# Boone, NC?



## AbsoluteZzZero (Oct 15, 2005)

Hey!

My family is contemplating moving to Boone, NC to be closer to family and we really like the area. My dad and I have recently started a Lawn Care business and we're pretty sure we can do the same thing in Boone as well as doing snowplowing.

So I was wondering if any of you know what kind of market there is in in Boone. I read something that said the average snowfall is around 55", so I would think thats more than enough to plow! But Im im a n00b, so I don't know.

Thanks, Drew


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## Mick (May 19, 2001)

I highly doubt that Boone, NC gets ANY snow, let alone 55". Check this for average temps and precipitation: http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=109013&refer=


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## AbsoluteZzZero (Oct 15, 2005)

This says 40". I thought that same site said 56" a few days ago.


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## Banksy (Aug 31, 2005)

They get snow. A couple people I work with went to college out there and they said it snowed "a lot" whatever that might mean. Hey, if I am seriously thinking about starting a plow service in Raleigh NC, then it makes just as much sense if not more to do it in Boone. Go for it!


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## Frozen001 (Oct 20, 2004)

40" is not that much snow if you average that across the months that it actually can snow....might not be worth the investiment... especially if it melts off...


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## AbsoluteZzZero (Oct 15, 2005)

Could someone give me a rough estimate of how much one could make in a season? With 2-3" triggers and assuming 40" average. I know it would be a VERY rough estimate since a lot goes into the figuring, but I don't need anything precise.


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## Grn Mtn (Sep 21, 2004)

I would call the chamber of commerce and ask if there are any companies opperating a snow plowing business, and look up the local paper and see if anyone advertises for one. If the answer is yes, then bets are if you already own the equipment go for it, in no than I wouldn't bother. At 3000'elevation if it does snow it should stick around.


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## crazymike (Oct 22, 2004)

There isn't an ill wind that doesn't blow well for others.

Less snow can also be a blessing in disguise. My friend lives in Kentucky and runs a small lawn business. They have a few plows aswell as attachments for mowers, etc... aswell as sweepers. Since snow removal companies are far and few they are able to charge quite a bit more money when it does snow. So in return, they end up doing well without high investments in equipment and labour. You just have to research in how much and what equipment to go with. Clearly you don't side wings, etc... however you would need more things like blades that go on mowers, salters, etc... Just my 2 cents


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## Mick (May 19, 2001)

I would check to make sure. The site I posted (Weatherbase) is for Boone specifically, is a record of the last 30 years and, in my opinion, is trustworthy (at least I've been using it for several years). The site you posted is for the whole Northwest NC and is an average from something called "Ray's Weather Service". And it only shows two months with any significant snowfall - 11" and 10" for Jan and Feb - likely not enough at any one time worth fooling with. At least take GRN MTN's advice about the Chamber of Commerce and the newpaper.


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## ibelee (Dec 7, 2004)

*Wow! 16.6 average for Wash. DC*

Sure am glad I didn't look at this before.

I would have never bought the equipment or pushed 5 times last year.

Then again, we paid off our equipment purchases by signing Seasonal Contracts and made a few dollars spreading salt.

Thanks for the info guys.


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## RamesesSnow23 (Jan 4, 2004)

Banksy said:


> They get snow. A couple people I work with went to college out there and they said it snowed "a lot" whatever that might mean. Hey, if I am seriously thinking about starting a plow service in Raleigh NC, then it makes just as much sense if not more to do it in Boone. Go for it!


Boone is smack dab in the middle of the Applacian mountains and is up almost 4,000'. They get plenty of snow 55" sounded just about right when I first read it. The lower averages could be for areas nearby but lower in elevation. If your above 30 N latitude you can count on plowable snow at 3800'.

New York City averages less then Boone, NC, its well worth having a plow there. The boon area and Western North Carolina have been in the news many times in the past few years due to big snow events. I have family in south central virginia, right around I-81 so more west central and lower in elevation then Boone by about 2,000'. They have plowable snow at least once a winter and amouts over a foot are not un herd of, once every few years they get as much as 15" from one storm.

