Banner Elk is part of the mountainous region of western North Carolina located in the northwest quadrant of Avery County in the Appalachian Highlands 3,739 feet above sea level.  The area is beautiful during all seasons of the year. Fall foliage produces a dazzling panorama of color. The area is famous for its flora and fauna. Rhododendron, mountain laurel, flame azalea, and wild flowers are abundant. Bear, deer, and other wildlife inhabit the forests that surround Banner Elk (Cooper, 1964).

Lees-McRae College has been a catalyst in the Banner Elk area for about 100 years. Edgar Tufts founded the Elizabeth McRae Institute for Girls in 1900. The objective of the institute was to promote Christian values by providing academic curricula that encouraged intellectual, spiritual, physical, and social growth (Heritage, 1976). Several institutional changes occurred over the years. Mrs. S.P. Lees was a major benefactor, and a name change occurred in 1903 to the Lees-McRae Institute (Neal, 1983). The addition of Plumtree School for Boys in 1927 made the institute coeducational (Heritage, 1976). The institute became Lees-McRae Junior College in 1929, and when it received accreditation as a four-year college in 1990, the name changed to Lees-McRae College.

Source: TownofBannerElk.org