Welcome to Balsam ...
Balsam is located in Jackson County<1>.
Google driving directions from your current location to Balsam (Patience, this may take a moment).
While we don't have a date for the founding of Balsam, you might consider that their post office opened in 1873.
Balsam is 3,300 feet [1,006 m] above sea level.<2> In other words, the altitude of Balsam is about ¾ mile [or 1 km] above sea level.
Time Zone: Balsam lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area Code for Balsam: 828
The ZIP code for Balsam: 28707<3>
Communities Also Named Balsam ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 4 communities that are also named Balsam - they are located in Michigan, Minnesota, Ontario and Pennsylvania.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Balsam.
Communities near Balsam ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Balsam.
- Waynesville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Waynesville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waynesville
- Waynesville is located in Haywood County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,557 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waynesville <5>
Google driving directions:
From your current location to Waynesville
- Canton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canton have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
- Canton is located in Haywood County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,369 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Canton <5>
- Sylva
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylva
- Sylva is located in Jackson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,739 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sylva <5>
Google driving directions:
From your current location to Sylva
From Balsam to Sylva
- Hazelwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast) - Clyde
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clyde. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
- Clyde is located in Haywood County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,308 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clyde <5>
Google driving directions:
From your current location to Clyde
From Balsam to Clyde
- Maggie Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maggie Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maggie Valley
- Maggie Valley is located in Haywood County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,258 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maggie Valley <5>
- Webster
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest) - Forest Hills
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hills
- Forest Hills is located in Jackson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 376 people
- Forest Hills has also been known as:
- Forest Hills village
- Village of Forest Hills
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Forest Hills <5>
Google driving directions:
From your current location to Forest Hills
- Dillsboro
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dillsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillsboro
- Dillsboro is located in Jackson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 248 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dillsboro <5>
- Cullowhee
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullowhee
- Cullowhee is located in Jackson County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cullowhee <5>
Google driving directions:
From your current location to Cullowhee
From Balsam to Cullowhee
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 Balsam. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Balsam.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Balsam. 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 Balsam.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Balsam. See our Newspapers Page for Balsam.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Balsam ...
Looking for more information about Balsam? 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.
In addition to the Tourism page for Balsam, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Balsam.
Adding Balsam to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Balsam 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 Balsam was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
From that list, the Balsam post office opened in 1873.
We also found Balsam in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Balsam.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Balsam. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Jackson County: www.jacksonnc.org/
The official website for State of North Carolina: https://www.nc.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of North Carolina's counties, including Jackson, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Balsam - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <3> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as Balsam). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Balsam or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <4> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | 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. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |