Blowing Rock is a town located in Watauga and Caldwell counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. According to the 2020 census, the population of Blowing Rock was 1,376.
The part of Blowing Rock in Caldwell County is included in the Hickory – Lenoir – Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area. The part in Watauga County is included in the Boone Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Before 1752, when Bishop August Gottlieb Spangenberg of the Moravian Church visited the Blowing Rock, the windy cliffs of the area were home to the Cherokee and the Catawba Native American tribes.
After the mid-18th century, when hardy Scots-Irish pioneers began to settle in the region, the mountain passes from southern Virginia into Kentucky attracted many colonists, farmers, hunters, and trappers who continued south to the mountains of North Carolina. The first family to settle in Blowing Rock were the Greenes, who were established by the mid-19th century on a site that would become the Green Park Hotel property.
Other early settlers in Blowing Rock included the Hayes, Coffey, Bolick, Estes, and Storie families. During the American Civil War, the mountains of North Carolina often witnessed violent fighting between groups of pro-Confederate and pro-Union fighters. To keep their families safe, men who went to fight in the Confederate Army often sent their families to Blowing Rock, which became a local refuge from the fighting.
After the Civil War, many of these veterans would join their families and remain in the Blowing Rock area. At the same time, summer residents began to come up from the nearby city of Lenoir to enjoy the cool fresh air and beautiful mountain views. Seeing the potential of their village to become a haven for wealthy tourists, the residents of Blowing Rock made their village into a town on March 11, 1889. The town's first mayor was "Uncle" Joe Clarke, and the town initially had a population of about 300.
As word spread to other parts of the South about the benefits of Blowing Rock, more visitors began to arrive, first camping out, and later taking rooms at boarding houses such as the Hayes and Martin houses on Main Street. Eventually, there were more visitors than the existing boarding houses could handle, and so many homes were turned into hotels. The first hotel in Blowing Rock was the Watauga Hotel, built in 1884; the hotel added cottages in 1888. The Green Park Hotel opened in 1891, followed eight years later by the Blowing Rock Hotel. Walter Alexander, a prominent local resident, promoted the clean air and healthy environment of Blowing Rock; in 1922 he opened his own hotel, called Mayview Manor.
As the tourist economy became Blowing Rock's main industry in the late 19th century, the town was forced to adapt to meeting the needs of tourists. The need for cleaner and better streets (most streets then were simply dirt tracks) led to the paving of the town's streets and highways. Another issue involved the need to build fences to keep farm animals from wandering into town and disturbing visitors—most farms in the area were not fenced. In 1896, the town passed a law requiring local farmers to fence in their livestock.
The introduction of the automobile and better roads in the early 20th century made it easier to travel to Blowing Rock, and visitors began to arrive from as far away as Florida. Today, Blowing Rock remains a tourist destination for visitors from all over the United States. Due to the town's wealthy, out-of-state summer residents, Blowing Rock has restaurants, hotels, golf courses, and other attractions. A recent priority for Blowing Rock's residents has been to preserve and protect the town's historic structures and maintain the small-town charm and scenery that has attracted so many people for the last 150 years.
In addition to the Green Park Inn, the Bollinger-Hartley House, East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad Locomotive No. 12, Gragg House, Green Park Historic District, Randall Memorial Building, Former, Vardell Family Cottages Historic District, Westglow, and Moses Cone's Flat Top Manor are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Saint Elizabeth Catholic Church (Boone, NC) operates the Church of the Epiphany as a seasonal, mission church in Blowing Rock.
Geography
Blowing Rock is located in southern Watauga County in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Part of the town, including the Blowing Rock cliff, is in Caldwell County.
The town is on the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Most of the town is just north of this top, with water flowing north to the Middle Fork of the New River and then to the Ohio River valley. Water to the south of the top flows via the Johns River to the Catawba River valley and eventually to the Atlantic Ocean in South Carolina.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.1 square miles (7.9 km²). Of this, 3.0 square miles (7.7 km²) is land, and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²), or 1.49% of the total area, is water.
