Madison County, North Carolina

Madison County, North Carolina
Madison County Courthouse in Marshall
Seal
Location in the U.S. state of North Carolina
North Carolina's location in the U.S.
Founded	1851
Named for	James Madison
Seat	Marshall
Largest town	Mars Hill
Area
• Total	451 sq mi (1,168 km2)
• Land	450 sq mi (1,165 km2)
• Water	1.9 sq mi (5 km2), 0.4%
Population
• (2010)	20,764
• Density	46/sq mi (18/km²)
Congressional district	11th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.madisoncountync.org

Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 20,764. Its county seat is Marshall. The county was formed in 1851 from parts of Buncombe County and Yancey County. It was named for James Madison, fourth President of the United States (1809–1817).

Madison County is part of the Asheville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 451 square miles (1,170 km²), of which 450 square miles (1,200 km²) is land and 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²) (0.4%) is water.

Madison County is located deep in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina, and much of the county's terrain is rugged, heavily forested, and sparsely populated. The county's northern border is with the State of Tennessee. Madison County's largest river is the French Broad River, which flows north-northwest through the county, first past the county seat of Marshall, then past the resort town of Hot Springs.

As of the census of 2000, there were 19,635 people, 8,000 households, and 5,592 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile (17/km²). There were 9,722 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.63% White, 0.83% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. 1.35% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.