2016 Map of Skyland

About this map

The French Broad River winds through this landscape south of Asheville, where industrial and aviation development meets the protected wilds of the Pisgah National Forest. The geography is defined by a series of prominent peaks and gaps, including Forge Mtn and Grassy Knob, the latter of which is pierced by the Grassy Knob Tunnel. Near the center of the sheet, the Asheville Regional Airport occupies a broad flat between the river and the rising hills. Historically significant settlements like Mills River, Arden, and Skyland serve as anchors for the local community, while the Blue Ridge Parkway traces the high ridges to the north. For genealogists and local historians, several family-named burial sites are preserved here, including Long Shoals Cem and Whitaker Cem. The map illustrates the transition from the dense residential pockets of Oak Forest and Mountain View to the river-bottom agriculture and mountain terrain that characterize this portion of Western North Carolina.