The climate in the area is described as warm-summer humid continental (Dfb) or highland subtropical (Cfb), depending on certain temperature lines, as described by the Köppen Climate Classification system. This results in a climate different from most of North Carolina. The town’s elevation of 3,500 to 3,600 feet (1,100 to 1,100 meters) above sea level causes cooler summer temperatures than areas to the east and south. Summer daytime temperatures rarely rise above 80°F (27°C). Winter temperatures are much colder and harsher than expected for a southern state, similar to southern coastal New England. Winter daytime highs often drop into the 20s or lower. Snow, sleet, and freezing rain are common in winter. Spring and autumn are generally cool and pleasant.
Rainfall is moderate, and thunderstorms are occasional but rarely severe.
The largest 24-hour temperature change in North Carolina was recorded in Blowing Rock on January 1, 1979, with a range of 63 degrees, from −8°F to 55°F.
Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,376 people, 619 households, and 357 families living in the town.
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,418 people, 663 households, and 387 families living in the town. The population density was 477.9 people per square mile (184.5/km²). There were 1,524 housing units at an average density of 513.6 units per square mile (198.3 units/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.95% White, 0.35% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.07% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.63% of the population.
There were 663 households, of which 35.4% had only one person living in them, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03 people, and the average family size was 2.59.
The population consists of people with a median age of 51 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and older, there were 80.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $54,271, and the median income for a family was $66,979. Men had a median income of $45,417, while women had a median income of $27,361. The per capita income for the town was $34,294. About 2.9% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.
Attractions
The town of Blowing Rock is named after a unique rock formation that sticks out more than 1,500 feet (460 meters) above the Johns River gorge. The shape and size of the rock cause wind from the gorge to move upward, making light objects rise into the air.
Blowing Rock is located near Glen Burney Falls and Glen Marie Falls.
The area around Blowing Rock was once a place where the Cherokee and Catawba Native American tribes had conflicts. A story tells of two lovers, one from each tribe, who were walking near the rocks when the man was called to fight. When his lover asked him to stay, he became very upset and jumped off the rock into the gorge. The woman prayed to the Great Spirit to bring her lover back, and the Spirit answered by blowing him back up the cliff to safety. This story is fictional but helped attract visitors. In the 1980s, a billboard in Wilkesboro showed two Native Americans holding hands, one standing on the rock and one "floating." Today, "The Blowing Rock" is a popular tourist spot known for its views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Another attraction in Blowing Rock is the Tweetsie Railroad theme park, which has the only working narrow-gauge railroad in North Carolina. The park features equipment like the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad Locomotive No. 12, a steam engine built in 1915. Visitors can ride the train for 3 miles (5 kilometers) and enjoy mountain views. The park also includes traditional amusement rides. Other attractions in the area include the historic Green Park Inn, Mystery Hill, where optical illusions make objects seem harder to move in one direction than another, and the Moon and Irene Mullins Arrowhead Collection with over 52,000 arrowheads on display. Other places include the Blowing Rock Country Club and the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum.
Nearby, on the Blue Ridge Parkway, is Moses Cone Memorial Park, which offers views of the mountains. The park includes the Moses Cone Manor and Estate, two large lakes, and trails that were once used by the Cone family for carriages. Next to the park is the Blowing Rock Equestrian Preserve, where visitors can ride horses on 25 miles (40 kilometers) of trails.
Annual events in Blowing Rock include the "Art in the Park" festival, held monthly from May to October, where artists sell their work. Other events are the Fourth of July festival and parade, Blowing Rock Winterfest in November, the Blue Ridge Wine and Food Festival in April, Christmas in the Park, and the Lighting of the Town. The Symphony by the Lake at Chetola Resort and the Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show, which has been held for nearly 100 years, are also popular. The horse show is the longest continuously run event of its kind in the United States and features top riders from the Eastern United States.
Media
The Blowing Rocket newspaper provides news about Blowing Rock. It is owned by Adams Publishing Group and is a related newspaper to the Watauga Democrat, which is based in Boone.
Blowing Rock News is an online-only publication that focuses on news about Blowing Rock and the communities around it.
Infrastructure
Most services are available in Blowing Rock or in Boone, which are about 8 miles (13 km) apart. The town is connected by U.S. Highways 221 and 321, as well as the Blue Ridge Parkway. U.S. 221 goes southwest 18 miles (29 km) to Linville and 53 miles (85 km) to Marion. U.S. 321 goes southeast 21 miles (34 km) to Lenoir and 37 miles (60 km) to Hickory. These two highways go north to Boone.
For more information about other transportation options, refer to Boone, North Carolina, and Watauga County, North Carolina.