| Banner Elk, North Carolina | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
| Location of Banner Elk, North Carolina | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| County | Avery |
| Founded | 1848 |
| Incorporated | 1911 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-council |
| • Mayor | |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.2 sq mi (3.1 km2) |
| • Land | 1.2 sq mi (3.1 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 3,701 ft (1,128 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 811 |
| • Density | 679.8/sq mi (262.5/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 28604 |
| Area code(s) | 828 |
| FIPS code | 37-03500[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1018956[2] |
| Website | http://www.townofbannerelk.org/ |
Banner Elk is a town in Avery County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 811 at the 2000 census.
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The area surrounding the Elk River was inhabited by Cherokee Indians before western settlement, although no evidence of a permanent Cherokee settlement has ever been found. It is likely the area was used for hunting and fishing. The first permanent settlement was established by Martin L. Banner 1848. Although the Banner family originally came from Wales, Martin Banner moved from Forsyth County located in the piedmont region of North Carolina. Eventually, the Banner family grew to 55 members, and the area where they lived became known as Banner’s Elk. This name was later shortened to Banner Elk when the town was incorporated in 1911 (Heritage, 1976).
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 811 people, 215 households, and 124 families residing in the town. The population density was 679.8 people per square mile (263.1/km²). There were 290 housing units at an average density of 243.1 per square mile (94.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.26% White, 3.95% African American, 0.62% Native American, 1.23% Asian, 0.25% Pacific Islander, 1.23% from other races, and 2.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.85% of the population.
There were 215 households out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.3% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.65.
In the town the population was spread out with 10.7% under the age of 18, 47.8% from 18 to 24, 16.8% from 25 to 44, 14.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,750, and the median income for a family was $41,964. Males had a median income of $35,250 versus $23,036 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,725. About 13.5% of families and 18.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 17.0% of those age 65 or over.
Banner Elk is located at (36.159561, -81.871649).[3]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2), all of it land.
Banner Elk is located in North America's humid continental climate zone. The town typically has cold winters and warm, humid summers.
| Climate data for Banner Elk, North Carolina | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 74 (23) |
75 (24) |
82 (28) |
86 (30) |
89 (32) |
98 (37) |
95 (35) |
97 (36) |
93 (34) |
86 (30) |
76 (24) |
75 (24) |
98 (37) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 41 (5) |
44 (7) |
53 (12) |
60 (16) |
68 (20) |
74 (23) |
77 (25) |
76 (24) |
71 (22) |
63 (17) |
54 (12) |
45 (7) |
60.5 (15.8) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 20 (−7) |
22 (−6) |
30 (−1) |
37 (3) |
45 (7) |
52 (11) |
56 (13) |
55 (13) |
50 (10) |
39 (4) |
31 (−1) |
24 (−4) |
38 (3.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −31 (−35) |
−13 (−25) |
−9 (−23) |
7 (−14) |
19 (−7) |
27 (−3) |
35 (2) |
25 (−4) |
24 (−4) |
8 (−13) |
−7 (−22) |
−21 (−29) |
−31 (−35) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 3.8 (97) |
3.9 (99) |
4.8 (122) |
4.2 (107) |
4.8 (122) |
4.5 (114) |
4.7 (119) |
4.7 (119) |
4.1 (104) |
4.0 (102) |
3.9 (99) |
3.2 (81) |
50.6 (1,285) |
| Source: Weather Warehouse,[4] Weatherbase.com[5] | |||||||||||||
During summer time there is hiking, whitewater rafting, fishing, and other activities. The largest lake in the area, Watauga Lake, is a favorite spot just 30 minutes away for boating, fishing and wake boarding. In the winter the main event is skiing and snowboarding. There are two slopes in the area: Beech Mountain (Beech, as in the Beech tree) and Sugar Mountain. There used to be a third, but in the winter of 2008-2009, Hawks' Nest became an all tubing park, the largest on the East Coast.
There are several restaurants in Banner Elk in addition to a post office, bank, and many lodging choices. Generally, Banner Elk is known as a quiet and peaceful town. Every year the town hosts the annual Woolly Worm festival.
In the 1970s, Beech Mountain was home to a theme park based on the Land of Oz, but it closed after only a few years. The attraction was never fully removed, and there have been various attempts to revive it.
Lees-McRae College is a private four-year college in Banner Elk, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Banner Elk has a K-5th school, run by the Avery County School system.
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