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The Commemorative Quarter for North Carolina





Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Banner Elk (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Banner Elk. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Banner Elk is located in Avery County.

To see how the shape of North Carolina's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Avery County: Burke, Caldwell, McDowell, Mitchell, Watauga, Carter (TN) & Johnson (TN).

Below are the counties that are near Banner Elk. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Banner Elk:

  • Avery County     (The home county of Banner Elk)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner Elk, with the one closest to Banner Elk listed first.
    • Sugar Mountain
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sugar Mountain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Mountain
      • Sugar Mountain is located in Avery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
    • Seven Devils
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seven Devils have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Devils
      • Seven Devils is located in Avery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 203 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seven Devils <2>
    • Beech Mountain
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beech Mountain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech Mountain
      • Beech Mountain is located in Avery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 320 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Beech Mountain <2>
    • Grandfather
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Whaley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Linville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Linville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linville
      • Linville is located in Avery County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Linville <2>
    • Montezuma
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montezuma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montezuma
      • Montezuma is located in Avery County
    • Newland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newland
      • Newland is located in Avery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 694 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newland <2>
    • Vale
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vale
      • Vale is located in Avery County
    • Elk Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elk Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Park
      • Elk Park is located in Avery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 450 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elk Park <2>
    • Mount Gilead
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Gilead have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gilead
      • Mount Gilead is located in Avery County
    • Minneapolis
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minneapolis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minneapolis
      • Minneapolis is located in Avery County
  • Ashe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner Elk, with the one closest to Banner Elk listed first.
    • Todd
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Todd have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Todd
      • Todd is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Todd <2>
    • Brownwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Ashland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Creston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Fleetwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fleetwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fleetwood
      • Fleetwood is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fleetwood <2>
    • Yates
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Roten
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Roten. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roten
      • Roten is located in Ashe County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Roten
      • From Banner Elk to Roten
    • West Jefferson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Jefferson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Jefferson
      • West Jefferson is located in Ashe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,313 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Jefferson <2>
    • Grayson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Grayson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayson
      • Grayson is located in Ashe County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Grayson
      • From Banner Elk to Grayson
    • Obids
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Obids. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Obids
      • Obids is located in Ashe County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Obids
      • From Banner Elk to Obids
    • Comet
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jefferson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Burke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner Elk, with the one closest to Banner Elk listed first.
    • Jonas Ridge
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Linville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Linville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linville
      • Linville is located in Burke County
    • Chesterfield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Calvin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Calvin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvin
      • Calvin is located in Burke County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Calvin
      • From Banner Elk to Calvin
    • Glen Alpine
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glen Alpine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Alpine
      • Glen Alpine is located in Burke County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,487 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glen Alpine <2>
    • Morganton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morganton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morganton
      • Morganton is located in Burke County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,625 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Morganton <2>
  • Caldwell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner Elk, with the one closest to Banner Elk listed first.
    • Blowing Rock
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Mortimer ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mortimer. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mortimer
      • Mortimer is located in Caldwell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mortimer
      • From Banner Elk to Mortimer
    • Mulberry
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Rufus
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Collettsville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Collettsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collettsville
      • Collettsville is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Collettsville <2>
    • Adako
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Patterson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Muttenz ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Muttenz have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muttenz
      • Muttenz is located in Caldwell County
    • Cilley ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cilley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cilley
      • Cilley is located in Caldwell County
    • Abingdon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Gamewell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Lenoir
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
  • McDowell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner Elk, with the one closest to Banner Elk listed first.
    • Ashford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Little Switzerland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Switzerland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Switzerland
      • Little Switzerland is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Little Switzerland <2>
  • Mitchell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner Elk, with the one closest to Banner Elk listed first.
    • Bakersville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Little Rock Creek ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Rock Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Rock Creek
      • Little Rock Creek is located in Mitchell County
    • Buladean
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Penland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Penland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penland
      • Penland is located in Mitchell County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Penland <2>
    • Spruce Pine
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Herrell ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Herrell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrell
      • Herrell is located in Mitchell County
    • Grassy Creek
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grassy Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grassy Creek
      • Grassy Creek is located in Mitchell County
    • Red Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Red Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill
      • Red Hill is located in Mitchell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Red Hill
      • From Banner Elk to Red Hill
    • Tipton Hill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Relief
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Relief. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Relief
      • Relief is located in Mitchell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Relief
      • From Banner Elk to Relief
    • Richlands
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richlands have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richlands
      • Richlands is located in Mitchell County
    • Bailey
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bailey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
      • Bailey is located in Mitchell County
  • Watauga County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner Elk, with the one closest to Banner Elk listed first.
    • Matney
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Rominger
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Foscoe
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Watauga Falls ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Watauga Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watauga Falls
      • Watauga Falls is located in Watauga County
    • Valle Crucis
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valle Crucis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valle Crucis
      • Valle Crucis is located in Watauga County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Valle Crucis <2>
    • Shulls Mill
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Sugar Grove
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sugar Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
      • Sugar Grove is located in Watauga County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sugar Grove <2>
    • Vilas
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vilas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vilas
      • Vilas is located in Watauga County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vilas <2>
    • Boone
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boone have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boone
      • Boone is located in Watauga County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,003 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boone <2>
    • Mabel
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Sands
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sands. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sands
      • Sands is located in Watauga County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sands
      • From Banner Elk to Sands
    • Zionville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Wilkes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner Elk, with the one closest to Banner Elk listed first.
    • Hendrix ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hendrix have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrix
      • Hendrix is located in Wilkes County
    • Maple Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maple Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Springs
      • Maple Springs is located in Wilkes County
    • Ferguson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ferguson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferguson
      • Ferguson is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ferguson <2>
    • Mount Pleasant
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Pleasant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Wilkes County
  • Yancey County
  • Carter County (TN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner Elk, with the one closest to Banner Elk listed first.
    • Shell Creek
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shell Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shell Creek
      • Shell Creek is located in Carter County (TN)
      • Estimated population in 2014: 21,037 people
    • Heaton Creek
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Roan Mountain
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Burbank
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Burbank. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burbank
      • Burbank is located in Carter County (TN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Burbank
      • From Banner Elk to Burbank
    • Fish Springs
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Hampton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Tolley Town
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tolley Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolley Town
      • Tolley Town is located in Carter County (TN)
    • Siam
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Siam. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siam
      • Siam is located in Carter County (TN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Siam
      • From Banner Elk to Siam
    • Woodby Hill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodby Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodby Hill
      • Woodby Hill is located in Carter County (TN)
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,730 people
    • Hunter
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hunter have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter
      • Hunter is located in Carter County (TN)
    • Gap Run
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Buladeen
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
  • Johnson County (TN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner Elk, with the one closest to Banner Elk listed first.
    • Norris
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norris have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris
      • Norris is located in Johnson County (TN)
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,652 people
    • Trade
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Butler
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • High Health ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for High Health have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Health
      • High Health is located in Johnson County (TN)
    • Vaughtsville ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vaughtsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughtsville
      • Vaughtsville is located in Johnson County (TN)
    • Mountain City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Dowell ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dowell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowell
      • Dowell is located in Johnson County (TN)
      • Estimated population in 2014: 364 people
    • Fuller
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Winchester
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winchester have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
      • Winchester is located in Johnson County (TN)
      • Estimated population in 2014: 8,547 people
    • Shingletown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Sullivan County (TN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner Elk, with the one closest to Banner Elk listed first.
    • Fishdam ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fishdam have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishdam
      • Fishdam is located in Sullivan County (TN)
    • Cedar Grove
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Childress
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Childress. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Childress
      • Childress is located in Sullivan County (TN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Childress
      • From Banner Elk to Childress
    • Holston Valley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Piney Flats
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Ruthton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ruthton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruthton
      • Ruthton is located in Sullivan County (TN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ruthton
      • From Banner Elk to Ruthton
    • Bluff City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Unicoi County (TN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner Elk, with the one closest to Banner Elk listed first.
    • Limestone Cove
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Whispering Pines
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Unicoi
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Banner Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Banner Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banner Hill
      • Banner Hill is located in Unicoi County (TN)
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,497 people
    • Erwin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Erwin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erwin
      • Erwin is located in Unicoi County (TN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,854 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Erwin <2>
  • Washington County (TN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner Elk, with the one closest to Banner Elk listed first.
    • East Ridge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Ridge
      • East Ridge is located in Washington County (TN)
      • Estimated population in 2014: 21,317 people
    • South Gate Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Gate Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gate Village
      • South Gate Village is located in Washington County (TN)
    • Carnegie
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carnegie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carnegie
      • Carnegie is located in Washington County (TN)
    • Oakland Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakland Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland Village
      • Oakland Village is located in Washington County (TN)
    • Austin Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Austin Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austin Village
      • Austin Village is located in Washington County (TN)
    • North Johnson City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Johnson City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Johnson City
      • North Johnson City is located in Washington County (TN)
    • Johnson City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Banner Elk, see our County-by-County Page for Banner Elk.

