Waynesville North Carolina was settled around 1800 and became incorporated around 1810. Col. Robert Love settled here after the American Revolutionary War and named the town after  an American Revolutionary War hero General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. The nickname "Mad" was given to him when he made a daring attempt to recapture Stony Point.

About 10,000 people call Waynesville, NC home. Waynesville is small-town America with a strong connection to the arts making this town particularly appealing. Waynesville has an old-fashioned Main Street where shopping is a pleasure which is lined with a bakery, clothing, furniture, art galleries, coffee shops, and specialty stores which have that unique mountain gift. Besides shopping, find professional services in downtown Waynesville including attorneys, insurance, accounting, and real estate offices.

 
Homes in this area (Haywood County) are extremely affordable, with a median house value under $200,00. Where to Retire magazine’s list of America’s 100 Best Places to Retire, Waynesville was called a “low-cost Eden”, the best Main Street town and best mountain town, an honor well deserved!

The real estate for sale in Waynesville feature a broad choice of home styles including log cabins. Waynesville which is located in Western North Carolina is one of the most popular areas in the country for building log homes. The great choices for land to build a home on are numerous and the views from the local mountains are spectacular. 

A contributor to Waynesville’s appeal is the Haywood County Arts Council, which sponsors art, music, and theatre productions in addition to arts events throughout the year. Promoting the arts and enhancing the lives of Haywood County citizens, this council helps ensure that Waynesville remains a center for artistic expression.

Located in Waynesville is the Shelton House which listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Shelton House was built in 1875. History comes alive in the  museum of North Carolina Handicrafts which feature 19th century crafts and furniture in addition to Native American artifacts. History is also enjoyed seeing the displays from the North Carolina State Fairs Village from previous years long past.

Shelton House became home to one of the strongest theatre companies in the region in 1997. Established in 1984, the Haywood Arts Repertory Theatre (HART) performed at the Strand Theatre on Main Street in downtown Waynesville until building codes forced it to relocate. Dedicated to its arts program, the community managed to raise $500,000 to construct a new facility: the Performing Arts Center at Shelton House. Now referred to as the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre, HART is the most active theatre company in the region, putting on five main-stage plays, two musicals and six studio theatre productions each season.

Waynesville’s artistic appeal also involves the visual arts. A number of galleries line Waynesville’s Main Street, also referred to as “gallery row”. One of the most popular galleries in Waynesville is Twigs & Leaves. The gallery occupies 2,000 square feet and features 150 exhibitors.

For two weeks in July, the North Carolina International Folk Festival (also known as Folkmoot) in Waynesville welcomes more than 350 dancers and musicians from a dozen different countries. In its 21 year in 2004, the International Folk Festival has previously featured guests from Italy, Israel, Spain, Norway, Russia, Uzbekistan and Egypt. The festival is held at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Lake Junaluska which is north of Waynesville is a 200-acre lake surrounded by more than 1,200 acres of rolling hills and valleys covered with trees and wild flowers. Lake Junaluska is also a  community of private homes which are located around Lake Junaluska, and the area is home to the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center, the headquarters of the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church.

Waynesville, NC is less than one hour west of Asheville and is adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park ("Gateway to the Smokies"), Waynesville,NC is about thirty minutes to the Cherokee Indian Reservation which offers opportunities to explore Cherokee culture – past and present. This includes over 13,000 enrolled members. This reservation features a recreated vision of a 1750’s Cherokee village, a newly renovated museum and 200-foot Mingo Falls, and the casino. Outdoor enthusiasts can go mountain biking, tubing or trout fishing, and others can place their bets at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino.

Maggie Valley is about 10 miles west of Waynesville on US-19, this resort area offers opportunities for skiing and snow tubing in the winter as well as rafting, hiking, kayaking, rock climbing and horseback riding. Shopping in Maggie for a Western North Carolina treasure continues to be very popular and this community decorates for the changing seasons. Maggie has also become a favorite as the stopping point for bikers who have found the Blue Ridge Parkway, with its natural beauty, a great place to ride.

Waynesville NC Real Estate For Sale Information

Waynesville, NC homes for sale range in price from $79,000 to $2,000,000  (Sanctuary Cove) with a median price of $290,000. Land to build a home on will start around $13,000 in Waynesville, NC and go up to $625,000 with a median price $119,000. Waynesville NC real estate for sale along with other information about real estate in Waynesville NC can be found on the MLS Listing Search page.