Last Updated on October 19, 2023
What three words would you use to define the riverside town of Rosman, NC?
Located southwest of Brevard along Rosman Highway (U.S. 64), this Transylvania County town sits atop several major natural and manmade intersections. Its location has made the town the perfect spot for scientific research, outdoor recreation, and building a tight-knit community.
There are many words you could use to define Rosman, NC. Here are three terms that we think fit the town well. Do any surprise you?
Rosman, NC is Verdant
When you list the top things to do in Rosman, NC, you have to mention at least a handful of outdoor activities. Rosman sits on the eastern boundary of Pisgah National Forest’s 88,000 protected acres. So the area offers easy access to some of the best hiking, fishing, mountaintop views, and waterfalls in the region. The forest is also home to the Cradle of Forestry, a 6,500-acre heritage site and interpretive center that represents the birth of the conservation movement in the United States.
Among the highlights of the surrounding area are Sassafras Mountain and Courthouse Falls. Located just along the South Carolina line, Sassafras Mountain has a 3,353-foot observation deck. In addition to serving as the highest point in SC, the deck also affords visitors an awe-inspiring view of both adjoining states, as well as Georgia in the distance. In the other direction from town, Courthouse Falls offer a more down-to-earth view. The 45-foot waterfall is located just a short hike from pull-off parking (0.7 miles round trip). And the deep pool into which it plunges is perfect for a dip on a hot day.
Rosman, NC is a Nexus
Less than a quarter mile outside town limits is arguably one of the most significant confluences in the Southeast. It’s at this spot that North Fork French Broad meets West Fork French Broad to become the ancient and mighty French Broad River. At 218 miles in length, the French Broad River bisects Rosman and flows north through much of Western North Carolina before discharging into the Tennessee River.
The French Broad flows through a number of wilderness areas, each with its own unique microclimate and wildlife. More than 10 species of rare fish and three rare mussels are found in the river, and it’s the only river basin that’s home to the distinctive Eastern spiny softshell turtle. Ecologists and outdoors enthusiasts alike enjoy studying the local wildlife in and along the river. If you’d like to see where it all begins, you have to start in Rosman at Headwaters Outfitters. Their family-friendly outings are designed to get everyone out in the water, or you can hang back at their taproom and just enjoy the view.
Rosman, NC is Innovative
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) is located a few miles northwest of town limits. Though established as a nonprofit organization in 1998, PARI’s site traces its history back to 1962 when it was an East Coast NASA satellite tracking facility. The site was built as part of the worldwide Spacecraft Tracking and Data Acquisition Network. And it served as an integral communications link for the Gemini and Apollo manned space programs, supporting each of the moon landings.
Today, PARI is a protected astronomical site with more than 30 buildings, four radio telescopes of various sizes, a high frequency Jupiter-Io/Solar antenna, 12 optical telescopes, five weather and atmospheric monitoring stations, and various environmental monitoring instruments. Visitors come to PARI for hands-on educational and research opportunities across a broad swath of STEM disciplines. But researchers continue to come to the site for much more! PARI’s research is utilized by universities in a multi-state area, and the location is home to the Astronomical Photographic Data Archive (APDA).
BONUS: Rosman, NC is Homey
Imagine combining the small-town charm of any holiday romance movie with the hearty mountain lifestyle of greater Appalachia.
The modest town of Rosman covers precisely 0.55 square miles within its official limits. Rosman’s population has been growing steadily since a low in 1990. But compared to many WNC communities, that growth has been modest. From a population of 527 in the 1920 census, the population of Rosman stood at 720 as of 2023.
Does that sound like the perfect lifestyle for you? Find your dream home in Rosman now!
Photo by Brian Stansberry (photographer) – Own work, CC BY 4.0
