Of all the mountain towns in Western North Carolina, Hendersonville is by far the most populated. Hendersonville’s location at the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains and on a plateau makes it more conducive to development than most of the other towns with such varying levels of elevation. It is home to 13,000 people, and growing. The population has increased over 26 percent over the past ten years, and is expected to continue rising.
Starting as a village, Hendersonville received its charter from the General Assembly as the City of Hendersonville and then went on to be recognized as the county seat of Henderson County in 1847. The charter instructed five commissioners were to be elected as the town’s governing body. The five commissioners appointed a magistrate and a town constable, the constable also serving as the tax collector, treasurer, and overseer of city streets.
Today, the town is known as “The City of Four Seasons,” and its mayor has deemed it the “Friendliest City for Retirees in America.”
Hendersonville Photos
Hendersonville Features and Reviews
A Taste of Hendersonville: The Rhythm and Brews Festival
The winding road seemed to be jutting around every hill in the North Carolina Smoky Mountains. Erica, with her fresh Connecticut license plate, grabbed the wheel and whipped through the roads like a champ and jack lay asleep in the…Read more A Taste of Hendersonville: The Rhythm
Never Blue
By Jenny Kane Hendersonville is a lively town home to a variety of shops and restaurants that line the downtown streets. Arriving on a beautiful Friday afternoon in October, we were able to witness the hustle and bustle of the…Read more Never Blue
Black Rose Public House: An Irish Pub in the Heart of the Foothills
By Jenny Kane Our stomachs were growling as we arrived to downtown Hendersonville at around 3pm on a Friday afternoon in the middle of October. In spite of this ravenous hunger, we searched for the nearest sports bar we could…Read more Black Rose Public House: An Irish
West Wood Fired Grill & The Poe House
By Maggy McGloin Arriving late to Hendersonville on a Saturday night, the limited options of open storefronts left us with one mission: find the perfect eatery and bar. After some online research, supplemented by searching around the downtown corridors, we…Read more West Wood Fired Grill & The
Mikes on Main
By Kate Flinn Mike’s on Main, a small family-owned diner, operates like a perfectly preserved time capsule of quintessential Hendersonville at the height of the 1950s. At 9:00am, only a few people had begun to occupy the restaurant’s eclectic selection…Read more Mikes on Main
Finding Our Way to Jump Off Rock
By Dustin Swope -2014 Driving on public roads might be one of the ultimate ambiguous activities. For some people, driving means mind-numbing boredom and shifting around in the driver’s seat trying to figure out which butt cheek is more asleep. For…Read more Finding Our Way to Jump Off
Meeting Artists in Hendersonville
By Miranda Allan – 2014 Let me preface this profile by saying that we happened upon Hendersonville’s 55th Annual Art on Main Festival unintentionally. That’s not to say that we didn’t do our research before donning our backpacks and slinging…Read more Meeting Artists in Hendersonville
Finding a World of Art & Coffee
By Gina Apperson – 2014 A good adventure can only be fueled by coffee. As Dustin, Miranda and I began our journey in the foothills of North Carolina, inspired by the views of Blue Ridge Mountains and the changing leaves…Read more Finding a World of Art &
A Night at Cedarwood Inn
By Dustin Swope – 2014 Just five minutes south of Hendersonville proper and tucked away in a network of quiet residential backroads, a collection of homestyle cottages await discovery by the weary traveler searching for a more authentic lodging experience. Plenty…Read more A Night at Cedarwood Inn
Mezzaluna II in Hendersonville
By: Anna Mokas, 2013 Traveling to Hendersonville was a breath of fresh air. Hendersonville was much more city-like than any of the other towns we visited on our trips. The town is centered on main street, and the side roads…Read more Mezzaluna II in Hendersonville
Starry Nights at Mezzaluna
By Anna Mokas and Taylor Hill, 2013 Of all the eateries in Hendersonville, something specifically drew us to Mezzaluna. Part of this could have been the enchanting name of the restaurant (which translates to “half-moon” in English), the enticing aroma…Read more Starry Nights at Mezzaluna
Hendersonville’s Black Bear Coffee Shop
By: Kelsey O’Connell Walking around Hendersonville, our group was surprised by what we saw. We expected a small town feel, but the downtown area was very up-scale, not at all like their neighbors’ in Brevard. Our group stopped into a…Read more Hendersonville’s Black Bear Coffee Shop
Hendersonville Shop owners
By: Olivia James Our group arrived in Hendersonville on a perfect fall morning. We parked the car and strolled through the center of downtown. Our timing was such that as we were arriving in Hendersonville so were the bikers who…Read more Hendersonville Shop owners