Royal Pines is a community in Buncombe County, North Carolina, home to about 4,325 people across 2.7 square miles. It has no ZIP code of its own: it’s part of 28704 and 28803.
Homes sold for a median of $289 per square foot across 2 ZIP codes in the three months ending August 2026, and 0 of 2 were seller’s markets.
Part is in Royal Pines, part in Asheville and Avery Creek
Mostly Asheville; part is in Royal Pines
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Royal Pines. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Royal Pines’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, NC98 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Philadelphia, PA511 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Royal Pines; 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.
Royal Pines had 4,127 residents in the 2020 census, down 23% since 2000.
It’s the 197th 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 85°F in summer, and winter lows average 29°F. About 49.6 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 10 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Asheville Rgnl Ap, 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).
2,248 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Royal Pines’s ZIP codes.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 290 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 418 |
| Dentists | 111 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 406 |
| Mental health providers | 650 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 313 |
| Optometrists | 18 |
| Chiropractors | 42 |
| Pharmacies | 37 |
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)
Counts are within about 1.5 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.
Public schools here are run by Buncombe County Schools, Asheville City Schools. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avery's Creek ElementaryArden | Pre-K–4 | 557 | Public | 2.7 mi |
| Estes ElementaryAsheville | Pre-K–4 | 754 | Public | 0.7 mi |
| Glen Arden ElementaryArden | Pre-K–4 | 505 | Public | 2.1 mi |
| Oakley ElementaryAsheville | Pre-K–5 | 502 | Public | 5.8 mi |
| Koontz IntermediateAsheville | 5–6 | 725 | Public | 0.5 mi |
| Valley Springs MiddleArden | 5–8 | 654 | Public | 0.6 mi |
| Reynolds MiddleAsheville | 6–8 | 490 | Public | 5.6 mi |
| Asheville HighAsheville | 9–12 | 1,221 | Public | 6.4 mi |
| Reynolds HighAsheville | 9–12 | 1,169 | Public | 5.5 mi |
| Roberson HighAsheville | 9–12 | 1,479 | Public | 0.4 mi |
| SilsaAsheville | 9–12 | 332 | Public | 6.4 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asheville Waldorf SchoolAsheville | Pre-K–8 | 104 | Nonsectarian | 5.3 mi |
| Carolina Day SchoolAsheville | Pre-K–12 | 587 | Nonsectarian | 3.0 mi |
| Nativity Preschool & KindergartenArden | TK–K | 90 | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | 1.7 mi |
| Christ SchoolArden | 8–12 | 301 | Episcopal | 2.7 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, Avery Creek and Biltmore Forest.
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.