Cove Creek High School · National Register of Historic Places
Cove Creek’s story
Cove Creek in pictures
The archive holds 3 maps from 1935 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Cove CreekNC
A town of 1,629. Home to Jung Tao School of Classical Chinese Medicine.
Cove Creek High School · Photo: Crimson henry · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,629
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$296K
Census ACS
Household income
$53K
median
Median age
49.3
years
Jobs based here
102
A commuter town
Is Cove Creek a good place to live?
Cove Creek’s best subject grade is an A− for schools; its weakest is a D− for incomes. Only 33 of North Carolina’s 448 towns score lower on incomes. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 89% of U.S. towns. Only 1 of the 291 North Carolina towns we compare have a lower July high than Cove Creek. Cove Creek is home to Jung Tao School of Classical Chinese Medicine. Cove Creek has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Cove Creek stand out
Where Cove Creek beats most towns.
College town
Jung Tao School of Classical Chinese Medicine calls Cove Creek home
College Scorecard · IPEDS
How Cove Creek grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Cove Creek is from typical.
Jobs & income$53K median household incomeD−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.6 of 20; 5.5% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC−Open →SchoolsBeat 80% of North Carolina districts on tests and graduationA−Open →HealthWatauga Medical Center 9.7 miles awayBOpen →Cost of livingC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 23 attractions →Blue Ridge Parkway and 13 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cove Creek. Close and well known come first.
8 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
12 mi MountainGrandfather Mountain11 mi Theme parkTweetsie Railroad9 mi Theme parkLand of Oz
29 mi MountainMount Rogers
12 mi Ski areaSugar Mountain Resort26 runs · 1,171 ft verticalSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Grandfather Mountain: Original uploader was KyleAndMelissa22 at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Mount Rogers: USDA-FS, Public domain · Sugar Mountain Resort: Mark Clifton, CC BY-SA 2.0
Getting set up
Moving to Cove Creek: who provides what
Cove Creek is unincorporated, so Watauga County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerBlue Ridge Elec Member14.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterPebble Creek Apartments water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesWatauga CountyWatauga County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn North Carolina you can register online until 25 days before Election Day, in person with same-day registration during the early voting period, or by mail (postmarked 25 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereWatauga County Board of ElectionsWatauga County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, May 2019
ZIP codes28692, 28679, 2869828692 66% · 28679 18% · 28698 16%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Cove Creek.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Most of Cove Creek’s workers commute out: the town has 0.2 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Cove Creek for work: only 2% work in town. 23% of residents live below the poverty line in Cove Creek, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 13% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Since 2013, Cove Creek has added 46 jobs, to 102 in 2023.
2%work in town
| Cove Creek | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 6.8% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Cove Creek2%
Boone39%
Hickory3%
Charlotte2%
Asheville2%
9 mi
median commute distance
102
jobs based in Cove Creek
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 11% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Who lives here
Older than North Carolina overall
People 65 and older are 30% of residents (17% statewide); children under 18 are 16% of residents (22% statewide). Cove Creek’s median age is 49.3 years, above both the North Carolina town median (40.1 years) and the median of U.S. towns (40.5 years). 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across North Carolina.
49.3median age · NC 39.1
| Cove Creek | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 49.3 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 29% | 29% | 29% |
Cove CreekNorth CarolinaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
21%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma10%
High school24%
Some college31%
Associate’s6%
Bachelor’s18%
Graduate11%
Women and men · all residents
43% women, 57% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±8.1 points. Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 100% are men (NC 51%).
| Cove Creek | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.2% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 3.9% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.8% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.4% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.7% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 20.7% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.3% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.3% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 30.6% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.8% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.4% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.8% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,600, single groups can be off by several points
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
Inland flooding leads a high hazard risk in Cove Creek
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 77% of U.S. communities.
77risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesLandslides
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Cove Creek
Cove Creek has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Only 1 of the 291 North Carolina towns we compare have a lower January low than Cove Creek.
48″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter26–45°
Spring39–63°
Summer57–79°
Fall41–64°
Oct 24
typical first frost
Apr 18
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB
Residents of Cove Creek are healthier than 65% of U.S. towns
Cove Creek beats the North Carolina average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 27% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Cove Creek.
65%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Cove Creek | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 25% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 36% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 33% |
32 measures vs. North Carolina
4 better27 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Cove Creek | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.9% | 8.1% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9% | 12.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.7% | 7.9% |
Watauga Medical Center
9.7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Cove Creek
16pages on Cove Creek
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Cove Creek
Jung Tao School of Classical Chinese MedicineUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Cove CreekIn townAppalachian State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Boone7.7 mi$7,579 in-state tuitionLees-McRae CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Banner Elk9.9 mi$33,250 tuition
About 1 of every 100 Cove Creek residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Cove Creek for work
Where Cove Creek’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
102jobs based in Cove Creek
2%of working residents work in town
9 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Cove Creek
Unincorporated community in North Carolina, US
Cove Creek is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Watauga County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Cove Creek had a population of 1,068.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 8.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,795 ft
Questions about Cove Creek
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Cove Creek, NC a good place to live?
Home to Jung Tao School of Classical Chinese Medicine.
Is Cove Creek, NC expensive?
The typical home is worth about $296,000. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.