Dirt. | Everything Real Estate in the NC High Country

Artisanal reopens at Diamond Creek in Banner Elk

After three successful years, Artisanal has relocated to Diamond Creek Golf Club and are opening tonight. This was the restaurant Bill Greene always dreamed of. Specializing in day boat fish from Hawaii to Maine, the menu focuses on seasonality and creativity. Chef Bill's main focus is for the guest to ...

Boone’s Solar System

AIRE Executive Director Steve Owen stands on the roof of The Greenhouse, next to the newly installed solar panels. Photo by Owen Gray Installation of Boone’s First Community Owned Solar Project Complete Story by Owen Gray AIRE Executive Director Steve Owen stands on the roof of The Greenhouse, next to the newly installed ...

Builders hope incentives will launch increase

The building industry is starting to pick up steam, but residential building permits are still lagging behind last year’s totals.In March, the Watauga County Planning & Inspections Department ...

DOT Gathers Public Input on Highway 221 Widening

About 150 people signed an attendance sheet at a Citizens Informational Workshop for the proposed U.S. Highway 221 widening project. The project will widen the 16.1-mile section of road from two lanes to four lanes from the intersection with U.S. 421 south of Boone to the U.S. 221 Business/N.C. Highway ...

EPA Halts Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining Permits

Environmentalists are still celebrating a decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week to suspend and review permits for two new mountaintop removal coal mining operations in West Virginia and Kentucky. The EPA said it also intends to review other requests for mining permits, putting between 150 to 200 ...

Grandfather is state’s newest park

By Scott Nicholson Grandfather Mountain is officially a state park now, with Friday's passage of a legislative bill, one of the last steps of a year-long process that secures the long-term future of the biological treasure. It joins 33 other state parks, including Elk Knob State Park in the Meat Camp community ...

A few tips for getting soil ready for spring

By Scott Nicholson Though soil preparation is a year-round task, it’s not too late to improve on Mother Nature’s humble offering of dirt. Soil amendments are best made gradually, beginning with a soil test to determine the acidity and level of organic matter in the soil. However, if you are breaking in a ...

Staying on top of the economy

Although the economy remains in a recession, many local business owners are starting to notice upward trends that may indicate a thaw on the regional monetary freeze. One example includes developer Mark Harrill, president of Foscoe Companies and its key development, Echota, who had a good year in 2008 by ...

Boone OKs Greenway extension near new WHS

By Frank Ruggiero The Boone Town Council hit the trail by approving a greenway connector near the new Watauga High School. The town will commit $96,000 toward the trail, which follows a sewer easement unfit for development toward the Perkinsville area of town. The funding will likely be drawn from an obesity prevention ...

Prefab life off the Grid

So, you're thinking about grabbing a few acres of dirt, and building a simple cabin. Well take a look at this article about mail order green homes I came across: http://fabprefab.com/fabfiles/home.htm How Can I Get A Prefab Home? The easiest way to get a prefab home is to call a design firm ...

Ginn offloads 6,000 acre development to Reynolds

One of Watauga County’s largest real-estate developments in recent years has been sold after the developer’s affiliates filed for bankruptcy last week. The 6,000-acre Laurelmor golf resort has been sold to new owners after Florida-based Ginn Company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy to liquidate two Florida projects, as well as agreeing ...

Empire State Building Stolen!

BY WILLIAM SHERMAN DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Daily News reporter William Sherman in front of the Empire State Building. In one of the biggest heists in American history, the Daily News "stole" the $2 billion Empire State Building. And it wasn't that hard. The News swiped the 102-story Art Deco skyscraper by drawing up ...

The Small House Movement

by Tara Darby Is the "bigger is better" mentality fading in terms of real estate? Are the days of McMansions coming to an end? Well, it seems for some homeowners it is. There's a new movement out there that's creating quite a buzz among environmentalist and folks seeking a simpler life. ...

Boone’s Proposed Water Intake Environmental Assessment Finds Special Concern Mussels

Story by Kathleen McFadden Earlier this month, Boone voters overwhelmingly approved a $25 million bond referendum for a new water intake facility on the South Fork of the New River in the Brownwood area near Todd. Town staff has now turned the focus to an environmental assessment currently underway. According to ...

