Watauga County is a
countyA county is a land area of local government within a country. A county may have cities and towns within its area. Originally, in continental Europe, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count .Counts are called earls in post-Celtic Britain, Ireland and France—the term is from Old...
located in the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
. As of 2000, the population was 42,695. Its
county seatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
is
BooneBoone is a town located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, USA.Boone is the county seat of Watauga County.Boone is the home of Appalachian State University....
.
The county was formed in 1849 from parts of
Ashe CountyAshe County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 24,384. Its county seat is Jefferson.- Geography :...
,
Caldwell CountyCaldwell County is a county located in the state of North Carolina, USA. As of 2000, the population was 77,415. Its county seat is Lenoir.Caldwell County is part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
,
Wilkes CountyWilkes County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 65,632; in July 2006 the U.S. Census estimated the county's population at 67,310. Its county seat is Wilkesboro.- History :...
, and
Yancey CountyYancey County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 17,774. Its county seat is Burnsville. Yancey County is one of the two dry counties in North Carolina along with Graham.-History:...
. It was named for the
Watauga RiverThe Watauga River is a large stream of western North Carolina and East Tennessee. It is 60 miles long with its headwaters on the slopes of Grandfather Mountain in Watauga County, North Carolina.-Hydrography:...
, whose name is said to be a
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
word, the meaning of which is in dispute among various histories with translations ranging from beautiful water, whispering waters, village of many springs, and river of islands, to name a few.
Watauga County is a
countyA county is a land area of local government within a country. A county may have cities and towns within its area. Originally, in continental Europe, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count .Counts are called earls in post-Celtic Britain, Ireland and France—the term is from Old...
located in the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
. As of 2000, the population was 42,695. Its
county seatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
is
BooneBoone is a town located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, USA.Boone is the county seat of Watauga County.Boone is the home of Appalachian State University....
.
History
The county was formed in 1849 from parts of
Ashe CountyAshe County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 24,384. Its county seat is Jefferson.- Geography :...
,
Caldwell CountyCaldwell County is a county located in the state of North Carolina, USA. As of 2000, the population was 77,415. Its county seat is Lenoir.Caldwell County is part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
,
Wilkes CountyWilkes County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 65,632; in July 2006 the U.S. Census estimated the county's population at 67,310. Its county seat is Wilkesboro.- History :...
, and
Yancey CountyYancey County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 17,774. Its county seat is Burnsville. Yancey County is one of the two dry counties in North Carolina along with Graham.-History:...
. It was named for the
Watauga RiverThe Watauga River is a large stream of western North Carolina and East Tennessee. It is 60 miles long with its headwaters on the slopes of Grandfather Mountain in Watauga County, North Carolina.-Hydrography:...
, whose name is said to be a
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
word, the meaning of which is in dispute among various histories with translations ranging from beautiful water, whispering waters, village of many springs, and river of islands, to name a few.
In 1861 parts of Watauga County,
Burke CountyBurke County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 89,148. Its county seat is Morganton. The symbol of Burke County is Table Rock....
, Caldwell County,
McDowell CountyMcDowell County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2008 estimate, the population was 50,151. Its county seat is Marion.-History:Cherokee and Catawba Indians were the first known inhabitants of what is now McDowell County....
, and Yancey County were combined to form
Mitchell CountyMitchell County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 15,687. Its county seat is Bakersville...
. In 1911, parts of Watauga County, Caldwell County, and Mitchell County were combined to form
Avery CountyAvery County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population is 17,167. Its county seat is Newland.- History :...
.
Country music pioneer
Al HopkinsAlbert Green Hopkins was an American musician, a pioneer of what later came to be called country music; in 1925 he originated the earlier designation of this music as "hillbilly music", though not without qualms about its pejorative connotation.Hopkins played piano, an unusual instrument for...
was born in Watauga County in 1889.
