Welcome to Mills River ...

The town of Mills River is located in Henderson County<1>.

While we don't have a date for the founding of Mills River, you might get a feel for it by knowing that during our research the earliest mention that we found (so far) was in a book dated 1895.

A typical abbreviation for Mills River: Mills Riv.

See our Genealogy Helper Page for Mills River for more information about variations on the name of Mills River.

From the  Census Estimates for 2019, Mills River has a population of 7,398 people<2> (see below for details).

Mills River is 2,210 feet [674 m] above sea level.<3> In other words, the elevation of Mills River is about ½ mile above sea level.

Time Zone: Mills River lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time

The area code for Mills River: (828)

The ZIP code for Mills River: 28759<4>

Population Details ...

Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Mills River had an population of 7,398 people. This is an increase of 8.76% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 27.93% since the 2000 Census).

At the time of the 2010 Census, Mills River had a population of 6,802 people (or 6.37% of the total population of Henderson County). This makes Mills River the county's 3rd most populous community.

The population of Mills River represents 0.07% of the total population of North Carolina (which has 9,535,483 people), making it the state's 107th most populous community.

With a 2010 count of 6,802 people, the population of Mills River increased 17.62% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 5,783 people).

More information can be found on the Census Page for Mills River.

Communities near Mills River ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Mills River.

• Asheville
  (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Asheville is located in Buncombe County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 92,852 people
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asheville
  • Jump to a Google Map centered on Asheville
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Asheville <5>
• Hendersonville
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Hendersonville is located in Henderson County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,235 people
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendersonville
  • Jump to a Google Map centered on Hendersonville
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hendersonville <5>
• Brevard
  (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Brevard is located in Transylvania County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,899 people
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brevard
  • Jump to a Google Map centered on Brevard
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brevard <5>
• Woodfin
  (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodfin have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Woodfin is located in Buncombe County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,679 people
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodfin
  • Jump to a Google Map centered on Woodfin
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Woodfin <5>
• Canton
  (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canton have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Canton is located in Haywood County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,369 people
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
  • Jump to a Google Map centered on Canton
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Canton <5>
• Flat Rock
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flat Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Flat Rock is located in Henderson County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,408 people
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
  • Jump to a Google Map centered on Flat Rock
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Flat Rock <5>
• Laurel Park
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurel Park have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Laurel Park is located in Henderson County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,339 people
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Park
  • Jump to a Google Map centered on Laurel Park
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Laurel Park <5>
• Biltmore Forest
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Biltmore Forest have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Biltmore Forest is located in Buncombe County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,431 people
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biltmore Forest
  • Jump to a Google Map centered on Biltmore Forest
• Saluda
  (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saluda have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Saluda is located in Henderson County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 703 people
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saluda
  • Jump to a Google Map centered on Saluda
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saluda <5>
• Chimney Rock
  (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • Chimney Rock is located in Rutherford County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chimney Rock
  • Jump to a Google Map centered on Chimney Rock
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chimney Rock <5>

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 Mills River. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Mills River.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Mills River. 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 Mills River.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Mills River. See our Newspapers Page for Mills River.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Mills River ...

Looking for more information about Mills River? 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 Mills River, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Mills River.

Adding Mills River to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Mills River 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 Mills River was in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).

We also found Mills River on a map titled Rand McNally Map of North Carolina (1911).

For more details, see References and Mentions for Mills River.

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Mills River. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Henderson County: www.hendersoncountync.org/

The official website for State of North Carolina: https://www.nc.gov/