I have access to some good climate databases at school, Ill see what kind of a history I can find for Boone, NC.


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## RamesesSnow23 (Jan 4, 2004)

Frozen001 said:


> 40" is not that much snow if you average that across the months that it actually can snow....might not be worth the investiment... especially if it melts off...


Not trying to argue but NYC averages 23" per year, I guess its time for all the guys on long Island and New Jersey to sell their plows to people further north???

Average is just the mean of extreems, it can often be ALOT more especially 
at high elevations like Boone, NC.

Again, I mean that in a nice way even if it sounds like iam being a jerk, just trying to make the point.


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## Chris-R (Jul 9, 2005)

I would think you would also do quite a bit of salting so make sure to get a nice v-box.


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## Frozen001 (Oct 20, 2004)

cja1987 said:


> Not trying to argue but NYC averages 23" per year, I guess its time for all the guys on long Island and New Jersey to sell their plows to people further north???
> 
> Average is just the mean of extreems, it can often be ALOT more especially
> at high elevations like Boone, NC.
> ...


But the difference in NYC is the average temperature, and simple the fact that there are very few areas the do not need snow to be removed when it snows (i.e. a ton of streets and sidewalks)... and 4" snow fall will dissapear faster the more south you go....


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## Mick (May 19, 2001)

I really wouldn't put much trust in that weather site you referenced. I checked it out and was not impressed at all: http://raysweather.com/

Frozen001 was right with considering the temperature, which the average low for Jan is 38F.

But, bottom line is - do what you want to do. If you think it'll work - go for it.


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## RamesesSnow23 (Jan 4, 2004)

Frozen001 said:


> But the difference in NYC is the average temperature, and simple the fact that there are very few areas the do not need snow to be removed when it snows (i.e. a ton of streets and sidewalks)... and 4" snow fall will dissapear faster the more south you go....


Everything you just said is wrong no offence. We will start by debunking the temperature myth and then do the "city factor" you talked about ie streets, side walks, buildings then well talk about latitude and elevation and why snow wont always melt faster at lower latitudes.

Your right there is a difference in average tempertatue between NYC and Boone, NC, Boone is COLDER!!!

Lets call a typical plow season November 1 to March 31st heres the averages for the two cities.

NOVEMBER Average High/low Average Temp*
Boone, NC 52/30, 41 
NYC 54/41, 47.5

DECEMBER Average High/low Average Temp*
Boone, NC 44/22, 32 
NYC 44/32, 38

JANUARY Average High/low Average Temp* 
Boone, NC 39/20, 29.5
NYC 39/26, 32.5

FEBUARY Average High/Low Average Temp*
Boone, NC 43/22, 32.5 
NYC 42/29, 35.5

MARCH Average High/low Average Temp*
Boone, NC 50/29, 39.5 
NYC 50/35, 42.5

High and low temp for each month are separated by a slash, after those two numbers the next number is average for the month. Hard to read though, it all lined up nicely when I typed it in to the box to post but after posting to the site, it throws it off and I tried but cant get them to space out into nice even colums. Sorry.

*Average Temperature During Boone Plow Season= 34.9
Average Temperature During NYC Plow Season= 39.2***

*Average Temperature for a month is calculated by adding the average high to the average low for the month and divide by 2.

**Average Temperature during plow season is calculated by adding all the monthly averages for each city and dividing by 5.

Data is from weather.com, they are 30 year averages from 1971-2001 I believe the period is currently. Dont believe me check it out for your sealves, type in the two cities and then click "averages and records".

As you can see Boone is COLDER by 3 degrees then NYC during plow season. Perceptions are perceptions and most peoples are false when it comes to geography and the weather.

Boone is colder and UP 3,800' and well Inland which subjects the location to even more extreme weather then NYC. NYC is at sea level or a few feet above, and its right on the ocean near warm currents keeping things much warmer. The Buildings and concrete in such a huge city retain the heat, this combined with its proximity to the ocean makes any snow that actually can accumlate in NYC melt MUCH faster it then it would in Boone, NC even if we assumed that average temps were equal but we have proven that Boone is colder.

