Watauga County ( )
from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

. Retrieved January 31, 2013. is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. The population was 54,086 at the 2020 census. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

and largest community is Boone. The county is in an exceptionally mountainous region, known as the High Country. It is the home of

Appalachian State University Appalachian State University (), or App State, is a Public university, public research university in Boone, North Carolina, United States. It was founded as a normal school, teachers' college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and th ...

, which has approximately 21,570 students as of Fall 2024. Watauga County comprises the Boone, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The county was formed in 1849 from parts of Ashe, Caldwell, Wilkes, and Yancey counties. It was named for the

Watauga River The Watauga River () is a large stream of western North Carolina and East Tennessee. It is long with its headwaters in Linville Gap to the South Fork Holston River at Boone Lake. Course The Watauga River rises from a spring located south to ...

, whose name is said to be a Native American word. Meanings include "beautiful water," "whispering waters," "village of many springs," and "river of islands."

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.28%) is water. Watauga County is extremely mountainous, and all of the county's terrain is located within the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

range. The highest point in the county is Calloway Peak, the highest peak of Grandfather Mountain (shared with the adjacent counties of Avery and Caldwell), which rises to above sea level. At an elevation of above sea level, Beech Mountain is the highest incorporated community east of the Mississippi River. Boone, the county's largest city and county seat, has the highest elevation (3,333 feet) of any city over 10,000 population in the Eastern United States. Isolated by mountainous terrain from the remainder of North Carolina to the east, Watauga County was described in the 19th and early 20th centuries as one of the Lost Provinces of North Carolina.

National protected areas

Blue Ridge Parkway The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and National Scenic Byway, All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is the longest linear park in the U.S., runs for through 29 counties in Virginia and ...

(part) * Julian Price Memorial Park * Moses H. Cone Memorial Park *

Pisgah National Forest Pisgah National Forest is a United States National Forest, 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 P ...

(part)

State and local protected areas

* Beech Creek Bog State Natural Area * Elk Knob Game Land * Elk Knob State Park (part) * Foscoe Grandfather Community Center * Grandfather Mountain State Park (part) * Green Valley Community Park * Pisgah National Forest Game Land (part) * Turtle Island Preserve

Major water bodies

* Buckeye Creek * Craborchard Creek * Howard Creek * Laurel Creek * Meadow Creek * North Fork New River * Sharp Creek * South Fork New River *

Yadkin River The Yadkin River is one of the longest rivers in the US state of North Carolina, flowing . It rises in the northwestern portion of the state near the Blue Ridge Parkway, Blue Ridge Parkway's Thunder Hill Overlook. Several parts of the river a ...

Adjacent counties

* Ashe County – northeast * Wilkes County – east * Caldwell County – south * Avery County – southwest * Johnson County, Tennessee – northwest

Climate

As with most of North Carolina's High Country, the climate of Watauga County is that of a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

, characterized by considerably cooler and more extreme weather than in other parts of the state. Dramatic and unexpected changes in the weather are not uncommon in the county, particularly for precipitation. 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 south and east. Summers can be very warm, with temperatures commonly near 80 °F and occasionally (although infrequently) approaching 90 °F. Snow usually starts in November, tapering off by March, and occasional snowfall occurs in April. Windy conditions tend to be amplified across the county due to the rugged terrain and high elevation.

Ski resorts

Because of the cold winter climate in Watauga County, the area is home to several ski resorts. * Appalachian Ski Mountain * Beech Mountain Resort * Sugar Mountain Resort

Transportation

Watauga County, like much of the High Country, has no

interstate highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...

. The county is served by

state highways A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

maintained by the

North Carolina Department of Transportation The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is responsible for building, repairing, and operating highways, bridges, and other modes of transportation, including ferries in the U.S. state of North Carolina. History The North Carolina ...

. The

in eastern portions of Watauga is sometimes used as a commuter route due to its proximity to populated areas—for example, it is the fastest route between the unincorporated community of

Bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

and the town of Blowing Rock.

Major highways

* * * * * * * *

Airport

A small general aviation airstrip (FAA Identifier: NC14) is located in Boone. However, it has no scheduled commercial service. As such, commercial airline passengers must typically utilize the airports at Charlotte,

Greensboro Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina, af ...

in North Carolina, or the Tri-Cities in Tennessee.

Public Transportation

There is a public transport system in Boone provided by AppalCART that services the downtown and some outlying areas at no cost, in addition to paratransit, and rural route services for a small fee. Sunway Charters, a charter bus company, operates in cooperation with

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. is an American operator of Intercity bus service, intercity bus services. Greyhound operates the largest intercity bus network in the United States, and also operates charter and Amtrak Thruway services, as well as interci ...

to provide coach bus service from Boone to Charlotte and Greensboro, called the ''Mountaineer North–South'' and the ''Mountaineer East–West'', respectively.

