Welcome to Ashford ...
Ashford is located in McDowell County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Ashford, you might consider that their post office opened in 1878.
Ashford is 1,730 feet [527 m] above sea level.<2>.
Time Zone: Ashford lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area Code for Ashford: 828
Communities Also Named Ashford ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 12 communities that are also named Ashford - they are located in Alabama (2), Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin (2).
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Ashford.
Communities near Ashford ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Ashford.
- Morganton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Marion
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marion have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
- Marion is located in McDowell County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,937 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marion <3>
- Gamewell
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Spruce Pine
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Glen Alpine
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glen Alpine have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Alpine
- Glen Alpine is located in Burke County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,487 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glen Alpine <3>
- Newland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Elk Park
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elk Park have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Park
- Elk Park is located in Avery County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 450 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elk Park <3>
- Bakersville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Crossnore
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Sugar Mountain
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sugar Mountain have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Mountain
- Sugar Mountain is located in Avery County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Ashford. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Ashford.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Ashford. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ashford.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Ashford. See our Newspapers Page for Ashford.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Ashford ...
Looking for more information about Ashford? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Ashford, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Ashford.
Adding Ashford to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Ashford in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Ashford was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<5>
From that list, the Ashford post office opened in 1878.
We also found Ashford in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Ashford.
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of North Carolina's counties, including McDowell, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Ashford - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <4> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <5> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at:
https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |