IntelliMoveTake the quiz →
Small city

Living in Boone, NC

Boone is a small city of 20,032 people in Watauga County, North Carolina. It's about 38 miles from Hickory, NC and 84 miles from Charlotte, NC, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 79°F and winter highs 41°F, with about 26 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $411k and rent runs about $1k a month.

20,032people
$411kTypical home
$1,111/moRent
79° / 41°Summer / winter
26"Snow
224Sunny days
146Rain/snow days

Is Boone right for you?

Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.

Take the quiz →Open in the app

Size & setting

  • Small city of 20,032
  • Its own small hub, not a suburb
  • About 3,137 people per sq mi
  • 84 mi to Charlotte, NC
  • 38 mi to Hickory, NC
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $411k (≈$2,592/mo)
  • Median rent $1,111/mo
  • Median household income $30k
  • Property tax about 0.6% of value
  • 12.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 79°F
  • Winter highs around 41°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
  • 224 sunny days a year (75 totally clear)
  • 141 cloudy days a year
  • 44 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 146 days a year with rain or snow
  • 26" of snow a year
  • 10 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 8 nights a year below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (153 per 100k)
  • Low property crime (910 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 21
  • 10% of households have kids
  • 7% are 65 or older
  • 57% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 65% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 17 min
  • 17% walk or take transit to work
  • 45 mi to TRI airport
  • 80 mi to CLT (major hub)
  • 88 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 30% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1985
  • 88% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Hilly terrain
  • Elevation 3,288 ft
  • 235 mi to the ocean
  • 122 mi to a big lake
  • Trailhead in town
  • 3 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 3 mi to the nearest campground
  • 19 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 173 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 3 bars within 25 mi
  • 35 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 17 museums within 25 mi
  • 7 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • Farmers market in town

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 20% of North Carolina districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 1 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 31 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • Vet in town
  • Dog park in town
  • 11 congregations per 10k people
  • College in town

Politics

  • Watauga County: D+6 in 2024
  • North Carolina: R+3 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Low hurricane risk
  • Low tornado risk
  • Low wildfire risk
  • Low earthquake risk
  • High flood risk
  • Low drought risk
  • High winter storm risk
  • Very low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Boone

More places in North Carolina →