candler

About the Community

Candler is a rural underserved area located in the southwestern part of Buncombe County, located 16 miles from downtown Asheville.

In 2007, there were 21,782 households in this area, 1,079 of them were single parent households, many households reported being “multigenerational”

Median income is more than $2,000 below the Buncombe County median income level

In 2004 the number of families living in poverty in this area was 14.5%, based on the 2004 census data
In 2004 the number of families living in poverty in Buncombe County was 11.9%, based on the 2004 census data

96.6% of the residents are Caucasian

An average of 45% of the children enrolled in the three elementary schools for the 2008-2009 school year qualified for the free and reduced lunch program.
There are only 6 child care centers (out of 9) that are considered to have quality care (3 stars or higher); those centers only have 192 child care slots for the 1,500 children in that area ages birth-five. Only one of those is in a five-mile radius of the FamilyShare program.
Children can attend Early Head Start (ages birth to three). Thirty-one children can attend this program.
There is one Head Start (ages three-five) classroom for the Candler area with 18 slots which are prioritized for four year olds.