Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers has described his town’s recent history as something out of the Book of Revelations, and he’s not far from the truth. However, despite a run of bad luck, Canton has invested in outdoor spaces and maintained the charming historic Main Street that makes it one of Western North Carolina’s most compelling small towns.
You see, for 115 years, this town was not on many tourism itineraries. It was known for one thing: its paper mill. The mill’s stench, which (according to the New York Times) locals called “the smell of money” but neighbors called “a giant fart cloud,” kept most visitors from seriously considering spending time in downtown Canton. In 2023, the mill closed, taking with it the smell of paper and more than 1,000 jobs from a town of just 4,500 full-time residents. It was a devastating blow to the Canton economy, and things were only about to get tougher. Sixteen months after the mill closed, Hurricane Helene tore through Western North Carolina, including Canton. The Pigeon River, which flows directly underneath Main Street, surpassed its all-time historical crest by more than 4 feet, causing damage that Smathers called “apocalyptic.” A town that was still absorbing the loss of its largest employer was suddenly underwater.
I have been to Canton several times since these events, and I am happy to report that somehow, some way, Canton has come out on the other side of tragedy. It is now a serene, locally-oriented destination with a lot going on. Just a 30-minute drive from the Asheville Airport and roughly 20 from Downtown Asheville’s heart, “Papertown” is one of the more authentic small-town destinations in Western North Carolina.
Explore the best shops and restaurants in downtown Canton
Most Canton residents will likely tell you the same thing former mill warehouse manager and high school football coach Jody Mathis told the New York Times: Canton is “never going to be a tourist town.” That’s exactly what makes downtown Canton worth a visit. Walking on Main Street is a great example of the beauty of the smaller, blue-collar Appalachian towns committed to taking care of themselves from the inside out…