Maggie Valley, North Carolina

Maggie Valley is a town in Haywood County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,150 at the 2010 census.[5] It is home to Cataloochee Ski Area and former Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park. Maggie Valley is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Maggie Valley, North Carolina
Town
St. Margaret of Scotland Church
Location of Maggie Valley, North Carolina
Coordinates: 35°30′52″N 83°4′1″W
CountryUnited States
StateNorth Carolina
CountyHaywood
Area
 • Total3.31 sq mi (8.59 km2)
 • Land3.31 sq mi (8.59 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
3,018 ft (920 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total1,150
 • Estimate 
(2019)[2]
1,237
 • Density373.15/sq mi (144.06/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
28751
Area code(s)828
FIPS code37-40600[3]
GNIS feature ID1027422[4]
Websitewww.maggievalleync.gov

The community gets its name from Maggie Mae Setzer; her father John "Jack" Sidney Setzer founded the area's first post office and named it after one of his daughters.[6]

Geography

Maggie Valley is located in west-central Haywood County at 35°30′52″N 83°4′1″W (35.514430, -83.067013).[7] U.S. Route 19 is the main road through the town, leading east 35 miles (56 km) to Asheville and west over Soco Gap 16 miles (26 km) to Cherokee.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.2 km2), all of it land.[5]

Wildlife
This is a photo of an elk around a neighborhood in Maggie Valley, North Carolina.

Elk were copious throughout the United States, but numbers have decreased since the mid-1800s because of over-hunting and habitat loss. In 2001, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the National Park Service and other partners joined together to restore wild elk to the Smoky Mountains in the Cataloochee Valley near Maggie Valley.[8] Most elk are found in Cataloochee Valley, which is a perfect viewing area in the southeastern section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. However, the elk have been known to wander out of the park and walk toward the nearby town of Maggie Valley. The best times to view elk are in the early morning and late evening.[9]

Not only are there elk around Maggie Valley, but occasionally there are black bears. Bears are found in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and occasionally in the areas around Maggie Valley.[10] During winter, the black bears are inactive for a short amount of time and exhibit some physiological responses to low food storage and temperatures. However, the results of them not hibernating for a long time is that there are more bear sightings. This is risky because they can be looking for food in neighborhoods or killed on roads.[11]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1980202—
1990185−8.4%
2000607228.1%
20101,15089.5%
Est. 20191,237[2]7.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 607 people, 297 households, and 179 families residing in the town. The population density was 372.8 people per square mile (143.8/km2). There were 565 housing units at an average density of 347.0 per square mile (133.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.38% White, 1.32% African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.16% of the population.

There were 297 households, out of which 16.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.56.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 14.0% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 33.8% from 45 to 64, and 23.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $29,808, and the median income for a family was $40,417. Males had a median income of $27,813 versus $20,865 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,211. About 9.8% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.2% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people and events

Maggie Valley is the birthplace of legendary moonshiner Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton.[13]

Elk were reintroduced into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Maggie Valley in 2001.[14]

gollark: Yep!
gollark: I don't speak... that?
gollark: It's not. We checked. It's by ID.
gollark: It is, so far as I can tell, by ID when nickname matches.
gollark: Hmm, that seems to be right.

References
  1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Maggie Valley town, North Carolina". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  6. Hembree, Linda (July 10, 1983). "For a good time, call Maggie". Herald-Journal. pp. E1. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  7. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  8. "Maggie Valley elk". Maggie Valley. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  9. "Maggie Valley elk". Maggie Valley. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  10. "Bears in Maggie Valley". About Maggie Valley. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  11. "Black Bears". NC Wildlife. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  12. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  13. Carol Motsinger, "New Movie Focuses on WNC Moonshiner Popcorn Sutton," Citizen-Times, November 10, 2014.
  14. Great Smoky Mountains National Park
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