The Road to Four

Say goodbye to the folks, pack as many Thanksgiving leftovers as possible into your car and get back to Boone this Saturday—you’ve got a football game to watch. No. 2-seeded ASU will host the South Carolina State Bulldogs at 12:00 p.m. Saturday in a first-round playoff game at Kidd Brewer ...

Come Ski and get a tree!

Tree Story by Anna Oakes With literally thousands to choose from, you and your family can find the perfect Christmas tree this year. Families from across the state and Southeast travel hundreds of miles to our mountains for their tannenbaums, but High Country residents enjoy the privilege of living right in ...

Boone Council Deliberates Zoning Requests Thursday

Story by Kathleen McFadden Two rezoning cases were on the agenda for Boone’s Quarterly Public Hearing on November 13. ASU requested a change in the zoning of the rock building on the corner of Rivers and Depot streets from B-1, Central Business District, to U-1, University District. Boone Five, LLC requested ...

The Star of a Real Estate Reality Show Takes a Housing Hit

By Ronald Grover Ronald Grover To the 1 million viewers of Bravo's reality show Flipping Out, Jeff Lewis is the acerbic, demanding, and sometimes petulant face of real estate speculation. In the program's first two seasons (already in reruns), Lewis turned a hefty ...

ASU seeks Boone’s OK for journalism complex

By Frank Ruggiero Appalachian State University is hoping to hit the airwaves with a new broadcasting center, though it will need a green light from the Boone Town Council. University officials appeared before the council and Boone Area Planning Commission Thursday, Nov. 13, at the town’s quarterly public hearing, requesting a zoning ...

Local home construction down 25%

By Scott Nicholson George Gilleland is president of the High Country Home Builders Association and owner of The Hardwood Company in Boone, selling wood products and other building materials. He said while the construction market has cooled a little, it’s still far from doom and gloom. “I think we’re doing better than ...

Tough times for farmers in the high country

Written by John Boyle The lingering drought in much of North Carolina has resulted in the U.S. Department of Agriculture declaring 59 counties, including nearly all of Western North Carolina, disaster areas. Advertisement That means local farmers who can prove significant crop losses may be eligible for low-interest loans or other payments. This ...

Proposed Globe Scenic Area

Story by Kathleen McFadden Researchers at Colorado State University released an economic study this week stating that the creation of the proposed Grandfather National Scenic Area (GNSA) would attract an estimated 1.5 million visitors a year, result in the creation of 724 new jobs and generate an additional $38.4 million in ...

Oops, not quite grandpa

Grandfather Mountain President Crae Morton announced this week that based on a recent survey by Doug Suttles of Suttles Surveying in Marion, N.C., Grandfather Mountain will list the elevation of its summit as 5,946 feet. This number is 18 feet lower than the elevation of 5,964 feet that Grandfather Mountain has ...

A Bold Vision for Boone

Story by Kathleen McFadden “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” So cautioned Craig Lewis of the Lawrence Group at the closing presentation of the Boone 2030 planning charrette last week. What Lewis meant is that the collective vision of what Boone can become won’t be accomplished in one fell ...

Great new venue

Story by David Brewer Sheri Baker, owner of Dragonfly Theater & Pub, quit her job 2.5 years ago to focus her work and attention on Boone’s new movie theater and pub. The Dragonfly Theater and Pub is absolutely the only venue in the High Country that has, in four months, hosted ...

the dirt.

We feel a great deal of gratitude for the way our site has been embraced. Please forgive the recent lapse in coverage. We look forward to making good on our promise to be your best source for real estate news in the North Carolina mountains. Stay tuned for much more ...

Weekly Deeds transfers

Click here to see all deed transfers filed this week

$25 Million for water upgrades

The Boone Town Council will meet at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 24, to vote on a resolution authorizing the town’s finance director to apply to the Local Government Commission for approval of a $25 million issue of general obligation bonds. Click here to read the article from the High Country ...

Town to appeal Templeton case

The town of Boone will begin an appeal process this week on the Superior Court’s decision in favor of local developer ...