North Carolina mountain paradise becomes surprising boomtown
Boone offers 70 to 80 degree summer days and a lifestyle for everyone from antique lovers to outdoor enthusiasts. The town, considered a hidden gem, is repeatedly listed as one of the best summer getaways in the South. 'In general, we're having a warm week this week and we're only touching low to mid-80s,' local realtor Brandon Freyer told the Daily Mail.
'When it's 90 down [in Charlotte] and it's 77 up here, it's enough for people to say, 'I'll head up for the weekend,' Freyer explained. The mountaintop haven is a vibrant college town home to Appalachian State University, where over 20,000 undergraduates bring young energy and diversity to the region.
'We got a variety of different folk,' Freyer said. 'We have a bunch of locals that live here. We get a lot of people who have gone to school at App and now they're settled maybe somewhere else in the Carolina region. 'They still have fond memories of the place and dream of having a second home.'
Many people have enjoyed Boone so much that they have purchased a second home either as a weekend retreat or an investment property to rent out. 'It's probably... maybe two-thirds to 75 percent of our homes are second homes up here,' Freyer said.
He added that Boone's population surges in the summer as out-of-staters – particularly from South Florida and other sweltering regions – seek out the area's milder climate and high-altitude adventures. 'We have a bunch of locals that live here. We get a lot of people who have gone to school at App and now they're settled maybe somewhere else in the Carolina region.
'They still have fond memories of the place and dream of having a second home.' There's plenty of hiking, fly fishing, golf, or ziplining in Boone and its neighboring towns like Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and West Jefferson. Boone is also the main hub for nearby towns.
'We've got a bunch of small mountain towns... Boone's kind of the main hub,' Freyer said. 'You get a lot of folks that come up here to play tennis, play pickleball, golf, lots of great hiking, water sports as well.' For those in the know, Boone also remains a four-season destination.
'We're also kind of as far south as you can ski more or less,' he added. 'So we do get a lot of folks again from the Carolina region that'll come to ski in the winter time.' Food, festivals, and lawn chair concerts also add to Boone's appeal.
From summer concert series at the base of Beech Mountain's ski slopes to Friday night food truck rallies in Valle Crucis, Boone has no shortage of entertainment. 'There's a whole lot of great dining in the area,' Freyer said. 'The town has something going on pretty much every weekend.
'People are sitting out in their lawn chairs along the slopes for the concerts, it's very family friendly. People bring their kid and hang out.' Art shows, farmer's markets, and community events make it easy to see why so many visitors flock there for summer. Boone's popularity has raised the median home price slightly.
'As far as single-family [homes] go, you're definitely getting over $500,000,' Freyer said. 'We're pushing kind of into that $600,000 range now.' Still, for many, it's worth the break from scorching summer heat.
There is such an influx of visitors that Boone was awarded an $850,000 grant to revitalize Howard Street, the 'largest downtown Boone street revitalization effort in modern history,' according to the Town of Boone. The grant will support several Howard Street updates: relocating electrical utilities underground, improving water, sewer, and stormwater systems and converting part of Howard Street into pedestrian and bicycle only.
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