Golden
Ghost town · Rutherford County, North Carolina

Golden is a ghost town in Rutherford County, North Carolina. It is one of 15 former communities in Rutherford County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 5th among the 48 North Carolina counties with a vanished settlement on record.
The U.S. Geological Survey lists Golden as a historical populated place on the Dysartsville topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 35.5401° N, 81.8012° W.
Key facts
| USGS quadrangle | Dysartsville |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 1,230 ft |
| Nearest living town | Casar, NC |
| Distance to it | 10.5 miles |
| GNIS feature ID | 1008434 |
| Coordinates | 35.54013, -81.80121 |
What's there now
Golden is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Casar, NC (population 384), about 10.5 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 1,230 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.
Nearby places
- Mountain Homeghost town · McDowell County · 3.5 mi
- Trioghost town · Rutherford County · 6.8 mi
- Mount Pisgahghost town · Rutherford County · 6.9 mi
- Rollinsghost town · Burke County · 8.3 mi
- Tateghost town · Rutherford County · 9 mi
- Cleveland Millsghost town · Cleveland County · 9.2 mi
- Harmonghost town · Rutherford County · 10.5 mi
- Chambersghost town · Burke County · 10.5 mi
- Cubaghost town · Rutherford County · 12.3 mi
- Hardawayghost town · Burke County · 12.4 mi
- Tarkey Tailghost town · Burke County · 13.7 mi
- Hickory Groveghost town · Burke County · 14.6 mi
Questions
Where is Golden?
Golden is in Rutherford County, North Carolina, at 35.5401, -81.8012.
How many ghost towns are in Rutherford County?
Rutherford County, North Carolina has 15 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.
- USGS Geographic Names Information System (Domestic Names) — GNIS Domestic Names, feature record (public-domain)
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line and ACS — Census Gazetteer + ACS 5-year population (public-domain)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.