Cemeteries Near Banner Elk ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Banner Elk.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Banner Elk covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Banner Elk, with the one closest to Banner Elk listed first.

  • Potts Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Potts Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Potts Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Smith Community Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Fox Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fox Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fox Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Michael Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Michael Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Michael Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Laws Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laws Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laws Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pritchard Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pritchard Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pritchard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lee Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lee Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lee Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jestes Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jestes Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jestes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Yates Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Yates Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Yates Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hicks Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hicks Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hicks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Crawford Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crawford Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crawford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Eller Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eller Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (813 more) ...
    • Smith Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Holtsclaw Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holtsclaw Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holtsclaw Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • McLean Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McLean Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McLean Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<6>

While we didn't find Banner Elk in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Banner Elk.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Banner Elk, with the one closest to Banner Elk listed first.

  • Foscoe
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Valle Crucis
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valle Crucis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valle Crucis
    • Valle Crucis is located in Watauga County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Valle Crucis <2>
  • Watauga Falls ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Watauga Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watauga Falls
    • Watauga Falls is located in Watauga County
  • Shulls Mill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Kelsey
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kelsey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelsey
    • Kelsey is located in Watauga County
  • Vilas
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vilas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vilas
    • Vilas is located in Watauga County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vilas <2>
  • Sugar Grove
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sugar Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
    • Sugar Grove is located in Watauga County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sugar Grove <2>
  • Leander
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leander have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leander
    • Leander is located in Watauga County
  • Amantha
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Amantha have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amantha
    • Amantha is located in Watauga County
  • Sweetwater
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sweetwater have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetwater
    • Sweetwater is located in Watauga County
  • Shell Creek
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shell Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shell Creek
    • Shell Creek is located in Carter County (TN)
    • Estimated population in 2014: 21,037 people
  • Crossnore
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Blowing Rock
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Elk Mills
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elk Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Mills
      • Elk Mills is located in Carter County (TN)
    • Casper ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Casper have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casper
      • Casper is located in Johnson County (TN)

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Banner Elk. See our List of 1890's Communities around Banner Elk.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Banner Elk ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 12 newspapers that have been published in the area around Banner Elk.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Banner Elk. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Banner Elk and those printed in the larger area surrounding Banner Elk.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4> of Banner Elk.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Banner Elk:

The official website for Banner Elk: www.townofbannerelk.org/

The official website for Avery County: www.averyco.com/gov/

The official website for State of North Carolina: https://www.nc.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Banner Elk) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Banner Elk. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.1633, Longitude: -81.8718    
<5>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<6>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Banner Elk, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025