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County · code 37021

Buncombe CountyNorth Carolina

Buncombe County is in North Carolina with its seat in Asheville. It was created on January 19, 1792, from Burke and Rutherford counties and named after Edward Buncombe.

  • Founded1792
  • County seatAsheville
  • Named forEdward Buncombe
  • Land area657 sq mi + 3.5 sq mi water
  • Population269,452 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped12,218 checked 15 October 2026
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Updated

HendersonMadisonYanceyHaywoodMcDowellTransylvaniaRutherford Asheville Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Buncombe on the map of North Carolina

North Carolina has 100 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Alamance CountyAlexander CountyAlleghany CountyAnson CountyAshe CountyAvery CountyBeaufort CountyBertie CountyBladen CountyBrunswick CountyBurke CountyCabarrus CountyCaldwell CountyCamden CountyCarteret CountyCaswell CountyCatawba CountyChatham CountyCherokee CountyChowan CountyClay CountyCleveland CountyColumbus CountyCraven CountyCumberland CountyCurrituck CountyDare CountyDavidson CountyDavie CountyDuplin CountyDurham CountyEdgecombe CountyForsyth CountyFranklin CountyGaston CountyGates CountyGraham CountyGranville CountyGreene CountyGuilford CountyHalifax CountyHarnett CountyHaywood CountyHenderson CountyHertford CountyHoke CountyHyde CountyIredell CountyJackson CountyJohnston CountyJones CountyLee CountyLenoir CountyLincoln CountyMcDowell CountyMacon CountyMadison CountyMartin CountyMecklenburg CountyMitchell CountyMontgomery CountyMoore CountyNash CountyNew Hanover CountyNorthampton CountyOnslow CountyOrange CountyPamlico CountyPasquotank CountyPender CountyPerquimans CountyPerson CountyPitt CountyPolk CountyRandolph CountyRichmond CountyRobeson CountyRockingham CountyRowan CountyRutherford CountySampson CountyScotland CountyStanly CountyStokes CountySurry CountySwain CountyTransylvania CountyTyrrell CountyUnion CountyVance CountyWake CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWatauga CountyWayne CountyWilkes CountyWilson CountyYadkin CountyYancey CountyBuncombe County Buncombe
Counties of North Carolina · Buncombe highlighted

History

Formed in 1792 from Burke County and Rutherford County

An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.

Buncombe County was created from Burke and Rutherford counties in 1792. The county gained land from Rutherford in 1794 and lost territory to create Haywood County in 1808, Yancey County in 1834, Henderson County in 1838, and Madison County in 1851. Buncombe gained land back from Yancey County in 1849 and lost additional land to Henderson County in 1851.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; the 5 that matter most are shown first.

