Western North Carolina Railroad
Until the railroad arrived, Asheville was still a country village where farmland and forest found its way to the front step of the county courthouse. In 1869, the Turnpike along the French Broad River was turned over to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company for stock in that corporation.
The railroad reached Asheville in 1880 and was then extended to Tennessee. Because the railroad allowed animals to be transported quicker and without losing as much weight, it quickly replaced the Drovers' Road as the main mode of transportation.
The railroad reached Asheville in 1880 and was then extended to Tennessee. Because the railroad allowed animals to be transported quicker and without losing as much weight, it quickly replaced the Drovers' Road as the main mode of transportation.
Asheville became the crossroads hub for the emergent railroad, and began to truly grow as an urban center, while Western North Carolina headed into an era of unprecedented development and prosperity. In the three years following the arrival of the first train, Asheville's population nearly doubled. City residences, factories and buildings of all kinds were constructed with equal speed. Textile mills were established and plants were set up for the manufacture of wood and mica products, foodstuffs, and other commodities.
In the late 19th century Asheville boomed as a new destination for well-to-do tourists who preferred modern style to rusticity. Asheville continued to prosper in the decades of the 1910s and 1920s, and at one point was the third largest city in the state, behind Charlotte and Wilmington.
In the late 19th century Asheville boomed as a new destination for well-to-do tourists who preferred modern style to rusticity. Asheville continued to prosper in the decades of the 1910s and 1920s, and at one point was the third largest city in the state, behind Charlotte and Wilmington.