Cullowhee, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
Cullowhee is a census-designated place
(CDP) in Jackson County
, North Carolina
, United States
. Cullowhee is best known for being the home of Western Carolina University
(WCU). The population was 9,428 as of the 2010 census. The area known as Cullowhee has Western Carolina University
, part of the UNC System, and the village/town of Forest Hills
within its area. The Jackson County Recreation Department and the Jackson County Airport
are also located in the Cullowhee area.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 10 square miles (25.9 km²), all of it land.
of 2010, there were 9,428 people. As of the 2000 census, there were 716 households, and 272 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 983.1 people per square mile (379.6/km2). There were 823 housing units at an average density of 226.1/sq mi (87.3/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 88.91% White, 7.24% African American, 0.95% Native American, 1.34% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races
, and 0.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.31% of the population.
There were 716 households out of which 17.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.1% were married couples
living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 61.9% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.72.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 5.9% under the age of 18, 72.8% from 18 to 24, 11.0% from 25 to 44, 7.0% from 45 to 64, and 3.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. Both the overall age distribution and the median age are driven by the presence of Western Carolina University. For every 100 females there were 85.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males
The median income for a household in the CDP was $19,688, and the median income for a family was $36,538. However, poverty statistics that are based on surveys of the entire population can be extremely misleading in communities dominated by students, such as Cullowhee. Males had a median income of $26,161 versus $16,607 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $10,017. About 25.2% of families and 41.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.3% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.
. A constituent campus of the University of North Carolina
system, WCU is the fifth oldest institution in the UNC system. It was founded in 1889 with a few hundred students in a small, one story wood building and has grown to have over 9,000 students with approximately 220 majors and concentrations for undergraduates in addition to more than 40 graduate-level programs of study. The campus covers approximately 600 acres and takes up much of the Cullowhee Valley.
The town is home to one public Kindergarten-through-8th Grade School, Cullowhee Valley School, which was opened in 1994 and replaced a 30-year old structure on the University's Campus. High School Students have had to attend Smoky Mountain High School
in nearby Sylva
since Cullowhee High School closed in 1988.
The town has had a public school since 1923, which has moved through four different buildings over the years. Cullowhee Valley School is the latest incarnation of this school. Before Cullowhee Valley, the public school was in Cordelia Camp Laboratory School from 1964 until 1994, McKee Training School from 1939 until 1964, and Cullowhee Training School from 1923 until 1939. The two former buildings still stand on the university campus, but the latter was demolished in the 1950s.
Most towns the size of Cullowhee have a downtown, shopping area/district, and grocery store, but Cullowhee really doesn't have any of that, as what it did have as a downtown area was washed away by the flood of 1940.
, a village/town located in the area known as Cullowhee, has had a proposal placed before it to become the town/city of Cullowhee, incorporating areas along Old Cullowhee Road and NC 107. The area around Old Cullowhee Road would then become a large traditional downtown area with mixed use buildings, a city hall, homes, walkable neighborhoods, supermarket, and trails/parks along the river and throughout the area. The Elementary School could even be relocated here, as well as the Post Office and other town/city functions. A “town center” to be constructed on some 35 acres owned by WCU is one area targeted for annexation and development as well, though it is controversial, as it may steal all business away from Old Cullowhee Road and wouldn't allow local small businesses, only chain stores and businesses. The "town center" could accommodate as much as 270000 square feet (25,083.8 m²) of commercial, housing and multi-tenant office space, with parking for 871 vehicles including a 320-space parking garage on 22 acres of land owned by the university, currently home to the Cordelia Camp Outreach Center (Old Cordelia Camp Laboratory School, built in 1964), the intramural fields, and several parking lots. The annexation will also include the area that is the business district on Old Cullowhee Road (S.R. 1002) near the former campus entrance.
The Old Cullowhee Road area has declined since it was bypassed by the relocation of N.C. 107 in the late 1970s-early 1980s; CuRvE’s formation grew from a desire to rejuvenate the once-thriving commerce center. The CuRvE (Cullowhee Revitalization Endeavor) organization wants to make Cullowhee “a unique and highly attractive area – a mix of residences and businesses along rivers and streams.” CuRvE's vision is more supported by the community than the Western Carolina University "town center" vision, as CuRvE would allow small businesses, while the "town center" would not, and the Old Cullowhee Road area is along a mountain river, and many agree the site is more beautiful than the Cordelia Camp/"town center" site.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in Jackson County
Jackson County, North Carolina
Jackson County is a county located in the southwest of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 40,271. Since 1913 its county seat has been Sylva, replacing Webster.-History:...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Cullowhee is best known for being the home of Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University is a coeducational public university located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, United States. The university is a constituent campus of the University of North Carolina system....
