Welcome to Sands ...
Sands is located in Watauga County<1>.
We aren't confident of the location of Sands, so consider the above location as an estimate.<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Sands, you might consider that their post office opened in 1881.
Sands is 3,250 feet [991 m] above sea level.<3> In other words, the altitude of Sands is about ½ mile above sea level.
Time Zone: Sands lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Sands is within the (828) area code.
Communities Also Named Sands ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 10 communities that are also named Sands - they are located in California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois (2), Maryland, Michigan (2), Missouri and New Mexico.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Sands.
Communities near Sands ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Sands.
- Boone
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boone have been provided by the GNIS.<4> 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 <5>
- Mountain City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain City
- Mountain City is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,444 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mountain City <5>
- Norris
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west) - Jefferson
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
- Jefferson is located in Ashe County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,534 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jefferson <5>
- Trade
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)- 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 <5>
- Blowing Rock
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)- 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 <5>
- West Jefferson
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Jefferson have been provided by the GNIS.<4> 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 <5>
- Banner Elk
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banner Elk
- Banner Elk is located in Avery County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,082 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Banner Elk <5>
- Newland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newland have been provided by the GNIS.<4> 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 <5>
- Elk Park
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elk Park have been provided by the GNIS.<4> 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 <5>
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 Sands. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Sands.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Sands. 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 Sands.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Sands. See our Newspapers Page for Sands.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Sands ...
Looking for more information about Sands? 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.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Sands, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Sands.
Adding Sands to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Sands 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 Sands was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<6>
From that list, the Sands post office opened in 1881.
We also found Sands in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Sands.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Sands. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Watauga County: www.wataugacounty.org/
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 Watauga, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Sands - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | 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. |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |