Ashe, a N. W. county of North Carolina, bordering on Virginia and Tennessee, bounded E. and S. E. by New river; area, about 300 sq. m.; pop. in. 1870, 9,573, of whom 582 were colored. It is a mountainous region, with portions good for grazing, but is generally not fertile. In 1870 the county produced 16,341 bushels of wheat, 32,311 of rye, 120,545 of Indian corn, 42,350 of oats, and 23,211 lbs. of wool. Capital, Jefferson.