About Western North Carolina
The predominant feature of Western North Carolina is the French Broad River Basin, a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains. The area up to the Eastern Continental Divide was claimed as French territory until the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, and that is why the river is called the French Broad.
From the days of the Cherokee to the 20th century, many of the coves and smaller river basins were home to small farms. Major changes came in the 20th century as industry discovered the mineral resources, clean water and beauty of this region.