Mitchell County Governance

Mitchell County operates under a county commission/county manager form of government.
Key government officials consist of five commissioners elected countywide with an appointed county manager. The commissioners meet the first Monday of each month in the county office building located at 26 Crimson Laurel Circle Suite 11, Bakersville, NC 28705

Town of Bakersville

Bakersville is the county seat and has served as the center of government for Mitchell County since 1868. Bakersville has a mayor and three councilmen, who are elected for a two-year term.

The town has water and wastewater services and provides police protection, garbage pick-up, street maintenance, and streetlights.

Bakersville’s quaint downtown is home to galleries and working artists’ studios. Its creekwalk, which follows the banks of Cane Creek in the center of town, is home to a series of year round festivals and events.

The North Carolina Rhododendron Festival in June draws visitors from all over the country to witness the beauty of the world’s largest naturally growing rhododendron gardens atop nearby Roan Mountain.

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Town of Spruce Pine

Spruce Pine is the largest town in Mitchell County and was founded in 1907 due to the construction of the Clinchfield Railroad. The town operates a council-manager form of government. The town council consists of four members and a voting mayor. Council members are elected for four-year staggered terms. The mayor is elected for a two-year term. The town provides the following services: water/wastewater, police protection, garbage/recycling/brush pick-up, street maintenance, and streetlights. Due to a rapidly expanding mining industry, Spruce Pine was the largest town in the Toe River Valley. It became home to the Feldspar Company, Spruce Pine Mica, Quartz Corp, and Unimin Mining Corporation. In recent years, tourism has become a major economic force.

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