Montreat, North Carolina

Montreat, North Carolina
—  Town  —
Location of Montreat, North Carolina
Coordinates: 35°38′44″N 82°18′2″W / 35.64556°N 82.30056°W / 35.64556; -82.30056Coordinates: 35°38′44″N 82°18′2″W / 35.64556°N 82.30056°W / 35.64556; -82.30056
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Buncombe
Area
– Total	2.8 sq mi (7.2 km2)
– Land	2.8 sq mi (7.2 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	2,615 ft (797 m)
Population (2008)
– Total	696
– Density	225/sq mi (86.9/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	28757
Area code(s)	828
FIPS code	37-44100[1]
GNIS feature ID	1021518[2]
Website	www.townofmontreat.org

Montreat is a town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 696 in 2008. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is best known for Montreat Conference Center, Montreat College, and for being the home of evangelist Billy Graham and his late wife Ruth Bell Graham.

Geography

Montreat is located at 35°38′44″N 82°18′2″W / 35.64556°N 82.30056°W / 35.64556; -82.30056 (35.645590, -82.300434).^[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 630 people, 185 households, and 98 families residing in the town. The population density was 227.3 people per square mile (87.8/km²). There were 572 housing units at an average density of 206.3 per square mile (79.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.40% White, 0.95% African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.79% from other races, and 1.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.43% of the population.

There were 185 households out of which 11.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were married couples living together, 2.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.0% were non-families. 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.63.

In the town the population was spread out with 9.4% under the age of 18, 45.7% from 18 to 24, 10.3% from 25 to 44, 11.6% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 102.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $45,625, and the median income for a family was $60,625. Males had a median income of $39,375 versus $22,292 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,699. About 3.6% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

The town is the location of the main campus of Montreat College.

History

The town owes its name to the 1897 formation of the Mountain Retreat Association; the name was shortened to "Montreat" when property was purchased in June of that year. By 1907 control of Montreat had passed to the Presbyterian Church in the US, now the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), to which Montreat Conference Center (the nucleus of the town) is related to this day.^[4] Martin Luther King Jr. Spoke at Anderson Auditorm at Montreat n.c.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
4. ^ History

External links

• Official website of Montreat, NC