Ashe

Formed November 1, 1799 (59^th county)

Ashe County (26,581), Jefferson (1,625)

The new columned red brick courthouse was constructed in 2000.  The facility is on Government Circle just south of United States Highway 221 on the east side of the town.  Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern and Mahler are the architects of this Modern Colonial Revival columned building.  This facility replaced a 1904 version.  The county was formed on November 1, 1799 from Wilkes County as the 59^th county.  Jefferson has always been the county seat.  Ashe County is named for Governor Samuel Ashe.  He is also the namesake for the county seat of Buncombe County and the county seat of Randolph County.  Jefferson is named for Vice President and later President Thomas Jefferson. 

Ashe County government consists of a manager, a register, a sheriff, an attorney, and a clerk (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Twenty-one Superior Court Judges serve Ashe, Alexander, Alleghany, Cabarrus, Caswell, Chatham, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Iredell, Orange, Rockingham, Rowan, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes, and Yadkin counties, One District Court Judge serves Ashe, Alleghany, Wilkes, and Yadkin counties and a court clerk serves Ashe County (judicial.)  The county is in the northwest corner of the state on the border with both Virginia and Tennessee.  Asheville, North Carolina is southwest and Charlotte, North Carolina is southeast of the county.  The county center is 1.3 miles North of Jefferson.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Virginia and Alleghany, Wilkes, and Watauga counties and Tennessee. 

The area of the county is 429 square miles.  It is 62 out of 100 in the state.  It ranks 73 out of 100 in population in the state.  It has a density of 62.0 persons per square mile making it 69 out of 100 in the state.  Ashe County has 11.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 221 crosses the county from Alleghany County, east, to Watauga County, southwest.  The county is overall shaped like a pentagon pointing northwest.  Jefferson is located near the center of the county.  Jefferson is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 6.1% of the county population.