Avery County History

Avery County is the newest of North Carolina’s 100 counties as it was formed in 1911 from parts of Caldwell County, Mitchell County, and Watauga County. It was named for American Revolutionary War Colonel and the first Attorney General of North Carolina, Waightstill Avery.

The county seat was originally in the Town of Elk Park, which was then the largest town in the county, located on the county’s north end, on the Tennessee border. Upon completion of the county’s courthouse in 1912, the county seat was moved to the more centrally located unincorporated area known as Fields of Toe, for the meadows along the head of the Toe River, in what is now the town of Newland.

Col 1	Col 2
Founded	February 23, 1911
County Seat	Newland
Area	247 mi²
Largest Town	Banner Elk
Population (2021)	17,864
Max. Elevation	Grassy Ridge Bald (6,191 ft)
Named For	Col. Waightstill Avery
Parent Counties	Caldwell, Mitchell, Watauga
Website	averycountync.gov