountain music concerts, held in the historic Rockett Building each Friday night downtown. They attracted large audiences and numerous musicians. In mid-2014, the organization that ran mountain music lost its arrangement with the building owner, and the weekly music shows ended after 27 years.

Geography
Old Fort is 30 mi east of Asheville, North Carolina. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.2 sqmi, all land. Mill Creek flows through the center of Old Fort. The town is surrounded by Pisgah National Forest which includes bogs, cove forests, fens, and hemlock forests.

Climate
Old Fort has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) and average monthly temperatures range from 38.5 F in January to 75.7 F in July. Temperature variations between night and day can reach 21 degrees in the summer and 23 degrees in the winter.

The annual average precipitation at Old Fort is 54.01 in. Rainfall is fairly uniformly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is March, with an average rainfall of 5.59 in.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 811 people, 463 households, and 290 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 79.04% White, 13.32% African American, 4.19% Hispanic or Latino, 3.21 other races, and  0.25% Asian. The median age is 46.3. Educational attainment of the population is: 18.1% high school diploma and 15.4% with a bachelor's degree.

Economy
In 2020, the median household income was $28,269. Males had a median income $36,607versus $20,625 for females. Of the 463 households in town, 59.2% of the residents own their home. 20.6% of the population lives below the poverty level and 10.4% of the population does not have health insurance.

Employers
Old Fort's largest industries are Health Care & Social Assistance (78 people), Manufacturing (50 people), and Transportation & Warehousing (46 people). Kitsbow Cycling Apparel, a manufacturer of premier sportswear and accessories, employed sixty full-time people in 2014.

Arts and museums
Old Fort has several attractions, including Andrews Geyser, a gravity-fed fountain created in 1879 as a railroad attraction. Davidson's Fort Historic Park, a nonprofit organization, has reconstructed Davidson Fort, the Revolutionary War and host re-enactments and educational activities. The state operates the Mountain Gateway Museum and Heritage Center which depicts local traditions and lifestyles from the 18th century through the 20th century The Old Fort Train Depot features a railroad exhibit. The historic Carson House museum is located nine miles east of Old Fort in McDowell County.

Events and festivals
The Mountain Gateway Museum hosts Pioneer Day on the last Saturday in April. The North Carolina Gold Festival is held the first Friday/Saturday in June, also on the grounds of Mountain Gateway Museum. Old Fort's Chamber of Commerce sponsors Octoberfest the first weekend in October on the grounds of Mountain Gateway Museum.

Architecture
The Welsford Parker Artz House and Old Fort Commercial Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Arrowhead Monument was built in 1930 as a symbol of peace between the Iroquoian-speaking Cherokee people and Siouan-speaking Catawba people. At the dedication ceremony, more than 6,000 attendees gathered at the town square to see the unveiling of the 14 ft. rose granite arrowhead on a natural stone base.

Sports
Old Fort is the starting point for the annual Assault on Mount Mitchell mountain bike challenge.

Parks and recreation
In 2010, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission added Old Fort to their list of N.C. Mountain Heritage Trout Towns. In downtown Old Fort, the 0.7 mi section of Mill Creek is a "delayed harvest stream."

The 340 ft Catawba Falls, the largest waterfall in McDowell County and the headwaters of the Catawba River, is located just outside the town limits and accessed by hiking trails. In 2009, the N.C. Department of Transportation, local county and town governments, the United States Forest Service, and the local trails association collaborated to arrange for a portion of Old Highway 70, an old forest service road, to be reopened for bicycle and foot traffic. Point Lookout Trail is a popular paved greenway ascending almost 1,000 feet through the Swannanoa Gap in just under 3.6 mi.

Government
Old Fort has six elected officials: the mayor, and five aldermen.

Infrastructure
The town, is traversed by U.S. Highway 70 and Interstate 40. The Town of Old Fort operates a water and sewage system.