BOONE, NORTH CAROLINA

'Boone' is a town located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. Boone is the county seat of Watauga County. The population was 13,472 as of the 2000 census.
Boone acquires its name from the famous pioneer and explorer Daniel Boone, who on several occasions camped at a site generally agreed to be within the present city limits. Boone was served by the narrow gauge East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (nicknamed "Tweetsie") until the flood of 1940.
Boone is the home of Appalachian State University, a constituent member of the University of North Carolina. Appalachian State is the fifth largest university in the sixteen campus system. Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute also operates a satellite campus in Boone.
"''Horn in the West''", a dramatization of the life and times of Daniel Boone, has been performed in an outdoor amphitheatre above the town every summer since 1952. The original "Daniel Boone" was Ned Austin, whose "Hollywood Star" stands on a pedestal on King Street downtown. Michael Houser, a founding member of and late lead-guitarist for the band Widespread Panic, was born in Boone. The Grammy award winning guitar player Doc Watson also comes from the Boone area, as do many bluegrass musicians and Appalachian storytellers.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Development Controversy

Points of interest

See also

References

External links

Geography

Boone is located at (36.211364, -81.668657) and has an elevation of 3,266 ft (995.5 m) above mean sea level. An earlier survey gave the elevation as 3,332 ft and since then it has been published as having an elevation of 3,333 ft (1,016 m). Boone has the highest elevation of any town of its size (over 10,000 population) east of the Mississippi River. As such, the climate of Boone is a cooler humid continental climate (Koppen climate classification ''Dfb'') closer to that of New England or the upper Midwest than the South. During summer, high temperatures in Boone are typically 80 °F (27 °C) or below, noticeably cooler than the lowland areas to the east and south, and summers are also considerably less humid than in other parts of the Carolinas. However, winters are longer, harsher, and colder, with frequent sleet and snowfall, and blizzard-like conditions are not unusual during the winter.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 15.1 km² (5.8 mi²). All of it is land, none of the area is covered by water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,472 people, 4,374 households, and 1,237 families residing in the town. The population density was 890.7/km² (2,307.0/mi²). There were 4,748 housing units at an average density of 313.9/km² (813.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.98% White, 3.42% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 1.19% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. 1.64% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 4,374 households out of which 9.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 21.0% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 71.7% were non-families. 38.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.97 and the average family size was 2.63.
The age distribution is 5.8% under the age of 18, 65.9% from 18 to 24, 12.1% from 25 to 44, 9.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. Both the overall age distribution and the median age are typical for communities dominated by a large university, here Appalachian State. For every 100 females there are 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.
The median household income is $20,541, and the median family income is $49,762. Males had a median income of $28,060 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income is $12,256. 37.0% of the population and 9.2% of families were below the poverty line. However, poverty statistics that are based on surveys of the entire population can be extremely misleading in communities dominated by students, such as Boone. Out of the total population, 6.3% of those under the age of 18 and 9.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. These particular statistics are far less skewed by the overwhelming dominance of students in Boone's population.

Development Controversy

Since the 1980s, Boone has developed at an unprecedented rate, spurred by the expansion of Appalachian State University and an influx of people from New England and Florida who chose the area for a second home. Development continues within the city and the outlying rural areas, predominantly taking the form of urban sprawl; i.e. strip mall development and big box stores adjacent to major roadways. Development of the area is extremely controversial, and many Boone residents – including students, for whom much of the development is intended – feel that the ongoing urbanization of the valley detracts from the city's natural setting.
Boone currently has no zoning laws and no long-term plan that dictates how the city can grow. There is no clear indication as to the future of Boone's development. Some signs indicate that local government bodies are beginning to examine the long-term effects of development more closely – for example, the 2005 moratorium ^[1] that limited multi-family developments to 24 or fewer units. On the other hand, the city recently decided to widen King Street^[2], a major thoroughfare through the historic downtown. The construction of a wider road will displace many local businesses that have existed for decades.

Points of interest

★ Appalachian State University

★ Blue Ridge Parkway

★ Daniel Boone Native Gardens

★ Horn in the West

★ Howard's Knob

★ Tweetsie Railroad

★ Watauga River

See also

★ Banner Elk, North Carolina

★ Elizabethton, Tennessee

★ Roan Mountain, Tennessee

★ Roan Mountain State Park

References

1. http://www.wataugademocrat.com/2005/0228web/councilretreat.php3
2. http://theapp.appstate.edu/content/view/2311/42/

External links

★ Official Boone, NC website

★

★ Boone Area Chamber of Commerce

★ Boone Convention & Visitors Bureau

★ AppalCART Public Transportation

★ The Mountain Times

★ The Watauga Democrat

★ Boone Radio Station News and Streaming Broadcasts

★ Historical Boone Photos, Postcards, and Paper

★ Cy Crumley ET&WNC Photo Collection