Boone, North Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Boone, North Carolina
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| Town of Boone | ||
West King Street
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| Country | United States | |
| State | North Carolina | |
| County | Watauga | |
| Incorporated | 1872 | |
| Named for | Daniel Boone | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Council–manager | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 6.33 sq mi (16.39 km2) | |
| • Land | 6.31 sq mi (16.34 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2) | |
| Elevation | 3,333 ft (1,015.9 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 19,092 | |
| • Density | 2,792.8/sq mi (1,078.3/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | |
| ZIP codes |
28607-28608
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| Area code(s) | 828 | |
| FIPS code | 37-07080 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 1009539 | |
| Website | http://www.townofboone.net | |
Boone is a town in and the county seat of Watauga County, North Carolina, United States. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, Boone is the home of Appalachian State University and the headquarters for the disaster and medical relief organization Samaritan's Purse. The population was 19,092 at the 2020 census.
The town is named for famous American pioneer and explorer Daniel Boone, and every summer from 1952 (except 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) has hosted an outdoor amphitheatre drama, Horn in the West, portraying the British settlement of the area during the American Revolutionary War and featuring the contributions of its namesake. It is the largest community and the economic hub of the seven-county region of Western North Carolina known as the High Country.
Contents
Boone
Boone took 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. Daniel's nephews, Jesse and Jonathan (sons of brother Israel Boone), were members of the town's first church, Three Forks Baptist, still in existence today.
Boone was served by the narrow gauge East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (nicknamed "Tweetsie") until the flood of 1940. The flood washed away much of the tracks and it was decided not to replace them.
Boone is the home of Appalachian State University, a constituent member of the University of North Carolina. Appalachian State is the sixth largest university in the seventeen-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 the early settlers of the mountain area, which features Daniel Boone as one of its characters, has been performed in an outdoor amphitheatre above the town every summer since 1952. The original actor in the role of "Daniel Boone" was Ned Austin. His "Hollywood Star" stands on a pedestal on King Street in downtown Boone. He was followed in the role by Glenn Causey, who portrayed the rugged frontiersman for 41 years, and whose image is still seen in many of the depictions of Boone featured in the area today.
Boone is a center for bluegrass musicians and Appalachian storytellers. Notable artists associated with Boone include the late, Grammy Award-winning bluegrass guitar player Doc Watson and the late guitarist Michael Houser, founding member of and lead guitarist for the band Widespread Panic, both Boone natives, as well as Old Crow Medicine Show, The Blue Rags, and Eric Church.
The Blair Farm, Daniel Boone Hotel, Jones House, John Smith Miller House, and US Post Office-Boone are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Geography and climate
Boone is located at 36°12′41″N 81°40′7″W / 36.21139°N 81.66861°W (36.211364, −81.668657) and has an elevation of 3,333 feet (1015.9 m) above 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, Boone features, depending on the isotherm used, a oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb), or a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), a rarity for the Southeastern United States, and straddles the boundary between USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 6B and 7A; the elevation also results in enhanced precipitation, with 52.7 inches (1,340 mm) of average annual precipitation. Compared to the lower elevations of the Carolinas, winters are long and cold, with frequent sleet and snowfall. The daily average temperature in January is 31.2 °F (−0.4 °C), which gives Boone a winter climate more similar to coastal southern New England rather than the Southeast, where a humid subtropical climate dominates. Blizzard-like conditions are not unusual during many winters. Summers are warm, but far cooler and less humid than lower regions to the south and east, with a July daily average temperature of 68.5 °F (20.3 °C). Boone typically receives on average nearly 35 inches (89 cm) of snowfall annually, far higher than the lowland areas in the rest of North Carolina.
