[4] Ashville was initially founded as the community of St. Clairsville, but the name was changed to honor John Ash, the first white settler of the area who arrived in 1817.

Philip Coleman originally owned the land on which the town stands, but he sold 30 acres to the five county commissioners, which included Ash, who was appointed by Gov.

It managed to build to Ashville from Whitney, connecting the town to the Alabama Great Southern Railroad.

[5] Electric lights came to Ashville in 1891, and the first telephone company was chartered in the same year.

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.

22.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,346 people, 778 households, and 584 families residing in the city.

In 1960, the precinct was changed to "census division" as part of a general reorganization of counties.

[15] On the evening of April 27, 2011, an EF-4 tornado ripped through the Shoal Creek Valley community south of Ashville, killing 13 people.

The tornado also destroyed hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of property including homes, livestock, timberland, and farm equipment.

Rescuers from neighboring communities immediately responded after the twister swept through the valley; however, due to the abundance of fallen timber blocking the roads and the remoteness of the community, many victims were forced to wait hours before aid could arrive.

The community received both federal and state disaster aid for several weeks following the destructive tornado.