Two of America’s “Best Small Towns” are located right here in Watauga County – Boone and Blowing Rock – according to Norm Crampton, author of the new book, “Making Your Move to One of America’s Best Small Towns.”
Also included on the list of the 120 top communities in the country were the North Carolina towns of Beaufort, Elizabeth City and Mount Airy.
Crampton has written several books on the virtues of small town living and is regarded as an authority on Americana, having appeared on several television network news shows since 1990.
Boone makes Crampton’s list as one of the best “College Towns” in the country. The presence of Appalachian State University “adds a cultural component and guarantees you will see young people on the street,” he says.
Most communities selected in this category are homes to small colleges. The only other towns/universities cited were: Cleveland and Oxford, Miss., with Delta State University and the University of Mississippi; Lewisburg and Shippensburg, Pa., with Bucknell University and Shippensburg University; Ellensburg, Wash., with Central Washington University; Rolla, Mo., with the University of Missouri-Rolla; and Lexington, Va., with Virginia Military Institute and Washington & Lee University.
Blowing Rock was selected as one of America’s best “Mountain Towns.” Crampton used the term, “picture-perfect.”
Communities in the Rocky Mountains range dominated this category. In fact, the only other community east of the Mississippi River to share this designation with Blowing Rock was Lewisburg, W.Va., which is home to The Greenbrier resort and conference center.
“We commend Mr. Crampton for his good judgment about Boone and Blowing Rock,” said Mike Hall, chair of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce.
“As a tandem, Boone and Blowing Rock offer complementary experiences for our visitors and guests. Each community has its own personality, heritage and culture.
“Hence, we encourage guests who come to our area to visit and shop both towns to sense the flavor of our special blend of community character,” Hall said.
Mike Wagoner, president of the Boone Area Chamber, said, “We couldn’t help but notice that one common thread is that the author relies heavily on the local chambers of commerce and/or the convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) for information in virtually every community that he writes about.
“He also directs his readers to the local chamber/CVB web site as the first stop in gathering data about a community.”
Also in North Carolina, Elizabeth City and Beaufort were selected as “Coastal Towns” and Mount Airy was picked in the category of best “Big City/Small Town Pairs,” because of its proximity to Winston-Salem, which enable people to “stay in touch with an urban environment” without having to actually live there.”
“With five communities included among the top 120, North Carolina tied with Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota. The leading states with six communities selected were Colorado, Missouri and Washington.
“Interestingly, California had only two communities to make the top 120, while Ohio, Maryland, Florida, Alabama and Louisiana each had one. Oklahoma, Hawaii, Nevada and New Jersey were shut out.
Michelle Wilson of the Boone CVB said Crampton encourages hometowns to assess a 10-point test to see how they measure up to the 120 “Best Small Towns.” Here is the tally sheet.
1. Screen test. If the town inspires love at first sight, score 1 point.
2. Downtown test. If the town center is well-maintained and busy on a weekday, score 1 point. If the town is a county seat, add 1 bonus point.
3. High school test. Stop by for a visit. Ask the principal what makes the school exceptional. If you get a convincing answer, score 1 point. If there’s a college in town, add 1 bonus point.
4. Wal-Mart test. Or, a supermarket will do. Shop for something. If you feel comfortable with other shoppers and are treated with courtesy, score 1 point.
5. Population test. If the town is growing, score 1 point.
6. Walk in the park test. If you can imagine using one or more of the public parks, score 1 point. If the town has a recreation center, score 1 bonus point.
7. Hospital test. If there’s a hospital in town, score 1 point.
8. Hometown bank test. If there are at least three banking companies in town, score 1 point. If one or more of the banks is locally owned, add 1 bonus point each.
9. Library test. If the library has not only a good collection of books but also books-on-tape, videos and ample Internet access stations, score 1 point.
10. Local restaurant test. Have a meal at the restaurant locals say is best. If they’re right, score 1 point.
“The author’s publicist says a score of eight equates to a very nice small town,” Wilson said. “I’d say Boone rates a perfect 10 with a slew of bonus points on top. Surely, we rack them up on Question 8, with the depth of our banking community.
“Our marketing emphasis continues to be, ‘Stay with us in any season,’” Wilson said. “Virtually every room has a view.”
