FLETCHER

The Town of Fletcher operates under a council-manager form of government based at Fletcher Town Hall.

Kate’s Park, located next to the Fletcher Library, features a playground, paved walking trail, small picnic shelter and green open space.

Fletcher –Family-Friendliness Fuels Fast Growth

Close proximity to Hendersonville and Asheville combined with a family-friendly quality of life have fueled the Town of Fletcher’s rise as the fastest growing municipality in Western North Carolina. Fletcher was incorporated in 1989 but has a history that harkens back to the 1700s. The town is named for Dr. George Fletcher who became the local postmaster in 1886. Many settlers were drawn to the Fletcher area for limestone mining, which continues today at a quarry along Fanning Bridge Road. The residents of Fletcher today enjoy a town that is centrally located with quick access to I-26 and the convenience of Asheville Regional Airport nearby. Easy interstate and airport access also has been conducive to industry in Fletcher. Local manufacturers

that have chosen Fletcher for their facilities include BorgWarner, Cane Creek Cycling Components, Putsch and Wilsonart. Residential growth has been spurred by Fletcher’s mix of housing options that include single-family homes in subdivisions, townhomes, condominiums, small, cottage-style homes and apartments. Families in Fletcher also have several educational options nearby. In addition to Henderson County Public Schools’ Fletcher Elementary School, FernLeaf Community Charter School is a public charter school. Veritas Christian Academy is an independent, non-denominational, college preparatory school for prekindergarten through 12th-grade students. Also close by are two Seventh-day Adventist schools – the Captain Gilmer Christian School for students in pre-kindergarten through 8th grade and Fletcher Academy for grades 9 to 12. The Fletcher Library is popular with residents and has become one of the busiest branches in the Henderson County Public Library system. Library visitors often stop at Kate’s Park, a small park next to the library that has a playground, paved walking trail, small picnic shelter and green open space. The 75-acre Bill Moore Community Park draws visitors from throughout Western North Carolina. The park includes five baseball/softball fields, three multi-purpose fields, a picnic shelter, a playground, a nine-hole disc golf course, arboretum gardens, walking trails, a dog park and access to Cane Creek.

Fantastic fireworks display during the annual Fletcher Family Day.

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The scenic drive up Laurel Park Highway ends at Jump Off Rock with spectacular views of distant peaks.

Laurel Park – From Resort Town to Enchanting Residence

The charming cottages and narrow curving roads of present day Laurel Park are gentle reminders of this town’s lively past as a summer resort. A quiet, year-round, mainly residential community today, the Town of Laurel Park remains a captivating tangle of interesting lanes, mature landscaping, thickets of rhododendron and attractive neighborhoods. From the early- to mid-20th century, Laurel Park was known for its active summer schedule. Rhododendron Lake – the largest of the community’s several lakes, which also was sometimes informally called Laurel Park Lake – had a beach, a waterslide and a pavilion with the second largest dance floor in the region jutting out over the water. Beginning in 1903, a special rail line brought summer residents from Hendersonville directly up Fifth Avenue to Laurel Park. In 1910, an incline railway was added to take tourists up the mountain to an observation deck with a spectacular view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. By the 1920s, Laurel Park even had its own casino. The mid-1920s saw a real estate boom that started in Florida and rapidly spread to other resort areas including Henderson County. Commodore J. Perry Stolz, builder of the famous Miami Beach Fleetwood Hotel, bought land atop Laurel Park

Construction on the Fleetwood Hotel near Jump Off Rock began in 1925 but was halted four years later. It remained unfinished for another six years until it was dismantled in 1935.

Jump Off Rock

Operated by the Town of Laurel Park, Laurel Green features a flat walking loop, a gazebo and a playground.

One of the most famous and frequently visited sites in Laurel Park is Jump Off Rock which features hiking trails and striking mountain views. The rock’s name comes from a legend that’s hundreds of years old. As the tale goes, a young Cherokee woman and Cherokee chieftain often met at this ledge. When tribal wars called him away, they promised to meet at the rock upon his return. Every evening, the woman climbed to the rock to watch for the chieftain. She often sent out plaintive notes of a Native American love call but no answers came back. Returning warriors brought the news of the young chief’s death in battle. In the twilight, she climbed to the edge of the cliff – and jumped. The haunting notes of her love call hushed forever, lore has it that on some moonlit nights, the ghost of the heartbroken maiden can be seen on Jump Off Rock.

near the famed Jump Off Rock and began construction on a 15-story Fleetwood Hotel in 1925 – the same year Laurel Park incorporated. The next year, a devastating hurricane hit Florida. Commodore Stolz lost everything. Construction was halted. In 1929, the Great Depression made efforts to complete the hotel hopeless. The unfinished building was sold to salvage in 1935. As automobile ownership increased, people could vacation where rail lines did not go. Laurel Park began its transition from an active summer resort to a tranquil residential community. Although the beaches, the big lakes and the pavilion remained active through the 1970s, they too slowly disappeared. Today, the site of the old Rhododendron Lake is now Rhododendron Lake Nature Park, another lovely natural amenity of Laurel Park. Still lush and beautiful, Laurel Park is a town rich in history that continues to attract new residents who discover its unique charm.

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The 50-acre Mills River Park is a centerpiece of the town.

Mills River – Rural Roots in a Blossoming Community

Mills River is both the oldest community in Henderson County and its youngest municipality. Settled hundreds of years ago and named for a tributary of the French Broad River, Mills River has a rich history, much of which is rooted in farming and agriculture that continues today. Since its incorporation in 2003, lower density housing development policies in the 22-square-mile town have helped Mills River retain its rural feel. Not far from Hendersonville, Asheville or Brevard, the town is amidst the mountains and has lots of farmland. The 50-acre Mills River Park includes multi-use trails, a dog park, a playground, a picnic shelter, a basketball court, and tennis and pickleball courts. At the back of the park there is a canoe and kayak launch and a handicapped accessible fishing pier on the Mills River. The Town of Mills River is in the early design and planning stages of the Mills River Valley Trail, a multi-use recreational path along NC 280 that will tie into a similar path planned for Hwy 191. Within the park, the Town Hall is home to government offices as well as the Mills River Library, a branch of the Henderson County Public Library that opened in 2005. Glenn C. Marlowe Elementary School and Mills River Elementary are both in Mills River and are top-rated in Henderson County and the region. The town has seen increased economic development in the last several years, including in the craft beverages sector. Sierra Nevada Brewing Company chose the town as the site of its East Coast operation and began brewing and distributing from its facility in 2014.

Residents enjoy tennis and pickleball courts at Mills River Park.

The following year, Bold Rock Hard Cider selected Mills River as the site for its third facility and began producing ciders there that same year. The town is now home to three breweries and one cidery as well as several manufacturing companies that add a significant tax base. With its opening in 2018, GF Linamar is the largest economic development project in the last 50 years in Henderson County and the most recent large-scale economic development in Mills River. Mills River is also home to other manufacturers, including medical technology company Raumedic and pressure-sensitive label maker UPM Raflatac in the Broadpointe Industrial Park. Mills River’s agricultural heritage continues, too, with commercial farmers and agribusiness companies like Flavor 1st Growers and Packers, plant grafting specialists Tri-Hishtil and the Van Wingerden Greenhouse Co.

Dogs can play off the leash at Mills River Park’s dog park.

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