If anyone needs more explaination, Ill be glad to give more.

My comments were made knowing full well the climate of Boone unlike others and I continue to say "go for it" absolutely plow if your moving to Boone. People plow in warmer places with less snowfall and make money at it.

Good Luck and enjoy all that snow you will be getting in Boone!!!


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## Frozen001 (Oct 20, 2004)

So maybe I was incorrect about the temperatures... But you must also account for the lack of significant accumulation to need a plow...How often does N.C. get a "snowstorm"... NYC will get at least one to two snow storms with a significant amount of snow fall...


Just seems like too much trouble for me for the 7 - 10 times a year you would possible need to plow...

The maximum possible could be 14 times(using 2" triggers)

November average snow fall: 2.7"... 1 plow
December average snow fall: 6.5"... 3 times 
January average snow fall: 11"... 5 times 
February average snow fall: 10"... 5 times 
March average snow fall: 7"... 3 times 

But this would assume each snow fall yields 2" of snow.... Take January there could easily be 11 non consecutive days where you get 1" on snow... that means no plowing...


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## RamesesSnow23 (Jan 4, 2004)

Frozen001 said:


> So maybe I was incorrect about the temperatures... But you must also account for the *lack of significant accumulation to need a plow...How often does N.C. get a "snowstorm"... NYC will get at least one to two snow storms with a significant amount of snow fall...*
> 
> Just seems like too much trouble for me for the 7 - 10 times a year you would possible need to plow...
> 
> ...


Your reasonioning is correct in terms of average snowfall. Rarely is it ever average though, you cant take averages literally. Using average snowfall is a moot point if your saying its worth it in NYC but not in Boone, NC, because boon gets more then double the amount of snow.

To answer the area I made bold in your post, what would keep "significant accumlation" from occuring in Boone??? Considering they average more snow then NYC, one would reason that they must get some significant snowfall to account for a more then double average snowfall right or am I missing something. As for how often N. Carolina will actually "get a snow storm", I suggest you take a look at a good map. There is alot more to the state then the common person realizes and it has many more "climate zones" then the common person realizes. There is more to North Carolina then the outerbanks, Raleigh, Charlotte,etc. Those are the areas you hear about but they are SIGNIFICANYLY different from Boone weatherwise. Someone from north carolina (banksy) has told you guys this and you still dont listen. When NYC gets a large dumping of snow, usually a storm moving up the eastern seabord combines with another system thats feeding in moisture from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. So the storms are pahsing or coming togather around the carolinas and racing northward with rapid intensification. This brings significant precip all along the eastern sea board, rain in most areas of the mid atlantic and south east but go west into the applacians almost 4,000 high (BOONE) your likely to be cold enough for all that precip to fall as snow. The mountains also enhance snow totals (orographic lifting) which can have the same effect as a major noreaster if not an even greater effect. Watch the weather closely this snow season and when they show the radar image of a storm moving up the eastern seaboard, take a look at the appalacian mountains and see what color the rader is!! You will see white in the mountians such as Boone. So sure Boone, NC gets as many if not more big events a year then NYC. You dont hear much about these areas because they are not well populated and represent a very small portion of North Carolina. There is no argument, Boone gets more snow and on average is colder.

I know the first thing you think of when you hear North Carolina is "hot and humid summers, mild winters" but its not true for the entire state. The mountainous areas to the west are quite rural so you hear little about them. There are places in North Carolina that average over 80" of snow per year. Its all about elevation, look at a map!!!

That the entire state of N Carolina gets little snow is a FALSE perception that leads to such false information being spread to the point that hes being told not to even bother plowing in a snowy region.

If you still doubt that Boone gets more snow then NYC and its more worth having a plow in Boone, I will explain further.


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## Frozen001 (Oct 20, 2004)

I seem to have stuck a nerve with you.... and considering NEITHER of us are from around there, maybe we should both stop speculating n weather Boone, NC gets enough snow or not. I'll stick to knowing that were I live we are typically one of the snowiest places in the NY...

