Welcome to Banner Elk ...
The town of Banner Elk is located in Avery County<1>.
Banner Elk was established in 1848.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Banner Elk has a population of 1,078 people<2> (see below for details).
The community of Banner Elk is 3,680 feet [1,122 m] above sea level.<3> In other words, the elevation of Banner Elk is about ¾ mile [or ~1¼ km] above sea level.
Time Zone: Banner Elk lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Banner Elk is within the (828) area code.
The ZIP code for Banner Elk: 28604<4>
Websites for Banner Elk ...
Official Website: www.townofbannerelk.org/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Banner Elk had an population of 1,078 people. This is an increase of 4.86% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 32.92% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Banner Elk had a population of 1,028 people (which is 5.78% of the total population of Avery County). This makes Banner Elk the county's most populous community.
The population of Banner Elk represents 0.01% of the total population of North Carolina (which has 9,535,483 people), making it the state's 332nd most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 1,028 people, the population of Banner Elk increased 26.76% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 811 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Banner Elk.
Communities near Banner Elk ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Banner Elk.
- 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.<5> 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
- 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.<5> 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 <6>
- Norris
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest) - Trade
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trade
- Trade is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,441 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trade <6>
- Roan Mountain
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roan Mountain
- Roan Mountain is located in Carter County (TN)
- Population from the 2010 Census: 1,360 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roan Mountain <6>
- Blowing Rock
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blowing Rock
- Blowing Rock is located in Caldwell County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,316 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blowing Rock <6>
- 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.<5> 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 <6>
- 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.<5> 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 <6>
- Bakersville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakersville
- Bakersville is located in Mitchell County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 441 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bakersville <6>
- Crossnore
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crossnore
- Crossnore is located in Avery County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 231 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crossnore <6>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Banner Elk. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Banner Elk.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Banner Elk. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Banner Elk.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Banner Elk. See our Newspapers Page for Banner Elk.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Banner Elk ...
Looking for more information about Banner Elk? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Banner Elk, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Banner Elk.
Adding Banner Elk to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Banner Elk in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Banner Elk was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
From that list, the Banner Elk post office opened in 1875.
We also found Banner Elk on a map titled Shell Oil Road Map for North Carolina (1956).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Banner Elk.
Off-the-Road Links ...
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> | If you're interested in how the shape of North Carolina's counties, including Avery, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Banner Elk. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Banner Elk - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a town (such as Banner Elk). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Banner Elk or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <5> | 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. |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |