The Mountain Utopia

For years to come, the best things will be happening
in Western North Carolina's mountains.
It is inevitable for this is the best place of all.
-Grover Robbins, Jr., 1970

Prior to the Civil War, small scale farming was the primary occupation of mountain people in western North Carolina. After the war, however, industry began to appear in the region. In many ways, North Carolina was blessed not to have coal under the soil, but the western part of the state did have other materials such as mica, iron, and kaolin that were profitable to mine. Roots and herbs had always had a market, and now the great timber reserves of the mountains were exploited. When the Western North Carolina Railroad spanned the Blue Ridge and connected Salisbury with Asheville, it signified the coming of the modern age to the mountains. The railroad was especially important for smaller towns. When the railroad reached Boone, the mayor of Banner Elk's comment was that until then, "the only way to get to Boone was to be born there."

The Blue Ridge's greatest resources, though, have been its climate and natural beauty, and tourism has always been a part of the region's history. Before the Civil War, wealthy Charlestonians built summer mansions in Flat Rock, beyond Asheville. After the war, a number of resort hotels appeared in the mountains, and often they advertised the curative effect of the climate. The Cloudland, for example, was a 268-room hotel built on top of Roan Mountain near Spruce Pine. For $2.50 a day, sufferers known as "the Hay Fever Brigade" could enjoy the mountain air. With tourism came resort home developments such as Linville, the precursors of modern day second home ownership in the mountains.

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