Located in the Mountains of Western North Carolina, Banner Elk is home to a bustling community thriving in High Country tourism activities such as skiing, golf, hiking, horseback riding, rafting, and fishing. With a number of fine accommodations to choose from as well as several excellent restaurants and unique shops, Banner Elk offers much for the seasonal vacationer and part-year resident. Year-round residents benefit from the growing popularity of the Western North Carolina Mountains and comprise the area's growing number of professionals, service personnel, and skilled trade people.

Lees-McRae college, chartered by the state in 1907, is a small, private, four-year, coeducational liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. with over 900 students from more than 20 states and countries. Lees-McRae offers 23 outcomes-based, learner-focused major programs of study and several minor programs of study.