The history of Woodfin is closely tied to manufacturing. Much of the remaining early housing stock is characteristic of early 20th century mill villages. Many neighorhoods within the community are easily recognized for the mill village style and bear names such as "Martel Village" and "Company Bottom." The decline of American industry in the 1970s and 80s brought a decline in the fortunes of Woodfin as well. The loss of many manufacturing jobs led to a decline in population and property values. During the 1990s and into the present Woodfin has proposered from an influx of new residential growth in the region. Presently the Town of Woodfin is one of the fastest growing municipalities in the state of North Carolina. By 2007 the population of Woodfin had surpassed 6,000.
The Town of Woodfin is governed by a seven member board consisting of a Mayor and six Aldermen. The Mayor is elected at large as are the Aldermen. Currently the Mayor of Woodfin is M. Jerry VeHaun. The Aldermen are as follows: Vice Mayor Geneva Maney, Alderman Don Honeycutt, Alderwoman Debbie Giezentanner, Alderman Don Hensley, Alderman Jim Angel, Alderman Jackie Pope Bryson. The Board of Aldermen meet once a month at 6:30 PM on the third Tuesday of the month. Meetings are held at the Woodfin Town Hall located at 90 Elk Mountain Road, Asheville, NC 28804.
Town services include: police, sanitation, street maintenance and construction, planning and zoning, animal control, street lighting, parks and recreation, and administration. Sewer services are provided by the Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe County. Water services are provided by one of three water systems that serve various parts of Woodfin: Woodfin Water District, Asheville Water Authority, and Weaverville Water Department. Fire Services are provided by one of three Fire Service Districts.
The present (2008) tax rate of the Town of Woodfin is 26.5 cents per $100 of value. This is the lowest tax rate of any municipality in Buncombe County.
The Town of Woodfin is home to many recreational opportunities including: Woodfin River Park, located at 1050 Riverside Drive; Roy Pope Memorial Park, located at 90 Elk Mountain Road; South Woodfin Park, located at the intersection of Lookout Road and Midwood Drive. Woodfin River Park offers an ideal spot for a picnic by the meandering French Broad River.
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,162 people, 1,394 households, and 769 families residing in the town. The population density was 905.2 people per square mile (349.8/km²). There were 1,521 housing units at an average density of 435.4/sq mi (168.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.66% White, 1.96% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 3.29% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.70% of the population.
There were 1,394 households out of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.5% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.8% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the town the population was spread out with 19.2% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $27,525, and the median income for a family was $30,909. Males had a median income of $22,351 versus $23,176 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,408. About 14.6% of families and 21.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.1% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over.