Cranberry, North Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cranberry
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 Cranberry, North Carolina
Location in North Carolina
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| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Avery County |
| Founded | 1850 |
| Named for | Cranberry Creek |
| Elevation | 3,130 ft (954 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
28622
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| Area code(s) | 828 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1019844 |
Cranberry is a small place in Avery County, North Carolina, United States. It is called an unincorporated community. This means it's a group of homes and businesses that isn't officially a town with its own local government.
Cranberry was started in 1850. It got its name from Cranberry Creek, a stream that flows nearby. You can find Cranberry about one mile south of Elk Park, right along US 19E.
Contents
Discovering Cranberry's Past
Cranberry has a really interesting history, especially because of what was found there.
Iron Ore: A Valuable Resource
Even before people settled in Cranberry, the area was famous for something very important: iron ore. It had one of the biggest natural deposits of iron ore in the whole United States! Iron ore is a rock from which we can get iron, a strong metal used for many things.
During the American Civil War, this iron was very important. It was used to make supplies for the Confederate Army. This shows how valuable Cranberry's natural resources were.
The "Tweetsie" Railroad Arrives
In 1882, a special train line called the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad, also known as "Tweetsie," came to Cranberry. This railroad connected Cranberry to Johnson City, Tennessee. It made it much easier to move goods and people.
The railroad grew over time. It reached Montezuma in 1904 and then Boone by 1919. The "Tweetsie" railroad helped Cranberry become a busy place.
Cranberry as a Town
When the railroad was active, Cranberry became a real town. It had many important places like a hotel, a cafe, stables for horses, a post office, and a general store where people could buy everything they needed.
However, Cranberry stopped being an official town after 1929. This happened when the Cranberry Furnace, where iron was processed, closed down. The railroad also stopped running to Cranberry in 1950.
Cranberry Today
Even though Cranberry is no longer an official town, some important buildings and services are still there.
You can find a church, a school that teaches both elementary and middle school students, a garage, a nursing facility, and a store. The old Cranberry High School building is still standing too. It's now used as a community center, a place for people to gather and hold events.