| Climate data for Boone, North Carolina | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 41.6 (5.33) |
44.6 (7) |
52.2 (11.22) |
61.3 (16.28) |
69.3 (20.72) |
75.9 (24.39) |
78.9 (26.06) |
78.1 (25.61) |
72.1 (22.28) |
63.2 (17.33) |
54.2 (12.33) |
44.5 (6.94) |
61.4 (16.33) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 31.2 (-0.44) |
33.9 (1.06) |
40.7 (4.83) |
49.3 (9.61) |
57.7 (14.28) |
65.0 (18.33) |
68.5 (20.28) |
67.5 (19.72) |
61.1 (16.17) |
51.4 (10.78) |
42.7 (5.94) |
34.1 (1.17) |
50.3 (10.17) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 20.7 (-6.28) |
23.2 (-4.89) |
29.2 (-1.56) |
37.3 (2.94) |
46.1 (7.83) |
54.1 (12.28) |
58.1 (14.5) |
56.8 (13.78) |
50.1 (10.06) |
39.5 (4.17) |
31.1 (-0.5) |
23.7 (-4.61) |
39.2 (4) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 3.78 (96) |
3.92 (99.6) |
4.75 (120.7) |
4.47 (113.5) |
4.43 (112.5) |
5.10 (129.5) |
5.00 (127) |
5.10 (129.5) |
4.44 (112.8) |
3.59 (91.2) |
4.47 (113.5) |
3.69 (93.7) |
52.73 (1,339.3) |
| Snowfall inches (cm) | 10.3 (26.2) |
9.0 (22.9) |
4.3 (10.9) |
2.9 (7.4) |
0.1 (0.3) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.1 (0.3) |
1.3 (3.3) |
6.7 (17) |
34.6 (87.9) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 11.4 | 11.0 | 11.6 | 12.0 | 13.3 | 13.5 | 13.5 | 12.6 | 10.0 | 9.1 | 9.7 | 11.3 | 139.0 |
| Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 4.5 | 4.0 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 3.2 | 16.2 |
| Source: NOAA (normals 1981−2010) | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 167 | — | |
| 1890 | 144 | −13.8% | |
| 1900 | 155 | 7.6% | |
| 1910 | 179 | 15.5% | |
| 1920 | 374 | 108.9% | |
| 1930 | 1,295 | 246.3% | |
| 1940 | 1,788 | 38.1% | |
| 1950 | 2,973 | 66.3% | |
| 1960 | 3,686 | 24.0% | |
| 1970 | 8,754 | 137.5% | |
| 1980 | 10,191 | 16.4% | |
| 1990 | 12,915 | 26.7% | |
| 2000 | 13,472 | 4.3% | |
| 2010 | 17,122 | 27.1% | |
| 2020 | 19,092 | 11.5% | |
2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 13,701 | 71.76% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,783 | 9.34% |
| Native American | 31 | 0.16% |
| Asian | 645 | 3.38% |
| Pacific Islander | 7 | 0.04% |
| Other/Mixed | 1,154 | 6.04% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,771 | 9.28% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 19,092 people, 5,905 households, and 1,641 families residing in the town.
Development
Industrial, commercial, and residential development in the town of Boone is a controversial issue due to its location in the mountains of Appalachia. On October 16, 2009, the town council accepted the "Boone 2030 Land Use Plan." While the document itself is not in any way actual law, it is used by the town council, board of adjustment, and other committees to guide decision making as to what types of development are appropriate.
In 2009, the North Carolina Department of Transportation began widening 1.1 miles of U.S. 421 (King Street) to a 4-to-6-lane divided highway with a raised concrete median from U.S. 321 (Hardin Street) to east of N.C. 194 (Jefferson Road), including a new entrance and exit to the new Watauga High School, at a cost of $16.2 million. The widening has displaced 25 businesses and 63 residences east of historic downtown King Street. The project was slated to be completed by December 31, 2011, but construction continued into the spring of 2012.
Points of interest
- Appalachian State University
- Blue Ridge Parkway
- Daniel Boone Native Gardens
- Horn in the West
- Howard's Knob
- Tweetsie Railroad
- Watauga River
- Elk Knob State Park
- Grandfather Mountain
Sports
Boone is home to the Appalachian State Mountaineers as well as Appalachian FC.
Notable people
- Sam Adams, professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour
- Chris Austin, country music singer
- Eustace Conway, an American naturalist
- Rufus L. Edmisten, former North Carolina Secretary of State and Attorney General
- Tommy Gregg, former MLB player
- Steve Goss, former North Carolina Senator and ordained Southern Baptist minister
- Doc Hendley, founder of Wine to Water, an American charitable organization
- John Hollar, former NFL player for the Washington Redskins and Detroit Lions
- James Holshouser, was the 68th Governor of North Carolina
- Michael Houser, founding member and lead guitarist of the band Widespread Panic
- Ken Isaacs, executive with the Christian organization Samaritan's Purse
- Ryder Jones, MLB player with the Arizona Diamondbacks
- Bob Matheson, former NFL player and two-time Super Bowl champion with the Miami Dolphins
- Abraham Morlu, former CFL player and track Olympian, representing his birth country Liberia
- Stanley South, major proponent of the processual archaeology movement
- Brenda Taylor, Olympic hurdler who represented the Team USA at the 2004 Athens Olympics
- Coaker Triplett, former MLB player for the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and Philadelphia Phillies
- Doc Watson, bluegrass, gospel, blues, folk, and country singer
See also
In Spanish: Boone (Carolina del Norte) para niños