(WCU). The population was 9,428 as of the 2010 census. The area known as Cullowhee has Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University is a coeducational public university located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, United States. The university is a constituent campus of the University of North Carolina system....
, part of the UNC System, and the village/town of Forest Hills
Forest Hills, North Carolina
Forest Hills is a village in Jackson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 365 at the 2010 census. Formerly a neighborhood within nearby unincorporated Cullowhee, it became incorporated in 1997...
within its area. The Jackson County Recreation Department and the Jackson County Airport
Jackson County Airport (North Carolina)
Jackson County Airport is a small airfield situated on a ridge about three miles southeast of the town of Sylva, the county seat of Jackson County, North Carolina. It is also less than 1 mile west of the unincorporated town of Cullowhee, the home of Western Carolina University. The airport is...
are also located in the Cullowhee area.
Geography
Cullowhee is located at 35.309704°N 83.183726°W.According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 10 square miles (25.9 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2010, there were 9,428 people. As of the 2000 census, there were 716 households, and 272 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 983.1 people per square mile (379.6/km2). There were 823 housing units at an average density of 226.1/sq mi (87.3/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 88.91% White, 7.24% African American, 0.95% Native American, 1.34% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.31% of the population.
There were 716 households out of which 17.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 61.9% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.72.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 5.9% under the age of 18, 72.8% from 18 to 24, 11.0% from 25 to 44, 7.0% from 45 to 64, and 3.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. Both the overall age distribution and the median age are driven by the presence of Western Carolina University. For every 100 females there were 85.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males
The median income for a household in the CDP was $19,688, and the median income for a family was $36,538. However, poverty statistics that are based on surveys of the entire population can be extremely misleading in communities dominated by students, such as Cullowhee. Males had a median income of $26,161 versus $16,607 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $10,017. About 25.2% of families and 41.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.3% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.
Climate
Located in a thermal valley, Cullowhee typically enjoys a rather mild winter season. In the summer, high temperatures can reach into the 90s Fahrenheit (30s Celsius.)Education
Cullowhee is home to Western Carolina UniversityWestern Carolina University
Western Carolina University is a coeducational public university located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, United States. The university is a constituent campus of the University of North Carolina system....
. A constituent campus of the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
system, WCU is the fifth oldest institution in the UNC system. It was founded in 1889 with a few hundred students in a small, one story wood building and has grown to have over 9,000 students with approximately 220 majors and concentrations for undergraduates in addition to more than 40 graduate-level programs of study. The campus covers approximately 600 acres and takes up much of the Cullowhee Valley.
The town is home to one public Kindergarten-through-8th Grade School, Cullowhee Valley School, which was opened in 1994 and replaced a 30-year old structure on the University's Campus. High School Students have had to attend Smoky Mountain High School
Smoky Mountain High School
Smoky Mountain High School is a public high school located in Sylva, North Carolina. The school formed as a result of the consolidation of the former Sylva-Webster High School and Cullowhee High School in 1988, at the Sylva-Webster Campus, which dates to 1960....
in nearby Sylva
Sylva, North Carolina
Sylva is an incorporated town located in central Jackson County, in the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina, United States of America. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 2,588. It is the county seat, having taken over from nearby Webster in 1913.-Geography:Sylva...
since Cullowhee High School closed in 1988.
History
Nestled along a mountain river and in a wide valley along a creek, Cullowhee is one of the oldest settlements in Jackson County, and reportedly had the first school in the area, a one room school in 1830. The area was largely farmland, which was cleared in the 1800s. Today many farms are now wooded or have homes built on them, or college buildings. In 1883, Painter Post Office was founded by Rolling A. Painter, and located in his store. This led to the further development of the Old Cullowhee Road area into a business district. The post office was renamed Cullowhee in 1908, taking over from another post office in the vicinity of Forest Hills. In 1889, Cullowhee High School was founded by Robert Lee Madison, today's Western Carolina University. The institution ceased to be named a High School when the first brick graded school opened in 1923 with grades 1-11, now the site of the former Brown Cafeteria Building. In 1940, a massive flood caused severe damage to the business district, wiping away almost all the buildings on the side of the river opposite Western Carolina University, the North Side of the river. The buildings on the opposite side of the river survived, though waterlogged. The flood crested at 21 feet (6.4 m) above Cullowhee Dam, the highest on record. Today such a flood would be impossible due to the dams built since the flood on the East and West forks of the Tuckasegee River. When the area rebuilt, the buildings clung to the higher ground around Old Cullowhee Road and the area closer to the river was abandoned. Many of these newer buildings are today in poor shape. The area underwent massive growth starting in the 1960s and continuing through today and it will continue into the future with plans for a new University Town Center, Old Cullowhee Road revitalization, and many new homes being built or planned for the area. The oldest surviving structure in the area is St. David's in the Valley church, dating back to 1880.The town has had a public school since 1923, which has moved through four different buildings over the years. Cullowhee Valley School is the latest incarnation of this school. Before Cullowhee Valley, the public school was in Cordelia Camp Laboratory School from 1964 until 1994, McKee Training School from 1939 until 1964, and Cullowhee Training School from 1923 until 1939. The two former buildings still stand on the university campus, but the latter was demolished in the 1950s.
