Lake Junaluska, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in Haywood County
Haywood County, North Carolina
-National protected areas:* Blue Ridge Parkway * Great Smoky Mountains National Park * Pisgah National Forest -Major Highways & Roads:* Interstate 40* U.S. Highway 19* U.S. Highway 23* U.S. Highway 74* U.S...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of the Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Asheville metropolitan area
The Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of four counties in western North Carolina...
. The population was 2,675 at the 2000 census. It is notable as the site of the headquarters of the World Methodist Council
World Methodist Council
The World Methodist Council, founded in 1881, is an association of churches in the Methodist tradition which comprises most of the world's Wesleyan denominations.- Extension and organization:...
, a consultative body linking almost all churches in the Methodist tradition.
The WMC headquarters is itself located on the campus of the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center, an assembly for the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
which hosts Annual Conference
Annual Conference
An Annual Conference in the United Methodist Church is a regional body that governs much of the life of the "Connectional Church." Annual conferences are composed primarily of the clergy members and a lay member or members from each charge . Each conference is a geographical division...
s and other United Methodist and religious conferences and events. As well, the Lake is home to the Foundation for Evangelism incorporated by Harry Denman to provide funding to various seminaries, professorships, and youth ministries. As well, the Foundation provides resources and open source software for the local church.
Contrary to popular belief that Lake Junaluska is named after the famous Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
Indian leader, Chief Junaluska
Junaluska
Junaluska, or Tsunu’lahun’ski in Cherokee , was a leader of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who reside in and around western North Carolina....
, the assembly is actually named after the nearby Mount Junaluska (now North Eaglenest Mountain
North Eaglenest Mountain
North Eaglenest Mountain is a mountain located less than 2 miles south of Maggie Valley, North Carolina in Haywood County. It is part of the Plott Balsams, a range of the Appalachian Mountains, and less than a mile north of Eaglenest Mountain. It used to be called Mount Junaluska and is the highest...
), which is itself named after Chief Junaluska.
Geography
Lake Junaluska is located at 35°31′40"N 82°58′35"W (35.527829, -82.976495). It has a beautiful setting: Haywood County is known for the 18 peaks over 6,000 feet (1,829 m), more than any county east of the Mississippi RiverMississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. The 200 acre (0.809372 km²) lake is surrounded by 1200 acres (4.9 km²) of beautiful rolling hills and valleys.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 5.8 square miles (15 km²), of which, 5.5 square miles (14.2 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (4.98%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,675 people, 1,262 households, and 861 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 483.6 people per square mile (186.8/km²). There were 1,848 housing units at an average density of 334.1 per square mile (129.0/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 98.65% White, 0.37% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.07% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.35% of the population.
There were 1,262 households out of which 18.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.57.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 16.2% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 20.6% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 28.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.1 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $46,932, and the median income for a family was $54,444. Males had a median income of $38,224 versus $29,219 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $23,031. About 4.2% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.9% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.
The grocery stores of Lake Junaluska are dry
Local Option
Local Option is a term used to describe the freedom whereby local political jurisdictions, typically counties or municipalities, can decide by popular vote certain controversial issues within their borders. In practice, it usually relates to the issue of alcoholic beverage sales...
.
History
On June 25, 1913, the Second General Missionary Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, SouthMethodist Episcopal Church, South
The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, or Methodist Episcopal Church South, was the so-called "Southern Methodist Church" resulting from the split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church which had been brewing over several years until it came out into the open at a conference...
convened in the new auditorium, beside a lake yet to be filled, created by damming Richland Creek. There were only 13 homes, and no hotel until 1914, so 4000 people had to stay elsewhere. Junaluska Inn was built in 1917 but burned the next year. A new hotel went up on the same site, eventually to be named for Bishop Walter Lambuth
Walter Russell Lambuth
Walter Russell Lambuth was a Chinese-born American Methodist Bishop who worked as a missionary establishing schools and hospitals in China, Korea and Japan in the 1880s.-Birth and Family:...
. In 1923, a classroom building called Shackford Hall went up on the lake's west end. Both Lambuth Inn and Shackford Hall have been named to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
In 1922, the Junaluska cross
Christian cross
The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity...
was built on a hill overlooking the lake on its east side. In 1994, a replacement cross went up, and the original was eventually restored and moved to Mount Shepherd Retreat Center near Asheboro, North Carolina
Asheboro, North Carolina
Asheboro is a city in Randolph County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 21,672 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Randolph County, and is the home of the state-owned North Carolina Zoo.-Geography:...
.
The assembly went bankrupt
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
, but in 1936, Methodist bishops raised $100,000 to pay off the debt, and the Methodist Church took over in 1940. The Southeastern Jurisdiction became the owner in 1948. The George R. Stuart Auditorium, named for the first director of the assembly, was enclosed, and The World Methodist Council
World Methodist Council
The World Methodist Council, founded in 1881, is an association of churches in the Methodist tradition which comprises most of the world's Wesleyan denominations.- Extension and organization:...
moved its headquarters to Lake Junaluska, in the 1950s.
Today
Today, the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center hosts events for the United Methodist Church beginning in April and lasting through the fall of each year. There are events for all ages, ranging from a summer day camp for children to various Elderhostels. Events in June, 2009, included the Music and Liturgical Arts Week and the Native American Summer Conference, among others. The Center also includes lodging, dining and recreational activities in a beautiful lakeside setting. The most famous tradition for Lake Junaluska youth is done on the last day of each retreat. On this final day, visitors all go to the outdoor chapel and sing "Pass It On." On the final words, the youth yells "Praise God!" into the mountains. The sound can be heard for miles as it echoes throughout the lake.Lake Junaluska is mentioned in the song "St. Joseph's" by the Avett Brothers
The Avett Brothers
The Avett Brothers is a folk rock band from Mount Pleasant, North Carolina. The band is made up of two brothers, Scott Avett and Seth Avett, who play the banjo and guitar respectively, and Bob Crawford who plays the stand-up bass. Joe Kwon, cello, and Jacob Edwards, drums, are touring members of...
.
