Hotel Montreat, 1907
Montreat’s story
128 years in pictures
Census counts: 581 in 1970, 901 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1896 and 4 maps from 1935 on.
- 1898Montreat is settled
Population
1,024
2025 Census estimate · +13.3% since 2020
Typical home
$588K
−6.9% in a year
Household income
$116K
median
Median age
19.9
years
Jobs based here
225
A commuter town
Is Montreat a good place to live?
The best of Montreat’s subject grades are an A for health, incomes, and the outdoors; the weakest is a D for cost of living. 92% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Montreat, against 29% in North Carolina’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. On cost of living, just 6 of North Carolina’s 450 towns do worse. Montreat is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 73% of U.S. towns. 79% of the land in Montreat is conserved, above both North Carolina’s towns (3.4%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 15 of North Carolina’s 451 towns score higher on the outdoors. Montreat is home to Montreat College. Montreat has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Montreat stand out
Where Montreat beats most towns.
Small town
1,024 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Black MountainMontreat
How Montreat grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Montreat is from typical.
HealthMemorial Mission Hospital and Asheville Surgery Ce 14.9 miles awayAOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $588K, 8.2 years of the Asheville metro’s $72K median household incomeDOpen →Jobs & income$116K median household incomeAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.9 of 20; 0% of households have no carB+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 34% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →SchoolsBeat 62% of North Carolina districts on tests and graduationBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 80° summer afternoons, 2″ of snow–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 19.9–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 49 attractions →Mount Mitchell and 16 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Montreat. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi MountainMount Mitchell
4 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
Big draw39 mi National ParkGreat Smoky Mountains National Park11.5M visitors a year
34 mi National forestPisgah National Forest
15 mi State parkChimney Rock State Park
28 mi Park & preserveLinville Gorge WildernessSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Mount Mitchell: Unknown, Public domain · Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Scott Basford, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pisgah National Forest: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Chimney Rock State Park: Jmturner, Public domain · Linville Gorge Wilderness: No machine-readable author provided. Amcbride~commonswiki assumed (based on copy, Public domain
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Montreat: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Montreat, and how to reach them.
PowerDuke Energy13.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMontreat Water System1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpMondayTrash dayTown site
Register to voteOnlineIn North Carolina you can register online until 25 days before Election Day, in person with same-day registration during the early voting period, or by mail (postmarked 25 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereBuncombe County Board of ElectionsBuncombe County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2025
ZIP code2875728757 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Montreat.
OutdoorsA
Compared with most of North Carolina and the rest of the country, trail density in Montreat is higher
Montreat’s trail density is 5.0 miles per square mile. 14 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
78.6%conserved
78.6%
conserved · 1,368 of 1,741 acres
14 mi
of trails · 5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Robert Lake Park | 0.2 mi | 2 |
| 2. Pisgah National Forest | 0.1 mi | 2 |
| 3. Welsh Field | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade D
Montreat stands out in North Carolina and nationally, with more of its households who own their home
100% of Montreat households own their home. Typical home values fell 6.9% in the year to September 2026.
$588KZillow home value
Typical home value
Montreat$588K
North Carolina$332K
−6.9%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthA
On CDC estimates, Montreat is healthier than 95% of U.S. towns
Montreat beats the North Carolina average on 18 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 23% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Montreat. Among 290 North Carolina towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Montreat.
95%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Montreat | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 34% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 36% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.2% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 38% | 35% |
32 measures vs. North Carolina
18 better13 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Montreat | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 3.8% | 8.1% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.4% | 12.2% |
| Fewer adults getting cholesterol checked | 82.4% | 87.5% |
Asheville-Oteen VA Medical Center
11.3 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A
With 0.7 jobs for every working resident, most of Montreat’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Montreat for work: only 1% work in town. The average trip to work in Montreat is 13 minutes. Jobs based in Montreat grew to 225 in 2023, 47 more than in 2013.
1%work in town
| Montreat | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 6.8% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Montreat1%
Asheville26%
Black Mountain19%
Charlotte4%
Raleigh2%
15 mi
median commute distance
225
jobs based in Montreat
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Montreat has mild winters and pleasant summers
Montreat has chilly winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Among 291 North Carolina towns, just 1 have a lower July high than Montreat.
2″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter28–47°
Spring43–64°
Summer60–79°
Fall45–65°
Oct 23
typical first frost
Apr 19
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Montreat
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 66% of U.S. communities. Since 2018, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Montreat.
34risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
5
paid flood claims since 2018
6
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Montreat
18pages on Montreat
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Montreat
Montreat CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · MontreatIn town$36,450 tuitionWarren Wilson CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Swannanoa8.5 mi$41,500 tuition
College town 72 of every 100 Montreat residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
Get outside
14 miles of trails in Montreat
78.6% of the town is conserved land, across 3 parks and preserves.
2
Pisgah National Forest0.1 mi of trails · 2 acres
Trails © OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
About Montreat
Town in North Carolina, United States
Montreat is a town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Montreat had a population of 901. It is part of the Asheville metropolitan area. The town is best known for Montreat Conference Center and Montreat College, and for having been the home of the evangelist Billy Graham and his wife Ruth Bell Graham.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,615 ft
- ZIP code
- 28757
- Area code
- 828
Questions about Montreat
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Montreat, NC expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.