Most towns the size of Cullowhee have a downtown, shopping area/district, and grocery store, but Cullowhee really doesn't have any of that, as what it did have as a downtown area was washed away by the flood of 1940.
(Potential) Future of Cullowhee
Forest HillsForest Hills, North Carolina
Forest Hills is a village in Jackson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 365 at the 2010 census. Formerly a neighborhood within nearby unincorporated Cullowhee, it became incorporated in 1997...
, a village/town located in the area known as Cullowhee, has had a proposal placed before it to become the town/city of Cullowhee, incorporating areas along Old Cullowhee Road and NC 107. The area around Old Cullowhee Road would then become a large traditional downtown area with mixed use buildings, a city hall, homes, walkable neighborhoods, supermarket, and trails/parks along the river and throughout the area. The Elementary School could even be relocated here, as well as the Post Office and other town/city functions. A “town center” to be constructed on some 35 acres owned by WCU is one area targeted for annexation and development as well, though it is controversial, as it may steal all business away from Old Cullowhee Road and wouldn't allow local small businesses, only chain stores and businesses. The "town center" could accommodate as much as 270000 square feet (25,083.8 m²) of commercial, housing and multi-tenant office space, with parking for 871 vehicles including a 320-space parking garage on 22 acres of land owned by the university, currently home to the Cordelia Camp Outreach Center (Old Cordelia Camp Laboratory School, built in 1964), the intramural fields, and several parking lots. The annexation will also include the area that is the business district on Old Cullowhee Road (S.R. 1002) near the former campus entrance.
The Old Cullowhee Road area has declined since it was bypassed by the relocation of N.C. 107 in the late 1970s-early 1980s; CuRvE’s formation grew from a desire to rejuvenate the once-thriving commerce center. The CuRvE (Cullowhee Revitalization Endeavor) organization wants to make Cullowhee “a unique and highly attractive area – a mix of residences and businesses along rivers and streams.” CuRvE's vision is more supported by the community than the Western Carolina University "town center" vision, as CuRvE would allow small businesses, while the "town center" would not, and the Old Cullowhee Road area is along a mountain river, and many agree the site is more beautiful than the Cordelia Camp/"town center" site.
Points of interest
- Tuckasegee River
- Blue Ridge MountainsBlue Ridge MountainsThe Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
- Blue Ridge ParkwayBlue Ridge ParkwayThe Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. It runs for 469 miles , mostly along the famous Blue Ridge, a major mountain chain that is part of the Appalachian Mountains...
- Great Smoky MountainsGreat Smoky MountainsThe Great Smoky Mountains are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province. The range is sometimes called the Smoky Mountains or the...
- Eastern Cherokee Indian Reservation
- Qualla BoundaryQualla BoundaryThe Qualla Boundary is the territory where the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians reside in western North Carolina.-Location:...
- DillsboroDillsboro, North CarolinaDillsboro is a town in Jackson County, North Carolina, United States. The town is a popular tourist location, at which visitors tend to stop on their way into the Great Smoky Mountains. The town of Sylva is located just one mile east of Dillsboro and is the county seat...
- Great Smoky Mountains RailroadGreat Smoky Mountains RailroadThe Great Smoky Mountains Railroad is a freight and heritage railroad in North Carolina with a depot in Bryson City. The railroad operates over the western leg of the "Murphy Branch", a former branch line of the Southern Railway....
- Nantahala Outdoor CenterNantahala Outdoor CenterThe Nantahala Outdoor Center is a commercial outdoor guide service and retail store. It opened in 1972 when Payson and Aurelia Kennedy and Horace Holden Sr. took over the old Tote 'N Tarry Motel. NOC is based in western North Carolina near Bryson City, near the Great Smoky Mountains on the...
- Nantahala National ForestNantahala National ForestThe Nantahala National Forest, established in 1920, is a national forest located in the American state of North Carolina. The word "Nantahala" is a Cherokee word meaning "Land of the Noonday Sun." The name is appropriate as, in some spots, the sun only reaches the floors of the deep gorges of the...
- Appalachian TrailAppalachian TrailThe Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...