ashe

West Jefferson

West Jefferson was incorporated as a city in 1909, and it is the second-oldest incorporated town in Ashe County. West Jefferson has the distinction of having the only cheese factory in the south-eastern United States.

For many decades, West Jefferson was served by the Norfolk and Western Railroad, better known as the Virginia Creeper. The railroad was the primary reason for the creation of West Jefferson, as the town became a major stop on the railway.

With the decline of the railroad and the loss of textile factory jobs to foreign markets, West Jefferson's economy is increasingly devoted to the tourism industry. The town's location in the Appalachian Mountains has led to a large number of tourists visiting the area each year, and many out-of-state tourists have begun to build cabins and housing developments around the town.

The population was 1,081 at the 2000 census

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