Mills River is among the oldest communities in Henderson County with its first landholder receiving a deed from the State of North Carolina in 1787.  Mills River was considered the seat of public education in Henderson County, and was once a thriving agricultural community, often called the “fertile crescent”.

Through the years, the residents of the Mills River have had little input into how our community has grown.  A few years ago, an Incorporation Committee consisting of many concerned residents and Mills River leaders said they wanted to incorporate to maintain the area’s character of farms, homes and businesses with minimal taxes and regulations.  At 7:40 PM, Monday, June 23, 2003, while residents met in a humble concrete building where they have voted for decades and the drive to create the Town of Mills River passed its final hurdle in the North Carolina Senate.

We are no longer just a rural farming community.  We are a Town of some 6,622 persons.  There is a 5-lane highway that splits the Town in two, making easy access to a major interstate and a regional airport, and Mills River is one of the fastest growing areas in Western North Carolina.  It is our desire to maintain the balance of our community, to protect our natural, historical and cultural resources and manage the growth of Mills River.