Mills River is a town in Henderson County, North Carolina, home to about 7,281 people across 22 square miles. Its ZIP code is 28759.
Homes sold for a median of $274 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a balanced market.
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Mills River. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Mills River’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)85 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Asheville Regional Airport (AVL)3 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Charlotte, NC99 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Philadelphia, PA516 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Mills River; 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.
Mills River had 7,078 residents in the 2020 census, up 4% since 2010.
It’s the 131st largest of 771 towns in North Carolina by population.
Henderson County grew from 14,104 residents in 1900 to 116,281 in 2020.
Henderson County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 83°F in summer, and winter lows average 27°F. About 51.6 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Asheville 13 S, NC weather station (2 miles away).
38,824 jobs at 3,085 businesses in Henderson County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
37 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Mills River.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 8 |
|---|---|
| Dentists | 5 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 5 |
| Mental health providers | 9 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 9 |
| Chiropractors | 1 |
| Pharmacies | 3 |
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 (2 nearby)
Grocery stores (1 nearby)
Pharmacies (1 nearby)
Libraries (1 nearby)
Museums
Counts are within about 3 miles 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.
Established in 2003.
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Henderson County Schools. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mills River ElementaryMills River | Pre-K–5 | 608 | Public | 0.9 mi |
| Glenn C Marlow ElementaryMills River | K–5 | 562 | Public | 1.6 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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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.