You and I can sit here and argue over weather Boone, NC get any snow forever, and fact is neither of us really knows...


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## RamesesSnow23 (Jan 4, 2004)

Frozen001 said:


> I seem to have stuck a nerve with you.... and considering NEITHER of us are from around there, maybe we should both stop speculating n weather Boone, NC gets enough snow or not. I'll stick to knowing that were I live we are typically one of the snowiest places in the NY...
> 
> You and I can sit here and argue over weather Boone, NC get any snow forever, and fact is neither of us really knows...


You did not strike any nerve with me, Iam not upset with you at all. I know by looking at the data who gets more snow and where its more worthwhile to be plowing. Its not difficult. You are speculating and your are ignorant of the situation, I am not, I know because I pay close attention to weather all over the country especially around snowstorms. Its not hard to look at reports from past years and make a decision on weather plowing is necessary. The data is there for peoples use, its not 1492 when you would have to live there to know whats happening somewhere. All you need to do is watch the weather or read some weater sites next time a winterstorm moves up the east coast. Youll see a narrow strip of the Carolinas that will always get as much snow or more snow then the big cities from NY-South. Its not speculation, its something that I know to be FACT. All the info is avilable, take a look at it if you wish. This is a subject area I know quite a bit about so please dont assume that Iam ignorant of the situation. Iam sure there are plenty of things that you know much more about then I do, so next time I make a statement that you know to be false, let me know and by all means correct me, if you back it up like I did, I wont argue and insist that iam right I will say "oh I did not know that thanks for the info"... thats how we learn. Trust me on this one though because I know.

I just dont want the guy making decisions based on inaccurate information. PLEASE UNDERSTAND that it is nothing personal, iam just trying to help someone since it is something I know a bit about since Meteorology is my major in school.


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## vanwhyjr (Sep 14, 2004)

Here is a link to the NCDC records of snow and ice storms since 1950!
It seems like the do get a little snow there!!
http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~storms


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## Seamus (Aug 17, 2005)

I grew up in Brooklyn, NY and spent an extended period of time in Fort Bragg, NC while in the U.S. Army. I recall tons of snow in NY and have almost no recollection of snow in NC. There were a lot of ice storms, but very little snow, a few inches at the most and it NEVER stayed around for more than a day, maybe two. I'm not saying snow in Boone, NC is nonexistant, but it is unlikely to get enough snow in a heavily populated area more than 2-3 times a year that would stick around long enough to require plowing. 
Seamus


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## RamesesSnow23 (Jan 4, 2004)

Seamus said:


> I grew up in Brooklyn, NY and spent an extended period of time in Fort Bragg, NC while in the U.S. Army. I recall tons of snow in NY and have almost no recollection of snow in NC. There were a lot of ice storms, but very little snow, a few inches at the most and it NEVER stayed around for more than a day, maybe two. I'm not saying snow in Boone, NC is nonexistant, but it is unlikely to get enough snow in a heavily populated area more than 2-3 times a year that would stick around long enough to require plowing.
> Seamus


Yes your 100% correct, it hardly ever snows in the well populated areas of North Carolina thats why most people think its nonexistant. But hes moving to Boone, not Fort Bragg. Fort Bragg is totally different.

Snow "stuck around" more for more then a month in Boone last winter. I know Boone represents a tiny, tiny portion of the state but he happens to be moving there and we should treat his question as such.


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## T-MAN (Jan 9, 2001)

Chris you are very correct about the plowing for these areas.

Actually it could be quite lucrative to say the least. Areas that are not saturated with "plow jockeys" and dont see a lot of events can be perfect for the guy willing to do a lil work in the "off" season.

Lets face it, areas that are snow belts usually have driven there pricing into the toilet and the only way to "make money" is to push 150" a year. Areas with low accumulation without signifigant snow (New Jersey for example) charge premium rates. As in big money, that is unheard of anywhere else.

