Linville is a community centered just south of the US 221 and NC 105 intersection in Avery County, North Carolina. The community—at times known as Clay or Porcelain—was founded in 1883 and designed by Samuel T. Kelsey of Kansas, and named for William and John Linville, who were killed by Cherokees in 1766. The East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad passed through the community from 1916 until 1940, when a major flood washed away the tracks. The old rail route later became NC 105 in 1956.