Cranberry is an unincorporated community in Avery County

Avery County, North Carolina

- Climate :As a result of its relatively high elevation, Avery County has a Humid continental climate enjoying considerably cooler summers than most of the rest of the Eastern US. Likewise, winters are longer, colder and snowier than most other locations in the region. This can be evidenced by the...

, North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The community was founded in 1850 and was named after Cranberry Creek, which flows in the area. The community is located one mile south from the town of Elk Park

Elk Park, North Carolina

Elk Park is a town in Avery County, North Carolina, United States. The town was so named because of the number of Elk killed there. The population was 459 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Elk Park is located at ....

, along US 19-E

U.S. Route 19

U.S. Route 19 is a north–south U.S. Highway. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Lake Erie....

.

History

Before the settlement of Cranberry, the area was already known for one of the largest veins of iron ore in the United States. During the Civil War, iron was produced for the Confederate Army. In 1882, the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad

East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad

The East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad , affectionately called the "Tweetsie" in reference to the sound of its steam whistles, was primarily a railroad established in 1866 for the purpose of serving the mines at Cranberry, North Carolina.The narrow gauge portion of the ET&WNC was...

 ("Tweetsie") linked Cranberry with Johnson City, Tennessee

Johnson City, Tennessee

Johnson City is a city in Carter, Sullivan, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, with most of the city being in Washington County...

; it was later extended on to Montezuma

Montezuma, North Carolina

Montezuma is an unincorporated community in Avery County, North Carolina, United States. Before its founding in 1883, it had two variant names, Aaron and Bull Scrape...

 in 1904, eventually reaching Boone

Boone, North Carolina

Boone is a town located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, United States. Boone's population was reported as 17,122, as of 2010...

by 1919. During this time, Cranberry was incorporated as a town until sometime after 1929 when the Cranberry Furnace was closed. Eventually the railroad to Cranberry was decommissioned in 1950.