I would say get one truck at least with a blade, and hang a salter on any vehicle you can put chains on and go make money.
Todd


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## Seamus (Aug 17, 2005)

Let's forget about the actual snowfall for a minute and consider if the average person in Boone would spend or could even afford to pay somebody to plow. With a median income of about $21K/yr and a pop. accordding to the last census of about 14K, and estimated today to be around 25K, it doesn't seem likely. If you also consider that about half of the pop. are males between the age of 21-40, what is your clientele base? If you are a married male with a family to support, how much money do you think you could spend on this? If you are a single male do you really care? When I was single I NEVER spent money on that. Also does the town have any equipment to support your plowing? Meaning, who is going to plow the streets for you to get to your clients? I don't think that a town that has such a low pop., which would make for a low budget could spend much money, if any, for a fleet of trucks to plow with, not to mention pay for the high price of fuel. Any money that you could make plowing in such an area would be marginal at best. I feel you would be lucky to break even. Rebuttle?
Seamus


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## RamesesSnow23 (Jan 4, 2004)

Very True, it seems you see a plow in every other driveway in my area. We definately have tons of plowers however, prices are somewhere in the middle between the really snowy places and the not so snowy places to our south. If you go north of me into NH&VT plowing on a per push basis is much cheaper compared to my area, especially as you head into Far Northern New England, prices drop off significantly.

They are more accustomed to snow in the Boone area then in other areas of the south however, the market to my knowlage would not be nearly as saturated with snow removal equipment and contractors. Id imagine Boone itself has very good snow removal capabilities as they would have to but I highly doubt that as anywhere near as many people have plows on their personal pickups. Plows are alot more expensive down there and dealers few and far between which is a deterrent to the typical guy with a 4X4 thinking of plowing. I would use that to my advantage and you should find a nice little niche in the area.

I do know that when areas east of Boone in NC get snow, equipment is often brought in from the Boone area to help deal with the snow that the areas 80-200+ miles to the east are less accustomed to dealing with. Still the market is nowhere near as saturated as say the Boston area or even New Jersey. You would be suprised at how far south and east you see towns with a fleet of plows however small. The city of Atlanta actually owns a few snow plows if you can believe that one.



Seamus said:


> Also does the town have any equipment to support your plowing? Meaning, who is going to plow the streets for you to get to your clients? I don't think that a town that has such a low pop., which would make for a low budget could spend much money, if any, for a fleet of trucks to plow with, not to mention pay for the high price of fuel. Any money that you could make plowing in such an area would be marginal at best. I feel you


Good, well researched points, i did not think of that at all. Thanks for the figures!

The only thing you dont take into account is the town of Boone absolutely has plows and maintains a snow budget, and a sizeable fleet at that. Id be willing to bet that if you go find me a town in New Jersey the same size as Boone and look at their DPW yard, they will probley have as much snow removal equipment as Boone. They would have to considering temps and average snowfall. The absolutly have equipment and often come from 100+ Miles to help out when other portions of the state less accustomed to snow get wacked and cant handle it on their own. Id be willing to bet that even towns on the N Carolina cost own a few snowplows.

As far as your other comments go, I guess thats something that absoluteZzZero will have to research before and when he gets to Boone. All your points seem like good vaild points but the only way to see about snowplowing rates is to talk to local plowers (you will find some, maybe not as many residential but look for some DPW guys they will all have alot of experience plowing). See what people are willing to pay, its still about supply and demand and supply is most likely lower (not to say they dont exist) in the personal truck and plow market. You will have to do a "market ananlysis" using all the resources possible if you really want to make a go of it. Personally if I was moving to Boone, NC tommrrow, I would want a plow to at least plow my own driveway otherwise Id expect to shovel as much as I would at my house in Massachusetts maybe a little less. Iam sure I would find others to pay me to plow for them too especially the big storms, huge rural driveways are hard to shovel. Otherwise Id just plow basically for fun and go as low as I had to to at least break even, at least I could not be accused of being a lowballer. I would not make it my primary source of income but Id still plow thats for sure.