Demographics

2024 census

https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-counties/north-carolina/watauga-county White: 50,349 92.32% Two or more races: 1,737 3.18% Black or African American: 981 1.8% Asian: 767 1.41% Other race: 348 0.64% Native American: 339 0.62% Native Hawaiian: 19 0.03%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 54,086 people, 21,077 households, and 11,452 families residing in the county.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 42,695 people, 16,540 households, and 9,411 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 23,155 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.45%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.59% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 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. According to the 2000 Census the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Watauga County were: English (25.1%),

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

(22.5%) and Irish (13.3%). Most of those claiming Irish ancestry in Watauga county are actually of Scots-Irish/Ulster-Scots Protestant background and not Irish Catholics. There were 16,540 households, out of which 23.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.40% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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

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 income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $17,258. About 7.20% of families and 17.90% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 11.50% of those under age 18 and 10.60% of those age 65 or over.

Government, public safety, and politics

Government

Watauga County is governed by an elected Board of Commissioners who provide administration policy for the appointed County Manager. Watauga County is a member of the regional High Country Council of Governments.

Public safety

County sheriff and municipal police

The Sheriff's Office provides court protection, jail management, and protection of all county owned facilities for all of Watauga County and patrol and detective services for the unincorporated areas of the county. The towns of Boone, Beech Mountain, Blowing Rock, and Seven Devils have municipal police departments.

Fire protection and emergency services

Fire protection is provided by 13 fire departments in Watauga County including Beaver Dam, Boone, Beech Mountain, Cove Creek, Deep Gap, Foscoe, Meat Camp, Shawneehaw, Stewart, Simmons, Todd, and Zionville. The Emergency Management Office coordinates resources for emergency services.

Politics

Historically, Watauga's strong Unionist sympathies – though not as strong as North Carolina highland-mountain counties like Avery and Mitchell, or counties with Quaker, antislavery histories like Yadkin – meant the county voted mainly Republican during the

Solid South The Solid South was the electoral voting bloc for the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the Southern United States between the end of the Reconstruction era in 1877 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In the aftermath of the Co ...

Democrat era, except in Presidential landslides. The only Democrats to gain an absolute majority of the county's vote in the 20th century were

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

in 1932 and 1936, and by a very narrow margin,

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

in 1964, while

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

in 1912 and

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

in 1992 obtained pluralities in three-cornered contests. The growth of

, with its predominantly left-leaning electorate, has strengthened the Democratic Party's standing and it carried the county in 2008, 2016, 2020 and 2024. The county has also proved favorable for Libertarians, with Watauga being

Gary Johnson Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 29th List of governors of New Mexico, governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republica ...

's best county in all of North Carolina in both his 2012 and 2016 campaigns.

Economy

Some notable examples of the county's economy are: * The county produces significant amounts of

Fraser fir The Fraser fir (''Abies fraseri''), sometimes spelled Frasier fir, is an endangered species of fir native to the Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern United States. They are endemic to only seven montane regions in the Appalachian Mountains ...

Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen pinophyta, conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas. It may also consist of an artificial tree of similar appearance. The custom was deve ...

s. * The growth of produce was once a mainstay in the agricultural economy of the county.

Cabbage Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of '' Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.& ...

was once widely grown, so much so, that a

sauerkraut Sauerkraut (; , ) is finely cut raw cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria. It has a long shelf life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid formed when the bacteria ferment the sugar ...

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 has been operating in Boone since 1974. * The Beech Mountain Resort is one of the few ski resorts operating in the Southeastern United States. * Appalachian State University is a major economic driver for the county and the region as a whole, generating US$2.2 billion in statewide impact and US$573 million in local impact as of 2022.

Education

K–8 schools

* Bethel * Blowing Rock * Cove Creek * Grace Academy * Green Valley * Hardin Park * Mabel * Mountain Pathways Montessori School * Parkway * Two Rivers Community School * Valle Crucis

High school

* Watauga High School

Colleges and universities

, part of the

University of North Carolina System A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

and enrolls more than 21,000 students *

Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute (CCC&TI) is a public community college in Hudson, North Carolina. It serves residents of Caldwell and Watauga counties. CCC&TI is part of the North Carolina Community College System. CCC&TI o ...

, satellite campus

Communities

Towns

* Beech Mountain * Blowing Rock * Boone (county seat and largest community) * Seven Devils

Census-designated places

* Cove Creek * Foscoe * Valle Crucis

Unincorporated communities

* Aho * Bamboo * Deep Gap * Matney * Meat Camp * Sherwood *

Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. The village is about south-southwest of Towcester and northeast of Brackley, both accessed via the A43 road, A43 main ...

* Sugar Grove * Todd * Vilas * Zionville

Former communities

* Shulls Mill

Townships

* Bald Mountain * Beaverdam * Blowing Rock * Blue Ridge * Boone * Brushy Fork * Cove Creek * Elk * Laurel Creek * Meat Camp * New River * North Fork * Shawneehaw * Stony Fork * Watauga

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1849 establishments in North Carolina Populated places established in 1849 North Carolina placenames of Native American origin