History of the Biltmore Lake Community
The American Enka Corporation, a major Dutch textile firm, moved to Asheville in 1928 and took ownership of the land where Biltmore Lake now resides. An employer to thousands of Western North Carolinians, the plant, northeast of the present day community, manufactured nylon and rayon yarns for WWII-era parachutes. In the early twentieth century, historic Enka Village featured architecturally-rich bungalows and a handful of executive homes along the lake’s eastern shore, leaving several hundred acres undeveloped.
In 2001, Biltmore Farms purchased the land from BASF Corporation, which had acquired American Enka in 1985, as a location for its next master-planned community after the development of Biltmore Park in South Asheville. Current cottage and home designs echo the charms of the earlier neighborhood with arts & crafts-inspired details and flourishes along with the comforts and state-of-the art amenities of 21st century living.