Agriculture

At least 50 percent of the population in Henderson County still lived on farms at the beginning of the Great Depression.
By 1939, an estimated 42 percent of the population still lived on farms.
Farmers begin planting acres of apple trees in the late 1920s and the 1930s upon the advice of the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service. In 1936, the Blue Ridge Apple Growers Association formed. By 1939, there were 225,000 apple trees in the county, but only 100,000 were mature enough to bear apples.
In 1939, there were 2,690 farms in the county. Truck crops, primarily vegetables such as cabbage and beans of many varieties, accounted for most sales. Many vegetables were grown for outside markets, even acres of asparagus. Sales from these “truck crops” totaled $350,000. There were 160 acres of corn planted. Sales of Irish potatoes totaled $70,000.
The dairy industry was growing at an astounding rate. The sale of milk and butter totaled $250,000.
Pigs remained the major livestock, with sales of pigs and pig products totaling $150,000.
There were an estimated 50,000 laying hens. There was a large boom in the poultry industry in the 1920s and throughout the 1930s.

 Industry

The four textile mills in the county remained in operation during the Depression. But production at most of the mills slowed and many people either lost jobs or hours were decreased. The mills were located in Balfour, East Flat Rock, Tuxedo and Hendersonville.
Building construction came to almost a stop during the Depression. People and businesses connected with the building industry suffered loss of jobs and a drastic decrease in sales. Several building contractors went bankrupt and businesses closed.
The first gas line was completed to Hendersonville in 1930. This was butane-air gas.