About the Area

Elevations

• Highlands……………………4118 ft
• Cashiers……………………3487 ft
• Lake Glenville………………3492 ft
• Sapphire……………………3120 ft

Weather

• Average annual precipitation………………………………87.57
• Average number of days with snow coverage………………10
• Average high temperature in July……………………………78°
• Average high temperature in January………………………42°

Highlands

Highlands was founded in 1875 by two Kansas developers, Samuel Kelsey and Clinton C. Hutchinson. Some say that the two men took a map and drew a line from New York to New Orleans and another from Chicago to Savannah predicting that these two routes would become major future trading routes. The place where they crossed, Highlands, NC was also predicted to become a place which would boom in population. Instead, Highlands became known as a summer resort area for those escaping the southern heat and evolved over the years into a place where people would retreat to enjoy the beautiful wonders of nature, cool summers, world class golf, dining, shopping, and the arts. The town itself has been called the Aspen of the East, minus the ski slopes of course.

Cashiers

Cashiers is a uniquely situated valley high above sea level which provided the first non-native American settlers with enjoyable summer temperatures and great farming conditions. It is said that the first settlers arrived in 1818 but it wasn’t until the arrival of Barak Norton in approximately 1820 and later Colonel John A. Zachary in 1835 that the valley would become a place to call home for generations to come. In 1845, Colonel Wade Hampton II purchased land from Colonel Zachary to escape the southern heat and mosquitoes. The High Hampton and Wade Hampton communities are both a testament to the rich history and deep southern roots of the area. Unlike Highlands, Cashiers was not a place to be seen but rather a place to not be seen. A place for retreat from all that ailed you, a nature lovers paradise. Today, Cashiers is dotted with second homes, high-end dining, antique shops and enough outdoor activities to keep you busy for weeks on end.

Glenville

Lake Glenville is the highest lake east of Mississippi with 26 miles of winding shoreline spanning a surface area of 1,500 acres. Glenville is a beautiful community rich in history. Originally named Hamburg Township, it was settled in 1827. By the late 1880's Hamburg was a thriving community with industries such as lumbering, tanning and mining. In January of 1891 the town was renamed Glenville. In June 1940, Nantahala Power and Light constructed a dam on the Tuckasegee River and filled the new lake in 1941, called Thorpe Reservoir or Lake Glenville, which encompassed the entire valley north of Cashiers, flooding the town of Glenville including schools, homes, businesses, and farmlands to a depth of 300 feet. Today Glenville is a community filled with outdoor activities including swimming, boating, fishing, sailing, water skiing, kayaking, canoeing, biking, hiking, horseback riding and more.

Sapphire

In 1867 the discovery of Corundum in Macon Country prompted the formation of the Western North Carolina Mining and Improvement Co., which leads to the development of mining town Sapphire Valley. The mining town included a large store, several houses, shacks for the miners and a 12 foot high dam that created a one mile long lake. Nearing the end of the 19th Century, the Georgetown Gold Mine started its operation in the area where Fairfield Lake currently resides. Those seeking the gold of the Sapphire forests ended up creating a new resort area. Hotels were built and three lakes were created. Soon Sapphire, NC had become a summer retreat for those looking to enjoy the vast number of waterfalls, hiking and croquet which was eventually replaced by golf.