Now iam thinking of taking a ride to Boone this weekend and seeing how many plows and trucks with plow mounts I see. I have been known to do things like that spontaneously as I love to drive. Iam only half kidding as I get bored and sick of the same old crap all the time and the weather looks to be bad agian this weekend so I wont get anything done outside. Iam really curious now as to how many people have plows on Pickup Trucks and what kinds of plows they have. One of my good friends has been wanting me to come visit him in Virginia, right on I-81 the road that heads towards Boone. So it would not be a completely wasted trip. I could start out Fri at noon time and be down there by midnight-2am with no traffic. Drive around saturday and come back saturday night. All for a thread on plowsite and to relieve my intense boredom that has built up over this string of rainy days? Sounds like a good idea then I can give you guys a few days rest from my weather preaching. I think its time for me to go to bed!


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## hickslawns (Dec 18, 2004)

cja1987-you are a nut! I mean this as a compliment. I don't know if you are the next synicated columnist waiting to happen, a genius with nothing better to do, a very wealthy person that drives around bored, or just someone who likes to do research and antagonize those without the spare time to debate you! Either way, I must say I found it quite humorous that these facts are flying around with absolutezzzero nowhere to be seen.

Hey absolutezzzero! Did you think you were going to drum up so much attention or have you logged off only to check this message next month. . . if you remembered posting it. . .if you end up moving to Boone. . .and if you move to Boone aaaaaannnnd start up another lawn service. 

Sorry guys, just had to throw this in. If abzero is serious, and going to do this here are some factors which may have been overlooked. If this is western NC appalacian area, then you are talking about low population/low income due to the fact that there are many second homes/vacation summer homes/ski resort homes. These are not the main houses for these people. If this is accurate, and I know cja1987 will double check me on it, then there is a market for lawn, landscaping, and quite possibly snow removal. These people want to get in the driveway when they are in town to go skiing. 

Bottomline is this, if absolutezzzero wants to make it in business then there needs to be research done before he plops down his money for the potential new home location. Good luck if you are listening absolutezzero!


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## Frozen001 (Oct 20, 2004)

CJA all good point... but the fact remains your up Mass, and are only speculating... Why not let someone chime in who actually has been there or in the surrounding area that can back up what they are saying by real world experience... I can spend just as much time as you on the Internet looking up "averages" and what not, but the thing you look up is the is the attitude of the people in the area... who knows maybe they all just shovel the snow. Also just be cause the area averages 40" a year, the statistics do not show how much actually stays on the ground. For all we know it could snow and then melt off the next couple of days. As for this being a ski resort area... 40" does not seem like much snow to support a ski slope for the year...but oh ya I am IGNORANT.....


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## RamesesSnow23 (Jan 4, 2004)

hickslawns said:


> cja1987-you are a nut! I mean this as a compliment. I don't know if you are the next synicated columnist waiting to happen, a genius with nothing better to do, a very wealthy person that drives around bored, or just someone who likes to do research and antagonize those without the spare time to debate you! Either way, I must say I found it quite humorous that these facts are flying around with absolutezzzero nowhere to be seen.


haha ROFLMAO 
I wish I was wealthy and bored but iam not, you guys all have alot more money then me. Iam still in school, I still get a house provided for me, I basically pay for everything surrounding my Truck and I also spend my money on things to improve my house just cause I like things looking good and again I get bored easily so I enjoy doing work around the house. Dont get the wrong perception though, I dont have money to throw around and what I have is hard earned, mainly during plow season. I dont come from a wealthy family, all average people.

I dont know how intelligent Iam, it depends on who you ask, answers Iam sure would vary alot.

Well that was a good ways off topic. 
However my intention has never been to go off topic in this thread, I have been trying to convey to Absolutezero what the weather component of plowing is like in Boone but some people dont believe me. I know its HARD to believe me as conventional wisdom states "North Carolina=No Snow". Iam not doing this to argue with anyone nor am I doing this for my own satisfaction. I dont feel like Iam antagonizing anyone. Your entitled to your own opinions, your not entitled to your own facts. The facts state that weather wise it is worth it to plow in Boone, NC. Ask ANY Meteorologist, Email a N. Carolina TV metorologist or the National Weather service office nearby and ask if snow ever sticks aroudnd in Boone. Consult a good encyclapedia article on the state of NC that has a little write up about climate. I suggest you will get the same answer from all of them as you are getting from me. Others with a better grasp on the business side of plowing have taken care of the other questions much better then I coud have and brought up helpful points that I never would have thought to even research the way they did. I can tell you about weather though, thats what I do and plan on doing (of course I will still plow when I can).

