Waynesville, North Carolina
Waynesville, North Carolina, is the county seat of Haywood County. It is the largest town in Haywood County and the third largest town in the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area (behind the cities of Asheville and Hendersonville). Waynesville’s picturesque location is about 30 miles southwest of Asheville, between the Great Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains, just outside the Pisgah National Forest and close to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway. The 2010 U.S. Census reported the population as 19,489, more than a 100 percent increase from 2000. Located in a valley at an elevation of approximately 2,700 feet, Waynesville’s 7.8 square miles of land look up at surrounding mountain peaks, some topping 6,000 feet.
Waynesville, NC, was founded in 1810 by Colonel Robert Love, an American Revolutionary War soldier who donated his land for the courthouse, jail and public square. Love then named the town after his former commander in the Revolutionary war, General Anthony Wayne. Elmore Law Firm attorney Bruce Elmore is a direct descendent of Robert Love through his mother’s family.
Waynesville, North Carolina, boasts the historical highlight of being the location of the last shot fired in the American Civil War. With news of General Robert E. Lee’s surrender traveling slowly, the Civil War continued in Western North Carolina for a short time afterward. The final shots of that war were fired near Waynesville at White Sulphur Springs, and General James Martin surrendered honorably on May 9, 1865, avoiding any further mayhem at the “Battle of Waynesville.”
Waynesville’s health care facilities include the Haywood Regional Medical Center. The emergency room is essential to the area for severe injuries and traumas that need immediate local care.
Waynesville has garnered several honors, including being voted as a “low-cost Eden,” the best undiscovered town, the best Main Street town, best small town, and best mountain town in the third edition of America’s 100 Best Places to Retire, published by Where to Retire magazine.
In Waynesville, NC, there are eight kindergarten to grade 12 schools. Waynesville Public Schools all belong to one district, the Haywood County Schools School District. There are five Waynesville elementary schools, two Waynesville middle schools, one Waynesville high school and 11 Waynesville preschool facilities.
The Haywood County District Court is in the State’s Thirtieth Judicial District, 30B. The District Court is the proper division for general civil cases, such as personal injury, where the amount in controversy is $10,000 or less. Civil cases in District Court may be tried before a jury. The Superior Court is the proper division for the trial of civil actions in which the amount in total damages exceeds $10,000. Many personal injury cases, including tractor-trailer accidents, medical challenges, nursing home abuse cases, and injuries under the heading of premises liability, would be heard in Haywood County Superior Court.