West Jefferson, North Carolina

Infobox Settlement
official_name = West Jefferson, North Carolina
settlement_type = Town
nickname =
motto =

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image_

mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Location of West Jefferson, North Carolina


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = North Carolina
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Ashe
government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
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established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 4.5
area_land_km2 = 4.5
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 1.7
area_land_sq_mi = 1.7
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 1081
population_density_km2 = 239.1
population_density_sq_mi = 619.2

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 908
elevation_ft = 2979
latd = 36 |latm = 23 |lats = 43 |latNS = N
longd = 81 |longm = 29 |longs = 30 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 28694
area_code = 336
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 37-72540GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1023168GR|3
website = [http://www.townofwj.com/ www.townofwj.com]
footnotes =

West Jefferson is a town in Ashe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,081 at the 2000 census.

History

West Jefferson was incorporated as a city in 1909, and it is the second-oldest incorporated town in Ashe County. West Jefferson has the distinction of having the only cheese factory in the eastern United States. For many decades West Jefferson was served by the Northwestern Railroad, better known as the "Virginia Creeper". The railroad was the primary reason for the creation of West Jefferson, as the town became a major stop on the railway. With the decline of the railroad and the loss of textile factory jobs to foreign markets, West Jefferson's economy is increasingly devoted to the tourism industry. The town's location in the Appalachian Mountains has led to a large number of tourists visiting the area each year, and many out-of-state tourists (especially from Florida, known to the locals as "floridiots"), have begun to build cabins and housing developments around the town.

Geography

West Jefferson is situated in the Appalachian Mountain chain, in a valley between Mt Jefferson (to the east) and Paddy Mountain (to the west).

West Jefferson is located at coor dms|36|23|43|N|81|29|30|W|city (36.395181, -81.491742)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.5 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 1,081 people, 527 households, and 290 families residing in the town. The population density was 619.2 people per square mile (238.5/km²). There were 601 housing units at an average density of 344.3/sq mi (132.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.73% White, 0.37% African American, 1.57% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 2.04% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.27% of the population.

There were 527 households out of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.8% were non-families. 41.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.69.

In the town the population was spread out with 19.3% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $24,479, and the median income for a family was $35,000. Males had a median income of $22,800 versus $18,819 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,799. About 11.2% of families and 18.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.0% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.

West Jefferson Dr Pepper

West Jefferson is the home of soda manufacturers West Jefferson Dr Pepper (WJDP). The company is known for producing all their non-diet products with cane sugar, most of which are Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages (formerly Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc.) products but also include Mountain Dew. WJDP is one of only two non-Pepsi franchises existing in the United States that is allowed to produce Mountain Dew.

The company does not ship outside its contracted territory, however several Web sites sell the product at a premium price. The premium price has been justified by the fact that WJDP is one of the last bottlers in the U.S. to use cane sugar instead of High Fructose Corn Syrup. [http://www.glassbottlesoda.org/bottlers/wjefferson.shtml]

References

External links