Emma is a community in Buncombe County, North Carolina, home to about 2,657 people across 1.1 square miles. It has no ZIP code of its own: it’s part of 28806.
Homes sold for a median of $276 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a balanced market.
Mostly Asheville; part is in Emma
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Emma. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Emma’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS)79 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Asheville Regional Airport (AVL)11 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Charlotte, NC103 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Philadelphia, PA510 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Emma; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
It’s the 289th largest of 771 towns in North Carolina by population.
Buncombe County grew from 44,288 residents in 1900 to 269,452 in 2020.
Buncombe County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 86°F in summer, and winter lows average 29°F. About 40.7 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 12 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Asheville, NC weather station (3 miles away).
127,409 jobs at 9,863 businesses in Buncombe County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
648 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Emma.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 15 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 47 |
| Dentists | 26 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 111 |
| Mental health providers | 348 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 77 |
| Optometrists | 6 |
| Chiropractors | 18 |
| Pharmacies | 19 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (4 nearby)
Grocery stores (5 nearby)
Pharmacies (1 nearby)
Libraries (1 nearby)
Museums
Theaters and performance venues
Counts are within about 1 mile of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Public schools here are run by Buncombe County Schools, Asheville City Schools, Asheville PEAK Academy and others. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emma ElementaryAsheville | Pre-K–4 | 277 | Public | 1.5 mi |
| Hall Fletcher ElementaryAsheville | Pre-K–5 | 318 | Public | 1.9 mi |
| Johnston ElementaryAsheville | Pre-K–4 | 217 | Public | 0.8 mi |
| Lucy S. Herring ElementaryAsheville | Pre-K–5 | 255 | Public | 0.4 mi |
| Sand Hill-Venable ElemAsheville | Pre-K–4 | 590 | Public | 2.6 mi |
| Asheville PEAK AcademyAsheville | K–6 | 161 | Charter | 1.1 mi |
| Francine Delany New SchoolAsheville | K–8 | 193 | Charter | 0.9 mi |
| IC ImagineAsheville | K–12 | 1,239 | Charter | 2.4 mi |
| West Buncombe ElementaryAsheville | K–4 | 580 | Public | 2.7 mi |
| Eblen IntermediateAsheville | 5–6 | 566 | Public | 2.7 mi |
| The Franklin School of InnovationAsheville | 5–12 | 717 | Charter | 3.0 mi |
| Erwin MiddleAsheville | 7–8 | 545 | Public | 2.8 mi |
| Erwin HighAsheville | 9–12 | 1,013 | Public | 2.9 mi |
| Nesbitt Discovery AcademyAsheville | 9–12 | 372 | Public | 2.3 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emmanuel Lutheran SchoolAsheville | Pre-K–8 | 109 | Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod | 0.5 mi |
| Rainbow Community SchoolAsheville | Pre-K–8 | 171 | Nonsectarian | 1.2 mi |
| Temple Baptist SchoolAsheville | Pre-K–12 | 180 | Baptist | 1.1 mi |
| Canterbury Classical SchoolAsheville | K–12 | 133 | Christian (no specific denomination) | 0.9 mi |
| The New Classical AcademyAsheville | K–8 | 75 | Nonsectarian | 1.3 mi |
| Eliada AcademyAsheville | Ungraded | 14 | Nonsectarian | 1.5 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Asheville and Bent Creek.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.