Beautiful Western North Carolina
Yancey County is surrounded by the Blue Ridge area of the Appalachian Highlands. The Black Mountain Range crosses the south end of the county, intersected by the Blue Ridge Range and the Unaka Range. Yancey County has the highest average of elevation of any county in North Carolina. One of its peaks is Mt. Mitchell with an elevation of 6,684 feet. The town of Burnsville is at 2,815 feet.
The population of Yancey County in 2000 was approximately 18,000 and includes the town of Burnsville. The county has average temperatures of 22 to 47 degrees in the winter and 80 degrees in the summer. Average annual rainfall is 84 inches with an average snowfall of 104 inches. Textile is the main industry of Yancey County, with seven textile industries located there. There is also an outboard motor manufacturer, two mining and processing plants, a bedspring manufacturer and an asphalt plant. Agriculture includes tobacco, Christmas trees, ornamental shrubs and beef cattle.
As you drive the backroads of Yancey County, you will find such quaint names as Bee Log, Hardscrabble, Pig Pen, Possum Trot and Rabbit Hop. Old mountain ways mingle with the new. We are firmly rooted in the past and growing toward the future. A great way of life and a wonderful place to live.