Eight-time Grammy Award winner
Doc WatsonArthel Lane "Doc" Watson is an American guitar player, songwriter and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues and gospel music. He has won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Watson's flatpicking skills and knowledge of traditional American music are highly regarded...
was born in Watauga County in 1923.
Law and government
Watauga County is a member of the regional
High Country Council of GovernmentsThe High Country Council of Governments is one of the 17 regional North Carolina Councils of Governments established by the North Carolina General Assembly for the purpose of regional planning and administration. Headquartered in Boone, North Carolina, it serves Yancey, Mitchell, Avery, Watauga,...
.
Climate and Weather
As with most of North Carolina's High Country, the climate of Watauga County is considerably cooler and more drastic than other parts of the state. Dramatic and unexpected changes in the weather are not uncommon in the county, particularly when it comes to precipitation. Windy conditions, sudden temperature drops, and even freezing precipitation in late spring and early autumn is quite common. This is partly due to the elevation of the county, and partly due to orographic lifting, which causes precipitation to fall more readily in Watauga County than in lowland areas to the east. Snow and/or sleet has been reported in the county in every month of the year except for July. Windy conditions, also, tend to be amplified across the county due to the rugged terrain and high elevation. Many people have noted that the winters of Watauga County tend to resemble those of the northern United States instead of the South.
Because of the cold weather in Watauga County, the area is home to several ski resorts. These include Appalachian Ski Mountain and Ski Hawksnest(Not a ski resort anymore).
Elementary schools
Bethel Elementary
Blowing Rock Elementary
Cove Creek Elementary
Grace Academy (Private)
Green Valley Elementary
Hardin Park Elementary
Mabel Elementary
Mountain Pathways Montessori School (Private)
Parkway Elementary
Two Rivers Community School (charter)
Valle Crucis Elementary
Colleges and universities
Appalachian State UniversityAppalachian State University is a comprehensive , public, coeducational university located in Boone, North Carolina, United States. Appalachian State, also referred to as App State or simply App, is the sixth largest institution in the University of North Carolina system...
Caldwell Community College & Technical InstituteCaldwell Community College and Technical Institute is a public community college serving residents of Caldwell and Watauga counties in North Carolina...
- satellite campus
Agriculture
- The county produces heavy amounts of Fraser Fir
Abies fraseri is a species of fir native to the mountains of the eastern United States. It is closely related to Abies balsamea , of which it has occasionally been treated as a subspecies or a variety Abies fraseri (Fraser fir) is a species of fir native to the mountains of the eastern United...
Christmas Trees
- The growth of produce was once a mainstay in the agricultural economy of the county. Cabbage
The cabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea Linne of the Family Brassicaceae , and is used as a leafy green vegetable...
was once widely grown, so much so, that a sauerkrautSauerkraut is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid that forms when the bacteria ferment the sugars in...
plant was once located in Boone. The plant has long been closed. Boone Creek, the main creek that runs through Boone and the Appalachian State University campus is still nicknamed Kraut Creek since it is said that the creek used to smell of sauerkraut juice coming out of the plant.
- The Watauga County Farmers' Market
The Watauga County Farmers' Market is a farmers' market located in Boone, North Carolina established July 6, 1974.-History:In 1973, the New River Valley Resource Conservation and Development Project, sponsored by the USDA with the Soil Conservation Service as the "lead agency" developed the...
has been operating in Boone since 1974.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the county has a total area of 313 square miles (810 km²), of which, 313 square miles (809 km²) of it is land and 0 square miles (1 km²) of it (0.07%) is water. Watauga County is extremely mountainous, and all of the county's terrain is located within the
Appalachian MountainsThe Appalachian Mountains , often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. Definitions vary on the precise boundaries of the Appalachians...
range. The highest point in the county is Calloway Peak, the highest peak of
Grandfather MountainGrandfather Mountain is a mountainnear Linville, North Carolina. At 5,946 feet , it is the highest peak on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains, one of the major chains of the Appalachian Mountains. The Blue Ridge Parkway passes by the south side of the mountain...
