Andrews, North Carolina

Andrews, North Carolina
Town
First Baptist Church in Andrews
First Baptist Church in Andrews
Official seal of Andrews, North Carolina
Seal
Location of Andrews, North Carolina
Location of Andrews, North Carolina
Coordinates: 35°11′58″N 83°49′33″W
Country United States
State North Carolina
County Cherokee
Established 1890
Incorporated 1905
Named for Col. A.B. Andrews
Government
 • Mayor James Reid
Area
 • Total 1.72 sq mi (4.46 km2)
 • Land 1.72 sq mi (4.46 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
 1,805 ft (550 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 1,667
 • Density 968.62/sq mi (373.93/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
28901
Area code 828
FIPS code 37-01380
GNIS feature ID 2405151
Website www.andrewsnc.org

Andrews is a town in Cherokee County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,667 at the 2020 census.

Postcard of main street in Andrews (1950s)

History

White settlement and history

In 1905, the town was incorporated, with David Samuel Russell appointed as the first mayor of the new town. The Franklin Pierce Cover House, First Baptist Church, and Walker's Inn are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

After African-Americans were forced out of Cumming, Georgia in 1912, some came to Andrews and started a community called Happytop.

Andrews was home to the Wilhide brothers, Robert M. and Wilfred W. Wilhide, born between 1920 and 1922. Both were born and raised in Andrews, attended flight school at Cherry Point, North Carolina, and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps as pilots during World War II. In the space of several days, after inflicting severe losses upon the Japanese fleet, both brothers were lost and killed during missions near Okinawa. The Wilhide brothers were given a memorial in the Valleytown cemetery, and a monument at Veterans Memorial Park in Andrews, not far from their childhood home and birthplace.

Mayoral history

  1. David Samuel Russell (1905–c.1928)
  2. J.H. Chrsity (1929–)
  3. D.S. Russell (1931–)
  4. D.H. Tillitt (c.1939)
  5. R.T. Heaton (c.1943)
  6. Percy B. Ferebee (c.1961–1966)
  7. Ty Burnette (c.1971)
  8. Nancy Curtis (2013–)
  9. James Reid (2017–present)

Geography

Andrews is located in northeastern Cherokee County on the south side of the Valley River, a southwestward-flowing tributary of the Hiwassee River and part of the Tennessee River watershed.

U.S. Routes 19, 74, and U.S. Route 129 form a four-lane bypass around the northern edge of the town; the highways lead northeast 8 miles (13 km) to Topton, where they diverge, and southwest 15 miles (24 km) to Murphy, the county seat. Bryson City is 32 miles (51 km) northeast via US 19/74, and Robbinsville is 20 miles (32 km) north via US 129.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Andrews has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.2 km2), all land.

Valleytown Township dominates the eastern part of Cherokee County. The area is bordered by Graham County to the north, Clay County to the south, and Macon County to the east. Within the township are the towns of Marble in the west, Andrews at the center, and Topton in the far east at the Macon and Graham county lines.

Climate

Climate data for Andrews, North Carolina, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1909–2008
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 78
(26) 		81
(27) 		86
(30) 		90
(32) 		96
(36) 		100
(38) 		100
(38) 		98
(37) 		98
(37) 		94
(34) 		88
(31) 		76
(24) 		100
(38)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 50.0
(10.0) 		54.4
(12.4) 		61.9
(16.6) 		69.7
(20.9) 		77.3
(25.2) 		83.7
(28.7) 		86.2
(30.1) 		86.0
(30.0) 		81.6
(27.6) 		72.4
(22.4) 		61.2
(16.2) 		53.4
(11.9) 		69.8
(21.0)
Daily mean °F (°C) 38.4
(3.6) 		41.5
(5.3) 		48.3
(9.1) 		55.6
(13.1) 		63.9
(17.7) 		71.1
(21.7) 		74.3
(23.5) 		73.4
(23.0) 		68.6
(20.3) 		57.9
(14.4) 		47.3
(8.5) 		41.3
(5.2) 		56.8
(13.8)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 26.7
(−2.9) 		28.6
(−1.9) 		34.8
(1.6) 		41.6
(5.3) 		50.6
(10.3) 		58.5
(14.7) 		62.4
(16.9) 		60.8
(16.0) 		55.7
(13.2) 		43.4
(6.3) 		33.5
(0.8) 		29.1
(−1.6) 		43.8
(6.6)
Record low °F (°C) −19
(−28) 		−11
(−24) 		−4
(−20) 		15
(−9) 		23
(−5) 		33
(1) 		42
(6) 		41
(5) 		26
(−3) 		16
(−9) 		0
(−18) 		−4
(−20) 		−19
(−28)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 5.79
(147) 		5.87
(149) 		5.42
(138) 		4.67
(119) 		5.51
(140) 		5.57
(141) 		5.02
(128) 		5.46
(139) 		4.85
(123) 		3.47
(88) 		5.40
(137) 		6.08
(154) 		63.11
(1,603)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 9.9 9.6 11.2 9.7 10.9 11.5 11.9 11.2 8.3 7.5 9.9 10.8 122.4
Source 1: NOAA (precip/precip days 1981–2010)
Source 2: XMACIS2

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. Note %±
1910 936 —
1920 1,634 74.6%
1930 1,748 7.0%
1940 1,520 −13.0%
1950 1,397 −8.1%
1960 1,404 0.5%
1970 1,384 −1.4%
1980 1,621 17.1%
1990 2,551 57.4%
2000 1,602 −37.2%
2010 1,781 11.2%
2020 1,667 −6.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

Andrews racial composition
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 1,388 83.26%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 21 1.26%
Native American 25 1.5%
Other/Mixed 94 5.64%
Hispanic or Latino 139 8.34%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,667 people, 714 households, and 400 families residing in the town.

2010 census

In the 2010 census, the total population was 1,781 people residing in 780 households including 452 family units. The population density was 1,090 people per square mile.

Transportation

The Western Carolina Regional Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the central business district of Andrews.

Andrews was served by railroad from 1891 until the 1980s when Norfolk Southern decided to close the Murphy Branch west of Sylva, North Carolina, because of declining freight traffic. The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad operated passenger excursions from Dillsboro, North Carolina to Andrews from 1988 until 2010.

Media

Andrews was served by the weekly Andrews Journal newspaper from 1959 until January 1, 2019, when it merged with the Cherokee Scout in Murphy. Andrews no longer has a newspaper of its own.

Notable people