Watauga

Formed January 16, 1849 (79^th county)

Watauga County (54,077), Boone (19,097)

The Modern tan brick and concrete facility, built in 2006, is on King Street at Water Street.  King Street is United States Highway 321 in the town.  Hemphill Associates are the building designers.  A County Administration Building augments the courthouse.  There was a 1904 version earlier in Boone, the only county seat.  Watauga County was formed on January 16, 1849 from parts of Ashe, Caldwell, Wilkes, and Yancey counties as the 79^th county.  It is named for the river whose name is Native American for “beautiful water.”  The county seat is named for explorer Daniel Boone.  Watauga County was the birthplace for 1 North Carolina Governor, James E. Holshouser, Jr. 

Watauga County government consists of a manager, a register, a sheriff, an attorney, and a clerk (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Twenty-seven Superior Court Judges serve Watauga, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, and Yancey counties, Five District Court Judges serve Watauga, Avery, Madison, Mitchell, and Yancey counties and a court clerk serves Watauga County (judicial.)  The county is in the northwest part of North Carolina.  Asheville, North Carolina is southwest and Charlotte, North Carolina is southeast of the county.  The center of the county is 1.8 miles West of Boone.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Ashe, Wilkes, Caldwell, and Avery counties and Tennessee. 

The area of the county is 313 square miles.  It is 83 out of 100 in the state.  It ranks 49 out of 100 in population in the state.  It has a density of 172.8 persons per square mile making it 30 out of 100 in the state.  Watauga County has 39.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 221 goes northeast to southwest in the county from Ashe County to Avery County.  United States Highway 321 enters from Tennessee, northwest, and exits into Caldwell County, southeast.  United States Highway 421 passes north to east from Tennessee to Wilkes County.  The county is an overall diamond shape.  Boone is located south and east in the county.  Boone is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 35.3% of the county population.  The county is pronounced WA-TA-GA.  This county is in the Boone Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Seven Devils