(shared with the adjacent counties of Avery and Caldwell), which rises to 5,964 feet (1,818 meters) above sea level. At an elevation of 5,506 feet (1,678 meters) above sea level, Beech Mountain is the highest incorporated community east of the Mississippi River.
Boone- Places :In the United States:* Boone, Colorado* Boone, Iowa* Boone, North Carolina* Boone Grove, Indiana* Boone Township, Minnesota* Boones Mill, Virginia* Boonesboro, Missouri* Boonesborough, Kentucky* Booneville...
, the county's largest city and county seat, has the highest elevation (3,266 feet) of any city over 10,000 population in the Eastern United States.
National protected areaProtected areas are locations which receive protection because of their environmental value, or environmental plus cultural values. Examples include parks, nature reserves, and wildlife sanctuaries...
s
- Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. It runs for 469 miles , mostly along the famous Blue Ridge, a major mountain chain that is part of the Appalachian Mountains...
(part)
- Pisgah National Forest
Pisgah National Forest is a National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. It is administered by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. The Pisgah National Forest is completely contained within the state of North Carolina...
(part)
Climate
As a result of its relatively high elevation, Watauga County enjoys considerably cooler summers than most of the rest of the southeastern United States. Likewise, winters are longer, harsher, and often much colder, with frequent
sleetSleet may refer to:*Rain and snow mixed, particularly in countries where British English is spoken*Ice pellets, mainly within the United States...
and snowfall, and blizzard-like conditions are not uncommon, especially at the higher elevations.
Boone, NC Historical Climate Summary
The county government provides a
GISA geographic information system , or geographical information system captures, stores, analyzes, manages, and presents data that is linked to location...
interface on the county website (see links below).
Townships
The county is divided into fifteen
townshipsA township in the United States is a small geographic area. Townships range in size from 6 to 54 square miles , with 36 square miles being the norm.The term is used in two ways....
: Bald Mountain, Beaverdam, Blowing Rock, Blue Ridge, Boone, Brushy Fork, Cove Creek, Elk, Laurel Creek, Meat Camp, New River, North Fork, Shawneehaw, Stony Fork, and Watauga.
Adjacent counties
- Ashe County, North Carolina
Ashe County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 24,384. Its county seat is Jefferson.- Geography :...
- northeast
- Wilkes County, North Carolina
Wilkes County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 65,632; in July 2006 the U.S. Census estimated the county's population at 67,310. Its county seat is Wilkesboro.- History :...
- east
- Caldwell County, North Carolina
Caldwell County is a county located in the state of North Carolina, USA. As of 2000, the population was 77,415. Its county seat is Lenoir.Caldwell County is part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
- south
- Avery County, North Carolina
Avery County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population is 17,167. Its county seat is Newland.- History :...
- southwest
- Johnson County, Tennessee
Johnson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 17,499. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 18,116 . Its county seat is Mountain City.-Geography:According to the U.S...
- northwest
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 42,695 people, 16,540 households, and 9,411 families residing in the county. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 137 people per square mile (53/km²). There were 23,155 housing units at an average density of 74 per square mile (29/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.45%
WhiteWhite American is an umbrella term officially employed by the United States Census Bureau, Office of Management and Budget and other U.S...
, 1.59%
Black or African AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa. In the United States, the terms are generally used for Americans with at least partial Sub-Saharan African ancestry...
, 0.25%
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
, 0.59%
Asian{Infobox Ethnic group|group = Asian American|image =Graduation Rate! align="CENTER" | Bachelor's Degree
or More|-| align="LEFT" | Asian Indians| align="RIGHT" | 90.2%| align="RIGHT" | 67.9%|-| align="LEFT" | Filipinos| align="RIGHT" | 90.8%...
, 0.04%
Pacific IslanderPacific Islander Americans, also known as Oceanian Americans, are residents of the United States with original ancestry from Oceania. They represent the smallest racial group counted in the United States census of 2000. They numbered 874,000 people or 0.3 percent of the United States population...