  1. 1792
    Buncombe County created Buncombe created from Burke and Rutherford.
    from Burkefrom Rutherford
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1791, ch. 52, sec. 1/pp. 20-21
  2. 1794
    Gained territory Buncombe gained from Rutherford.
    from Rutherford
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1794, ch. 28, sec. 1/pp. 66-67
  3. 1803
    Buncombe County created Georgia created Walton County to accommodate settlers on the headwaters of the French Broad River (overlapping Buncombe); the creation was based on an error in locating the parallel of 35 degrees north latitude. The true location of the parallel was surveyed in 1807 and by 1811-1812 Walton County, Georgia, was defunct. · Ga., Acts...1803, pp. 16-19; Ga., Acts...1810, pp. 156-157; Paullin, p. 84, pl. 100b; Sams, Wayfarers in Walton, xi-xiv; Skaggs, North Carolina Boundary Disputes, 159-211; Sondley, 2:686-687; Van Zandt, 100-101
  4. 1808
    Lost territory Buncombe lost to creation of Haywood.
    to Haywood
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1808, ch. 1, secs. 1, 10/pp. 1-4
  5. 1834
    Lost territory Buncombe lost to creation of Yancey.
    to Yancey
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1833, ch. 83, sec. 1/pp. 145-146, and ch. 84, sec. 10/p. 147
Show all 14 changes (9 more)
  1. 1792
    Buncombe County created Buncombe created from Burke and Rutherford.
    from Burkefrom Rutherford
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1791, ch. 52, sec. 1/pp. 20-21
  2. 1794
    Gained territory Buncombe gained from Rutherford.
    from Rutherford
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1794, ch. 28, sec. 1/pp. 66-67
  3. 1803
    Buncombe County created Georgia created Walton County to accommodate settlers on the headwaters of the French Broad River (overlapping Buncombe); the creation was based on an error in locating the parallel of 35 degrees north latitude. The true location of the parallel was surveyed in 1807 and by 1811-1812 Walton County, Georgia, was defunct. · Ga., Acts...1803, pp. 16-19; Ga., Acts...1810, pp. 156-157; Paullin, p. 84, pl. 100b; Sams, Wayfarers in Walton, xi-xiv; Skaggs, North Carolina Boundary Disputes, 159-211; Sondley, 2:686-687; Van Zandt, 100-101
  4. 1808
    Lost territory Buncombe lost to creation of Haywood.
    to Haywood
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1808, ch. 1, secs. 1, 10/pp. 1-4
  5. 1830
    Changed Boundary between Buncombe and Haywood defined (no change).
    Haywood
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1829, ch. 127, sec. 1/p. 63
  6. 1834
    Lost territory Buncombe lost to creation of Yancey.
    to Yancey
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1833, ch. 83, sec. 1/pp. 145-146, and ch. 84, sec. 10/p. 147
  7. 1838
    Lost territory Buncombe lost to creation of Henderson.
    to Henderson
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1838-1839, pub., ch. 12, sec. 1/pp. 20-21
  8. 1849
    Gained territory Buncombe gained from Yancey.
    from Yancey
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1848-1849, ch. 16, sec. 1/pp. 48-49
  9. 1851
    Lost territory Buncombe lost to creation of Madison.
    to Madison
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1850-1851, ch. 36, sec. 1/p. 91
  10. 1851
    Lost territory Buncombe lost to Henderson.
    to Henderson
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1850-1851, ch. 45, secs. 1-4/pp. 113-114
  11. 1889
    Changed Boundary between Buncombe and Haywood defined (no change).
    Haywood
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1889, pub., ch. 399, sec. 1/pp. 389-390
  12. 1901
    Changed Boundary between Buncombe and Madison (at junction of Big and Little Ivy Creeks) adjusted to accommodate local property owner.
    Madison
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1901, pub., ch. 95, sec. 1/p. 273
  13. 1925
    Gained territory Buncombe gained from McDowell.
    from McDowell
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1925, pub.-loc., ch. 353, sec. 1/pp. 395-398
  14. 1959
    Exchanged territory Buncombe exchanged with Henderson.
    with Henderson
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1959, ch. 1145, sec. 1/pp. 1291-1294

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Buncombe

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

Official
from the office that keeps the record
Good enough
a reliable statewide or national copy
Fallback
a guide only; check the official record
Missing
nothing public found yet

People and land

Buncombe by the Census

Population
269,452 2020 Census count
Housing units
129,141 2020 Census count
Land area
657 square miles
Water area
3.5 square miles
People per sq mi
410 population ÷ land area

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Rules and offices

Buncombe County's official site

We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.

County government

See your own lot on these maps

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Questions

Common questions about Buncombe County

When was Buncombe County founded?
Buncombe County was founded in 1792, formed from Burke County and Rutherford County, and named after Edward Buncombe.
What is the county seat of Buncombe County?
The county seat of Buncombe County is Asheville.
Is there an online parcel map for Buncombe County?
Yes. Buncombe County publishes a parcel map of 12,218 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Buncombe County's boundary or name changed?
Buncombe County was created in 1792 from Burke County and Rutherford County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 11 later changes, chiefly involving Henderson County, Madison County and Yancey County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Buncombe County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Counties next door