Known first as Jeptha, Rosman became known as Toxaway in the early 20th century. Because this caused confusion with the nearby resort town of Lake Toxaway, in 1903 the name was changed to Eastatoe. The citizens apparently did not like the new name, so Joseph Silversteen gave the town the name Rosman in 1905. The name came from two of Mr. Silversteen's business associates, Joseph Rosenthal and Morris Osmansky.
Geography
Rosman is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, all of it land. Within the town limits of Rosman and to the south of the town limits, U.S. Route 178 is called Pickens Highway, referring to Pickens, South Carolina. South of Rosman, the highway continues across mountainous terrain through a series of switchback curves into South Carolina, eventually reaching Pickens. Rosman sits on the eastern boundary of Pisgah National Forest. The French Broad River runs through the town of Rosman. The river's origin, where the North Fork French Broad and the West Fork French Broad converge to form the river proper, lies just west of the town. A U.S. Geological Survey stream gauge, station number 03439000, is located on the French Broad River in Rosman. The climate is very wet, with a mean annual rainfall since 1936 of —one of the highest in the US east of the Cascades. The record annual rainfall of in 1964 is the second heaviest for a calendar year within this region, only behind Mount Washington’s record from 1969.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 490 people, 210 households, and 149 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,140.7 people per square mile. There were 236 housing units at an average density of 549.4 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 98.57% White, 0.20% Asian, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.22% of the population. There were 210 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couplesliving together, 20.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.77. In the town, the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $20,179, and the median income for a family was $24,219. Males had a median income of $21,500 versus $21,042 for females. The per capita income for the town was $9,626. About 23.1% of families and 25.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.6% of those under age 18 and 35.8% of those age 65 or over.
The schools in the Rosman area include Rosman Elementary & TC Henderson Elementary, Rosman Middle and Rosman High School. Rosman's athletic teams are nicknamed the Tigers.
