Boone is a town located in the northern mountains of North Carolina and in Watauga County, North Carolina, for which it is the county seat and market town. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 13,472.
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 legendary narrow gauge East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC) (also known as "Tweetsie Railroad").
Boone is the site of the Appalachian State University (ASU), a constituent member of the University of North Carolina. It has an enrollment that exceeds 14,000.
"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. The multi Grammy award winner,guitar player Doc Watson also comes from the Boone area, as do many bluegrass musicians and Appalachian storytellers.
Boone is located at 36°12'41" North, 81°40'7" West (36.211364, -81.668657) and has an elevation of 3266 ft above mean sea level. An earlier survey gave the elevation as 3332 ft and since then it has been published as having an elevation of 3333 ft. 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 closer to that of New England or the upper Midwest than the South.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 15.1 km2 (5.8 mi2). 15.1 km2 (5.8 mi2) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 13,472 people, 4,374 households, and 1,237 families residing in the town. The population density is 890.7/km2 (2,307.0/mi2). There are 4,748 housing units at an average density of 313.9/km2 (813.0/mi2). The racial makeup of the town is 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 4,374 households out of which 9.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 21.0% are married couples living together, 5.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 71.7% are non-families. 38.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 1.97 and the average family size is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 21 years. Both the overall age distributon 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 are 94.7 males.
The median household income is $20,541, and the median family income is $49,762. Males have 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 are 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 are living below the poverty line. These particular statistics are far less skewed by the overwhelming dominance of students in Boone's population.
Source:
BooneNorthCarolina.com
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