Frozen001,
I agree, the best way to understand the market would be to find someone who lives there and talk to them. They may only shovel your right, we dont know the mindset of the people. You are most likely more knowlageable then me when it comes to the busniess aspects of plowing and I will yield to you as I only have a basic idea, you have probley been plowing for money longer then I have.

Snow will stick around long enough in Boone to be able to plow it, it does so in warmer and less extreme climates then Boone, like NYC. Cold spells often follow snow storms and can last weeks. Its a rural area at a high elevation, you can count on snow sticking around for at least a few weeks in a season. Unless there is some big snow melting lamp or something sitting over downtown Boone to melt all the snow, all indications are that it should stick around once in a while. I dont know why this is such a hard concept. Averages temps for a day are below freezing for dec/jan/feb. Temperatures will drop like a rock on a clear night in the mountains with a nice layer of fresh snowcover. Then after dropping so low at night, the sun needs to warm the air (from the ground upwards is how its warmed) but instead of absorbing sunlight and emitting infared heat, fresh snow reflects about 75-90% of solar radiation making it much harder for temps to warm up after a deep snowfall which will occur in the mountains. This effect can last for weeks even with a not so cold airmass in place bringing mild temps to the eastern areas of North Carolina while the higher elevations stay in the 20s and 30s., snow can and will stick around. Its not like the NYC where all the heat generated by the city combined with the salt air from the ocean can eat up snow even with temps in the 20's uet we will still have weeks or even months of Snowcover in NYC during some winters.

The average snowfall seems low when compared to other ski areas like in Northern New England and New York but they are still up as high as a mile in come cases and will get snow. There is a demand for skiing and North Carlolina is just about the only option for residents of GA,SC,AL,VA, its a feasable day trip even if these people just want to drive and see snow since they dont get it at their homes or rarely get it at their homes.

http://www.skinorthcarolina.com


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## AbsoluteZzZero (Oct 15, 2005)

Seamus said:


> Let's forget about the actual snowfall for a minute and consider if the average person in Boone would spend or could even afford to pay somebody to plow. With a median income of about $21K/yr and a pop. accordding to the last census of about 14K, and estimated today to be around 25K, it doesn't seem likely. If you also consider that about half of the pop. are males between the age of 21-40, what is your clientele base? If you are a married male with a family to support, how much money do you think you could spend on this? If you are a single male do you really care? When I was single I NEVER spent money on that. Also does the town have any equipment to support your plowing? Meaning, who is going to plow the streets for you to get to your clients? I don't think that a town that has such a low pop., which would make for a low budget could spend much money, if any, for a fleet of trucks to plow with, not to mention pay for the high price of fuel. Any money that you could make plowing in such an area would be marginal at best. I feel you would be lucky to break even. Rebuttle?
> Seamus


Boone is a college town, therefore most of the population is college kids, which explains why the average age is so low. It could aslo contribute to why the average income is so low - college kids dont make much money. But, the college(ASU) brings 2000 jobs to Boone. Think of all the professors that have better things to do than shoveling snow from their driveways.

Cja, what youre saying about the many different climates in NC is deffinetly true! My grandparents live in Franklin, which is about 3 hours from Boone, and they get barely any snow.

Hicklawns, Im still here!:waving:

Oh, and Id like to thank you guys for all of your arguments..er...conversations, youve brought up a lot of good points!


