Watauga County, North Carolina

WATAUGA COUNTY , NORTH CAROL INA designated an American Heritage River. That being said, Furman notes that the County is beginning to expand a couple of sectors, most especially high tech. “We do have a major employer,” he notes. “ECR Software Corporation grew up here in Boone. They develop and market, worldwide, the self check-out systems in retail outlets. We also have a thriving coder community that meets at an event called ‘Silicon Holler,’ which is sponsored by an ad hoc group called Startup High Country. So, because of the presence of the University, we’re beginning to have a thriving, below-the-radar community of computer operators, software developers, coders, and the like.” In order to support that nascent community, Furman reports that the Economic Development Commission is partnering with a private company to develop Boone’s first high tech coworking space, called Boone Underground, which is slated to open in September. “We’ve wanted to develop one of these for ground on or anything like that,” admits Director of Economic Development, Joe Furman. “We’re selling ourselves, basically – the beautiful scenery, the wonderful temperature in summer, the fall colors, snow skiing in the winter - four seasons of outdoor recreation opportunities with a major state university in the middle. We’re just a delightful place to live and do business.” Indeed, Watauga County is a paradise for a multitude of outdoor sports and activities. Cyclists and hikers can enjoy hundreds of miles of open roads and mountain trails; three of North Carolina’s seven ski resorts are located in the immediate vicinity of Boone; area streams and lakes provide habitat for trout, bass, catfish, blue gill, and other native varieties of fish for the sport fisherman; for the hunter, the Blue Ridge Mountains are home to an abundance of large and small game; and for canoeists and kayakers, the County is the origin of four separate rivers, each of which flows in a different direction. The New River, which flows north, is one of the oldest rivers in the world and has been