, 0.45% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races. 1.46% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.
There were 16,540 households out of which 23.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.40% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.10% were non-families. 28.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.80.
The age distribution is 16.30% under the age of 18, 27.80% from 18 to 24, 23.40% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. The overall age distribution and median age are greatly affected by the presence of
Appalachian State UniversityAppalachian State University is a comprehensive , public, coeducational university located in Boone, North Carolina, United States. Appalachian State, also referred to as App State or simply App, is the sixth largest institution in the University of North Carolina system...
in Boone. For every 100 females there are 99.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,611, and the median income for a family was $45,508. Males had a median income of $29,135 versus $22,006 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the county was $17,258. About 7.20% of families and 17.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.50% of those under age 18 and 10.60% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
- Beech Mountain
Beech Mountain is a town in Avery and Watauga counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 310 at the 2000 census. The town is located atop Beech Mountain, one of the higher peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains range.-Geography:...
- Blowing Rock
Blowing Rock is a town in North Carolina, situated in both Caldwell and Watauga counties. The population was 1,418 at the 2000 census. However, during the summer the town's population increases to about 10,000...
- Boone
Boone is a town located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, USA.Boone is the county seat of Watauga County.Boone is the home of Appalachian State University....
- Seven Devils
Seven Devils is a town in Avery and Watauga counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 129 at the 2000 census. The town, which is located in the midst of the Appalachian Mountains, is best-known as the site of a popular wintertime tubing resort known as Hawksnest, which claims...
Unincorporated communities
- Deep Gap
Deep Gap is an unincorporated community located in Watauga County, North Carolina. Daniel Boone spent a good part of his life in and around Deep Gap, traveling through an area known as Triplett . Powder Horn Mountain, one of the first gated resort communities in Western North Carolina, is located...
- Sugar Grove
Sugar Grove is an unincorporated community located in Watauga County, North Carolina.Sugar Grove is located in North West North Carolina off of US 321 and West of US 421....
- Valle Crucis
Valle Crucis is an unincorporated community located in Watauga County, North Carolina. The name of the town is Latin for "Vale of the Cross," a reference to a valley in the area where three streams converge to form a shape similar to an archbishop's cross....
- Zionville
Zionville is an unincorporated community in western Watauga County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The community lies along the North Carolina/Tennessee state line between Boone, North Carolina and Mountain City, Tennessee on U.S. Highway 421; part of the community stretches into Johnson...
Transportation
No commercial airports or passenger train depots are nearby. AMTRAK serves High Point and Winston-Salem in the nearby Piedmont area, and Piedmont Authority Regional Transportation (PART) bus provides connecting shuttle service to Watauga County. A helipad is in service at the Watauga Medical Center. A small general aviation airstrip (FAA Identifier: NC14) is located in Boone. Commercial airline passengers typically utilize the airports at
CharlotteCharlotte Douglas International Airport is a joint civil-military public international airport located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Established in 1935 as Charlotte Municipal Airport, in 1954 the airport was renamed Douglas Municipal Airport after former Charlotte mayor Ben Elbert Douglas, Sr...
or
GreensboroPiedmont Triad International Airport is an airport just west of Greensboro, serving Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem in North Carolina. The airport currently has 2 runways, but a third is being constructed...
in North Carolina, or
Tri-CitiesTri-Cities Regional Airport , also known as Tri-Cities Regional Airport, TN/VA, is a public airport located adjacent to Blountville, Tennessee...
in Tennessee. Some visitors use
Raleigh-Durham International AirportRaleigh-Durham International Airport is located nine statute miles northeast of the town of Morrisville in suburban Wake County, North Carolina, midway between the cities of Raleigh and Durham. The airport covers and operates three runways, providing direct service to 35 domestic and...
, which may have lower airfares on some routes, but is a considerable distance away.
External links