Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Watauga was formed in 1849 out of Ashe, Caldwell, Wilkes, and Yancey counties. The county gets its name from the Watauga River, a Native American word meaning “whispering or beautiful waters.” Early settlers to the county referred to the region as the “Lost Province” and the county seat of Boone, named after Daniel Boone, is called the “Heart of the High Country.”
Known for its natural beauty and abundance of outdoor activities, tourism has historically comprised a large part of the county’s economy. In the late 19th century, Blowing Rock was known for its resorts which were the first of their kind in the South. The region’s climate offered wealthy tourists a respite from the summer heat and led to many establishing summer homes in the county. Tourism continues to be a significant economic driver and source of employment. In 2021, an estimated $465 million was generated in visitor spending. Nearly 3,000 jobs in the county are in the tourism industry.
Watauga’s natural beauty alone draws tourism for its rivers, caves and mountains and location along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Along with Caldwell County, Watauga is co-home to the highest peak of Grandfather Mountain, Calloway Peak, clocking in at 5,964 ft. The county also attracts tourists for its horseback riding, festivals, six golf courses, and of course,
Tweetsie
Located between Boone and Blowing Rock, Tweetsie Railroad opened in 1957, becoming the state’s first theme park. The original locomotive, which was built in 1917 and built by Baldwin Locomotive, ran from Boone to Johnson City, TN from 1918-1940. When the railroad ceased operations, the locomotive was purchased by rail enthusiasts in 1953 in Virginia to run as the Shenandoah Central Railroad. The locomotive’s Virginia run was short-lived following a hurricane in 1954. After the hurricane, actor and singer Gene Autry optioned the locomotive with the intention of moving it to California to be used in his movies. However, Autry never acted on his option due to relocation costs. In 1955, Blowing Rock businessman Grover Robbin purchased Autry’s option and returned the locomotive to Blowing Rock. From there, the Robbins family constructed up a 3-mile track around the mountain and built the Wild West-style amusement park. The Robbins family continues to control and operate Tweetsie.
Watauga is also home to Appalachian State in Boone, originally founded as a teachers college by brothers BB and DD Dougherty. App State joined the UNC System in 1971 and ranked third best by US News in their Regional Universities South category.
In large part due to the university, the county is one of the state’s few politically competitive counties. As evidenced in 2008, enthusiasm among college-aged voters can make or break an election. In ’08, Barack Obama carried Watauga by more than 4%. In 2012, the county went for Mitt Romney by 3%. Hillary Clinton narrowly carried the county by 1.5% in 2016. In 2020, the county saw its highest turnout at 75% and went for Joe Biden by a margin of 8%. In 2022, the county again went blue in the U.S. Senate race between Ted Budd and Cheri Beasley, but Republican Donna Stroud carried Watauga en route to re-election to the Court of Appeals. While Boone and the surrounding areas favor Democrats, the rural parts of the county remain favorable for Republicans which will keep this county in the swing category for years to come.