Linville River
Ghost town · Caldwell County, North Carolina

Linville River is a ghost town in Caldwell County, North Carolina. It is one of 17 former communities in Caldwell County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 4th among the 48 North Carolina counties with a vanished settlement on record.
The U.S. Geological Survey lists Linville River as a historical populated place on the Drexel 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 35.7926° N, 81.5106° W.
Key facts
| USGS quadrangle | Drexel |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 1,155 ft |
| Nearest living town | Sawmills, NC |
| Distance to it | 2.6 miles |
| GNIS feature ID | 1001517 |
| Coordinates | 35.79263, -81.51065 |
What's there now
Linville River is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Sawmills, NC (population 5,027), about 2.6 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 1,155 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.
Nearby places
- Loveladyghost town · Caldwell County · 3.2 mi
- Drowning Creekghost town · Burke County · 4.7 mi
- Sardisghost town · Caldwell County · 5.6 mi
- Bairdghost town · Caldwell County · 5.9 mi
- Copenhagenghost town · Caldwell County · 7.1 mi
- Concordghost town · Caldwell County · 7.7 mi
- Hatterbrondghost town · Burke County · 7.8 mi
- Glenburineghost town · Caldwell County · 9.2 mi
- Hibritenghost town · Caldwell County · 9.5 mi
- Downsvilleghost town · Caldwell County · 10.4 mi
- Emanuelghost town · Caldwell County · 11.6 mi
- Hickory Groveghost town · Burke County · 11.9 mi
Questions
Where is Linville River?
Linville River is in Caldwell County, North Carolina, at 35.7926, -81.5106.
How many ghost towns are in Caldwell County?
Caldwell County, North Carolina has 17 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.