Need info on where to live/rent near Boone? (King: real estate, rental)

[Got Dogs]

My wife and I are moving to Boone to work at ASU. Where is a good spot to rent a house, in town or outside alittle. We have two dogs and enjoy walking them on trails and also being close by a running/ mtn biking trail is important to us. Any info would be appreciated, we are planning on coming out in june or july. Should we scout it out first, or just go for it, I have never been to Boone.

[mdp_az]

I'd say either try and find a place right near downtown so you could walk to restaurants, campus, etc... or try and get a few miles out of town. There are some beautiful areas around Boone, especially if you don't mind driving 15-30 minutes. If price is a concern, it might be worth looking at southern Ashe County or western Wilkes County. You are moving to a beautiful part of the world...enjoy!

[flipster]

Originally Posted by Got Dogs

My wife and I are moving to Boone to work at ASU. Where is a good spot to rent a house, in town or outside alittle. We have two dogs and enjoy walking them on trails and also being close by a running/ mtn biking trail is important to us. Any info would be appreciated, we are planning on coming out in june or july. Should we scout it out first, or just go for it, I have never been to Boone.

I am not the type of person that would move somewhere I've never seen irl.

But that's me.

Boone is a tiny town with traffic gridlock every weekday. I would scout it out to see what it's like as far as living in town vs a little out. I don't know if there is a house in town a non-student would want to rent-but I'm just guessing. I'm not sure about running trails in/around town, but my dd goes to school there and lives off campus. She runs on campus and on King St (the main st). The BRP is close by for trails. There is a good bike shop in town-Boone Bike.

I do know there are App professors that live 'down the mtn' because real estate is much less expensive than in watauga county.

Good luck!

[hymnsinger]

Congratulations on your new life! You will love Boone, but like all of us, hate the traffic! By the way, it is snowing as I speak (er . . . type)!

There are good and bad things about all locations . . . near campus is more expensive, Away is, well, away! You'll have to deal with stuff wherever you live, one way or another. It's hard to find housing for pets in town, so you'll probably be a little bit outside anyway. Ashe County is just about 12 miles from Boone (to the north) and is a bit easier on the pocketbook, but it is a pretty drive. Watauga County is a BIG county, so get map (or Google one) and become familiar with the outlying communities. Some are Blowing Rock, Vilas, Valle Crucis, Beaver Creek, Zionville, Deep Gap, Todd, Fleetwood, Stony Fork, and many others. The only one that's incorporated is Blowing Rock, and it is VERY expensive to live there.

The highway system in the county can be a bit confusing, so familiarizing yourselves to the roads via map will go a long way! The major highways are US-221, 321, and 421, and they all converge, combine and split up at different places. Confusing secondary roads are NC-194 (which is chopped up into itty bitty pieces), and NC-105, the 105 Bypass and the 105 Extension. One of our slogans here is "Stay Alive on 105!" And then there is the Parkway. You will learn to use the unmarked exits for handy (most of the time) shortcuts, the most common being Deep Gap to Boone and Blowing Rock. That shortcut (Goshen Creek) is now closed at Bamboo Rd. for the next nine months for bridge repair.

First and best source for rental classifieds is the Mountain Times. There are also several rental agencies that may be of some help. Most deal with student housing, but you never know what might come up. Get a rental agent or someone on campus that you know to check out your picks for you. I know many people at ASU and have lots of contacts in the community.

When we talk distance here, it is "city miles" vs. "country miles." A 20 to 30 mile (and minute) commute is common here, and is enjoyable, especially for folks new to the mountains. I've been here 8 years and am still thrilled by the scenery. So, don't limit yourself to living in town. There are lots of places to dog walk and there is a Greenway in town for walking and cycling. The trails and parks at the Moses Cone Estate in Blowing Rock are wonderful, but be careful. There are horses on the trails as well. Then there are parks along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Boone for hikers and picnickers.

Another source to look at for local classifieds is the Secondhand News Online. Our best local weather source is Ray's Weather Center - Home - booneweather.com. If you have any other questions, please feel free to email me privately at hymnsinger07@earthlink.net. I can direct you to churches, shopping, and other stuff too.

One more thing . . . before you rent, consider accessibility. Many driveways and rural routes demand four wheel drive. Some are impossible to drive on when we have our fairly rare ice events, and when the snow becomes packed. When moving to Boone in the warmer months, it's easy to forget! In that same vein, moving vans and trucks larger than 22 feet may not be able to get to your new house in any season! Many people are forced to do a pickup truck or small U-Haul transfer on that last mile or so. BTW, we have a Penske Dealer here. I just returned from Tucson in a Penske 26' truck and car carrier combination and Penski was great! (Helping another friend move to Boone!)

Welcome to Boone and let me know if I can be of further help.
Tracey