Sylva, North Carolina

Sylva, North Carolina
Town
Downtown Sylva
Location in North Carolina
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Jackson
Incorporated	1889
Government
• Mayor	Brenda Oliver
Area
• Total	3.2 sq mi (8.3 km2)
• Land	3.2 sq mi (8.3 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation	2,036 ft (839 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	2,435
• Density	1,191.8/sq mi (293.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	28779
Area code	828
FIPS code	37-66500Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	0995798Template:GR
Website	Town of Sylva, NC

Sylva is an incorporated town located in central Jackson County, in the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 2,435. It is the county seatTemplate:GR, having taken over from nearby Webster in 1913.

The town is named for William D. Sylva, a Danish handyman who spent a month in the home of General E. R. Hampton. When the town applied for a post office, Hampton asked his young daughter Mae what the town's name should be. She liked the handyman so much she said, "Sylva."

Geography

Sylva is located at 35°22′27″N 83°13′4″W (35.374199, -83.217686)Template:GR. The town's altitude above sea level is 2,051 feet (625 meters.)

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 2,435 people, 1,137 households, and 608 families residing in the town. The population density was 759.7 people per square mile (292.9/km²). There were 1,283 housing units at an average density of 400.3/sq mi (154.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 89.16% White, 4.68% African American, 1.60% Native American, 1.31% Asian, 0.82% from other races, and 2.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.51% of the population.

There were 1,137 households out of which 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.1% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.5% were non-families. 39.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.74.

In the town the population was spread out with 18.4% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,432, and the median income for a family was $36,711. Males had a median income of $25,526 versus $22,401 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,348. About 13.9% of families and 19.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.9% of those under age 18 and 18.6% of those age 65 or over.

Colleges

Sylva is home to Southwestern Community College and is the closest town of size to nearby (6 miles / 9.7 kilometers) Western Carolina University, one of the seventeen schools of the University of North Carolina system.

Popular Culture

Several movies have been filmed in Sylva including the 1993 blockbuster The Fugitive (at Harris Regional Hospital and along Scotts Creek where it crosses West Main St.) and the 1972 movie Deliverance (along Mill Street). The train wreck scene in The Fugitive was filmed two miles west of Sylva in the town of Dillsboro.

External links

• Official website of Sylva, NC
• Sylva City Data
• Downtown Sylva Association
• Downtown Sylva Webcam - courtesy of The Sylva Herald
• The Sylva Herald - Newspaper of Sylva, NC
• Jackson County Rescue Squad
• Western Carolina University in nearby Cullowhee, North Carolina
• Southwestern Community College

/* See also */

• Smoky Mountain High School