Mills River

Mills River incorporated in June 2003. The town covers more than 22 square miles at an elevation of about 2,180 feet, and the Mills River itself, which feeds the French Broad, crosses the middle of town on its way east. The 2020 census counted 7,078 residents. The valley has a long farming history, and its farms now include horticulture, sod and horse operations. Fletcher and Asheville lie to the northeast, and Asheville Regional Airport is a few minutes away; downtown Asheville is about 17 miles north.

Pisgah National Forest's Pisgah Ranger District is minutes away to the west, and the Mills River is one of its principal streams. Sierra Nevada Brewing Company opened its East Coast brewery and restaurant here in 2014 on a wooded tract beside the airport; the building later earned LEED Platinum certification, the first for a production brewery. Mills River Park, at the town center, has a 1.2-mile trail, a kayak launch and a fishing pier. Housing is mostly single-family homes and small farms on acreage, for buyers who want land and privacy close to Asheville and Hendersonville.