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A look at some of the events
that shaped the High Country during the decade. |
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Watauga
County posted a 17% increase in its population during
the 1980s. |
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In
1980, 26,280 people lived in Watauga County, 9198
in the town of Boone and 919 in Blowing Rock. Growing
to approximately 36,952 residents in the late 1980s,
Watauga was almost 2.5 times as large as Avery County,
and 1.7 times as large as Ashe. |
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In
1980, 190 people lived in the Beech Mountain community
and 54 in Seven Devils. |
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7129
families lived in Watauga County in 1980. |
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In
1980, income per capita in Watauga equaled $6,163,
compared to the state's total of $7,999. |
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In
1980, the median family income for Watauga was $14,532,
compared to $16,792 for the state. |
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In
1980, 12,057 Watauga residents were employed. 1,527
residents commuted out of the county to work, while
1,839 people from outside the county were commuting
into Watauga to work. 13.5 percent of Watauga's workers
were from outside the county. |
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In
1982, the Sheriff's Department employed a Sheriff,
two full-time deputies and four jailors with only
one car. |
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In
1982, the Boone Police Department employed a Chief,
five officers, one meter maid, two radio dispatchers
and had two radio-equipped cars. |
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Also
in 1982, the Blowing Rock Police Department employed
three full-time officers and one-part time and had
two departmental cars. |
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At
the same time, the Beech Mountain Security Force had
three full-timers, both fully deputized in both Watauga
and Avery. |
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In
1982, 25 volunteers made up the Boone Fire Department. |
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The
Watauga County Rescue Squad had 18 members serving
Watauga, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell and Wilkes. |
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Two
ambulances served the county in 1982. |
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Services
provided by the county in 1982 included a nurse screening
clinic which took place once per month, a family planning
clinic which also took place once a month, general
immunizations every Monday morning, a food service
clinic every Monday afternoon, an orthopedic clinic
every other month and an eye clinic every two months. |
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In
1982, the Watauga County hospital had 83 beds, four
general practitioners, two surgeons, one physician,
one eye/ear/nose throat specialist, 23 RNs, 33 LNs,
20 orderlies and aides, and one radiologist seeing
patients five times a week. |
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Also
in 1982, the Blowing Rock Hospital had 60 beds, 32
in the extended care section, three doctors, seven
registered nurses, three LNs, 23 orderlies and aides
and one radiologist who drove up the mountain from
Hickory four times a week. |
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In
1982, there were six foster homes in the county. |
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In
1981, the Town of Beech Mountain was formally incorporated. |
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On
July 1, 1981, one of Boone's most familiar landmarks,
The United Methodist Church on King Street burned.
Interesting facts about the church include that it
was built without steel beams; sixty-foot hemlock
beams supported the ceiling. The stained-glass windows,
which remained intact after the fire, were considered
invaluable. The pipe organ, purchased from the Tryon
Street Methodist Church of Charlotte in 1927, was
built in 1895 and was registered with The Organ Historical
Society, Inc. The organ was damaged beyond repair. |
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