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## Mick (May 19, 2001)

Ironically, Boone, NC was featured in the NY Times travel section today:
http://travel2.nytimes.com/2005/10/...vel/Destinations/United States/North Carolina


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## hickslawns (Dec 18, 2004)

Hey Absolutezzzero! Glad to see you're still here! Just thought I would say I have relatives in Franklin. Maybe some of the few remaining "locals" in Highlands and Franklin that haven't been pushed out by the Georgia and Florida people that just come up to get away. Didn't realize Boone was 3hrs away, maybe my speculating was a bit off. Oh well, I am really just finding all this amusing anyway! :waving: 
To keep on topic. . .college town? Hhhmmmm, this means professors, a few doctors, some restaurants, bookstores, college grounds maint contracts, maybe there is quite the market for just this line of work. Maybe I am off. The great thing about this thread is cja1987 will correct me if I am wrong! Sorry man, just stirring the pot to keep you going. lol Like I said, I am really finding this amusing.


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## AbsoluteZzZero (Oct 15, 2005)

hickslawns said:


> Hey Absolutezzzero! Glad to see you're still here! Just thought I would say I have relatives in Franklin. Maybe some of the few remaining "locals" in Highlands and Franklin that haven't been pushed out by the Georgia and Florida people that just come up to get away. Didn't realize Boone was 3hrs away, maybe my speculating was a bit off. Oh well, I am really just finding all this amusing anyway! :waving:
> To keep on topic. . .college town? Hhhmmmm, this means professors, a few doctors, some restaurants, bookstores, college grounds maint contracts, maybe there is quite the market for just this line of work. Maybe I am off. The great thing about this thread is cja1987 will correct me if I am wrong! Sorry man, just stirring the pot to keep you going. lol Like I said, I am really finding this amusing.


I dont think cja is here anymore. Maybe he took his ride to Boone afterall and will come back with lots 'o info for us!


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## RamesesSnow23 (Jan 4, 2004)

Snow in Boone Tonight!!!
2-6" Forecast, wish I was there:crying:


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## douglasl330 (Oct 4, 2005)

*CJ you are kidding right?*

:redbounce You are Joking?purplebou If not they beat Beantown!


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## RamesesSnow23 (Jan 4, 2004)

douglasl330 said:


> :redbounce You are Joking?purplebou If not they beat Beantown!


Wish I was kidding:realmad: 
Id like to see some snow. 
Iam glad we are having this storm so soon after it was discussed in this thread. Some place up in the mountains of MD reported 9" of snow! Dont be fooled by latitude.


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## iceman44 (Oct 26, 2005)

*Boone*

Hi, I live at the base of the mountains just south of Boone. Believe me, they get plenty of snow and it stays on the ground most of the winter. As a matter of fact it snowed up there yesterday. I live in Hickory. Mostly my business is lawn care and street/parking lot sweeping. Last year I added snow removal. It wouldnt be worth it in this area to purchase equip for snow removal but since I already have the trucks a plow was no big deal. Boone should be a whole other story. I dont know how stiff the competition is up there but I do know that the economy there is VERY strong. In addition you have the town of Blowing Rock which is old money and big money. Whatever you decide, best of luck to you. Michael


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## Banksy (Aug 31, 2005)

Cj is not kidding. One of the Lieutenants at work was out in Boone for the past two days and he said "it was snowing sideways". So, yeah they beat Boston for first snow. Maybe I should trailer my quad out there. Only 3 hour drive.


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## irish17020 (Sep 26, 2006)

*Absolute*

I have lived in Boone for 35 years.
We are a growing commnity with a university that ntends to hold 17,000 students in the near future. We get lots of 2 or ay snow events. When one cannot get "up the mountin" to get home into one's own driveway one hiores a person with a plow. Lots of folks hereare tourists high secondary home market. When they come in winter they want to safely travel home.
Many of the local businesses have contracts with folks that plow. These folks show up and plow before you realize you are snowed in.For instance it can tae the better part of one day for one plow to clear a small shopping center and we have several of those. Every day there are new developments opening up in this area.
Not only are plows needed for the 3 or so feet of snow we get eac year (except for the 5 feet in a single day in the bizzard of 93, etc) but all of the new seconary home folks need yardmenn. It's quite lucrative here. So there you have it. We ned BOTH professions, plus we are a safe place to live with a tremendouly LOW crime rate.
So come n up. We can use you!


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