28604
ZIP 28604 is Banner Elk, North Carolina, mostly in Watauga County; area code 828; Eastern time.
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Where 28604 is
Approximate ZIP boundary (Census ZCTA 2020). ZIP codes are mail routes, not areas, so the shape shown is the Census tabulation area that approximates it.
- 🔢 Type 28604 into a pocket calculator and turn it upside down: hOgBZ — not quite a word, sorry.
- ➕ As a number, 28,604 = 2 × 2 × 7151. Its digits add up to 20, a total 2,586 other ZIP codes share.
- 💾In binary, the way a computer stores it:
110111110111100 - 🏠 Its numerical neighbours: 28603 (Hickory, NC, 47 mi away) and 28605 (Blowing Rock, NC, 10 mi away).
- 🔄 Backwards, 28604 becomes 40682, which is not a ZIP code at all.
- 👥 62 other ZIP codes are made of exactly the same digits (02468, 02648, 02864, 04268, 04286, 04628, …). The farthest-flung twin is 86402 in Kingman, AZ, 1,799 miles away.
- 🧭 Farther south than 68% of all ZIP codes, and farther east than 67%.
- 🎯943 miles east of the geographic center of the Lower 48, near Lebanon, Kansas.
- 🌏 Dig straight through the Earth from 28604 and you would come out at 36.18°S, 98.14°E — 1,054 miles from Perth, Australia, the nearest big city to that spot.
- ☀Longest day of the year: 14h 37m of daylight. Shortest: 9h 42m.
- 📏 At 68.7 square miles of land, 28604 is bigger than 68% of ZIP codes — room for about 52 Central Parks.
- Working out the sun…
- Checking the USGS…
Source: USGS.
People and housing
| Population | 7,869This ZIP7,869 |
|---|---|
| Households | 3,236This ZIP3,236 |
| Housing units | 9,696This ZIP9,696 |
| Median age | 45.2This ZIP45.2North Carolina39.1US 38.9 |
| Median household income | $76,319This ZIP$76,319North Carolina$72,388US $80,734 |
| Median home value | $383,800This ZIP$383,800North Carolina$288,900US $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $991This ZIP$991North Carolina$1,228US $1,413 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 46.9%This ZIP46.9% |
| Mean commute | 25.2 minThis ZIP25.2 min |
| Population density | 114.6 / sq miThis ZIP114.6 / sq mi |
Business and tax activity
| Business establishments | 332This ZIP332 |
|---|---|
| Employees | 3,316This ZIP3,316 |
| Annual payroll | $117,536,000This ZIP$117,536,000 |
| Tax returns filed | 3,060This ZIP3,060 |
| Total adjusted gross income | $275,019,000This ZIP$275,019,000 |
Land area
| Land area | 68.65 sq miThis ZIP68.65 sq mi |
|---|---|
| Water area | 0.10 sq miThis ZIP0.10 sq mi |
Counties 28604 spans
A ZIP code is a mail route and ignores county lines. Shares are by overlapping land area.
| County | Share of this ZIP |
|---|---|
| Watauga County | 57.6% |
| Avery County | 42.4% |
Other place names in 28604
Census places whose land this ZIP code overlaps. The Postal Service may accept other city names in an address, too.
ZIP codes near 28604
| ZIP | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|
28691 | Valle Crucis, NC | 4.9 mi |
28622 | Elk Park, NC | 5.2 mi |
28679 | Sugar Grove, NC | 5.8 mi |
28646 | Linville, NC | 7.2 mi |
28653 | Montezuma, NC | 8.1 mi |
28652 | Minneapolis, NC | 9.4 mi |
28692 | Vilas, NC | 9.5 mi |
28605 | Blowing Rock, NC | 9.7 mi |
28608 | Boone, NC | 10.6 mi |
28698 | Zionville, NC | 10.9 mi |
Find every ZIP code within 10 miles of 28604 →
Questions about this ZIP code
Where is ZIP code 28604?
28604 is in Banner Elk, North Carolina, in Watauga County, part of the Boone, NC micropolitan area. Its published point location is 36.1776, -81.8581.
What county is 28604 in?
28604 spans 2 counties: Watauga County and Avery County. Most of it falls in Watauga County, measured by overlapping land area — the county holding the most land in a ZIP code is not always the one holding the most residents.
What area code is 28604?
Banner Elk uses area code 828, from NANPA's telephone records.
What time zone is 28604 in?
28604 uses America/New_York.
How many people live in 28604?
About 7,869 people live in ZIP code 28604, in 3,236 households, at 114.6 people per square mile. These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates for the ZIP Code Tabulation Area, not a headcount.
What is the median household income in 28604?
$76,319 a year, against $72,388 across North Carolina.
What ZIP codes are near 28604?
The closest are 28691 (4.9 mi), 28622 (5.2 mi), 28679 (5.8 mi), 28646 (7.2 mi) and 28653 (8.1 mi).
Is 28604 a PO Box ZIP code?
28604 is a standard ZIP code. A normal ZIP code with street delivery.
Download or cite
Cite this page
zipcodes.pro. “28604 ZIP Code — Banner Elk, North Carolina (Watauga County).” Data release 2026-10-12. Retrieved 2026-10-20. https://zipcodes.pro/zip/28604
Machine-readable version of these facts:
curl https://zipcodes.pro/zip/28604.jsonUnderlying data is public domain or openly licensed — sources, vintages and licences.