Montreat is nestled in a cove of 4,500 acres on the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville and Black Mountain. Established in 1897 by an interdenominational group largely from the North, it was the first religious assembly to be founded in the Swannanoa Valley. True to its initial charter, Montreat serves as a location for physical and spiritual renewal and as a center for Christian study and practice. In 1906, Montreat was purchased by a group of Presbyterian individuals largely from the South. Today it consists of three entities: the Town of Montreat, Montreat College, and the Montreat Conference Center, which serves the Presbyterian Church (USA). Montreat is also widely known as the mountain home of the Billy Graham family.