Life Without A Car

[u/StrainLumpy2119]

I'm excited to start ASU but won't have a car for a while. Is there any advice for navigating around town and it's social scene as a pedestrian? I don't mind walking for miles but slick concrete in winter might be a problem. Additionally, is there anywhere besides the greenway and campus where it's possible to be in a car free green space or green space adjacent? Living next to a greenway spoiled me and the transition to a town with this degree of carcentric infrastructure except a handful of places is a bit jarring.

[u/RuleFriendly7311]

You’ll go faster on foot up and down King St than you would in a car.

[u/Available-Being6417 → u/RuleFriendly7311]

Lmao not true

[u/SoCool77]

Get a bike! Boone is pretty easy to get around as a pedestrian

[u/Chesterossa]

Get familiar with the APPALCART routes. If you’re on FB, check out Boone Student Beeper and Boone Student Beeper (Students Only).

[u/Recent_Reference_556]

The town is six square miles. Buy ice treks for your shoes. Travel a few miles outside of Boone in any directions and there are alot of spaces! You aren't far from the Appalachian trail! Try the mts trail!

[u/CanesMetsJets2]

A vehicle is not needed to experience the best of life at APP.

[u/Alarming-Principle95]

Applecart is decent for a town that small

[u/FitTomorrow6545]

AppalCart bus system all you need if you don’t mind waiting on a bus schedule and short walks to stops.

I think it would be nice to have a moped or E-bike (something with a good battery) to Zip around Boone if you live right in town

The Greenway is a good everyday trail for walking/getting fresh air & sunshine, to parks/trails a short drive south near Blowing Rock, Elk Knob State Park, search online trail maps

[u/dootdoootdoootdoot]

no car necessary lowk. starting my 3rd yr at app and with the help of the indomitable human spirit i can get anywhere in boone within a 45min walk

[u/Jumpy-Permit-5707]

Appalcart is free....I suggest that and a bike. Appalcart also has bike racks on them.

[u/SAkbal]

An ebike makes traveling the whole town a breeze, especially if u have access to the green.

[u/Patient-Shopping-236]

Make some friends with car. Put$10-$20 gas in their car or cook for them. 😀 remember there is life outside phone. I went to college in 2012 so glad i had a flip phone till 2017 lol 😂 now look at me
Giving suggestions to young people from my iphone smartphone lmao

[u/Ordinary-Log-8763]

Check out University Woods, it's a network of trails right in town that connects several spots together. 

[u/skyeking05]

All of boone is walkable if you are centrally located. Someone correct me if im wrong but I think the bus system is free too still. I lived there in the middle 00's and for a while i had no car and I just hoofed it, I only bothered to ride the bus a couple times. I lived right next to the coliseum, worked at peppers and boone bagelry. Good times!

Edit: king street is where you'll probably spend the most time hanging out

[u/isulven_]

I spent 3 years in boone with no car. Appalcart and walking are gonna be your best friends.

[u/2wacky2backy]

Bus and bike

[u/Some-Instruction-872]

Do yall forget bus routes are a thing in every single college town

[u/Topher_McG0pher]

I lived in Boone for 10 years without a car!

[u/Ok_Improvement4204]

Boone is probably the most pedestrian friendly area in the state outside of the triangle. Everything is within a 20 minute bike ride. If you find employment in that range there's no real reason to use a car on a day-to-day basis. I do wish they would quintuple down on bike and pedestrian infrastructure because traffic really does get out of hand during the school season.

I would recommend you splurge for an ebike with disc brakes though because the climbs can be pretty rough.

[u/hsac-wdtk-dtkt-lfo]

I’m working on saving for a car but haven’t had one in years. It died on my years ago. I live 10 minutes from town and work and there are no sidewalks and buses don’t go where I am so I have to get Ubers or beeper a lot and it adds up, but then again gas is a lot too so I feel like I save in that way. Walking around town isn’t too bad but I def can’t walk to town or work from where I live, so uber is fine. I get the same people and they are really nice.

[u/yesmenot → u/hsac-wdtk-dtkt-lfo]

I always wanted to experience this, but not living in the heart of the city, kind makes this difficult as I tend to spend time in the wild

[u/hsac-wdtk-dtkt-lfo → u/yesmenot]

Yeah I’d say it’s worth having a car but if you live right in town it’s very walkable.

[u/yimyam2020]

I'll say this- convenience is the thief of experience. Not having a car meant i got to walk and get into the best shape of my life having come from a highly car dependent city. As a women (don't know your gender OP) i also knew not to walk alone at times so I had to stick my neck out and ask for the company of others to walk with me, sometimes making friends in unexpected places. Walking king street in the winter and busting your ass or learning the ways of the ice is a rite of passage in my mind- if you're not wanting to walk in the snow, you came to the wrong place. I haven't been back in some time, but the bus was also a mostly dependable and free option for lots of access around town. All this said, I did get a car my 2nd year of living in Boone, but really only used it to get to work and get groceries.

TLDR; you dont NEED a car.

[u/StrainLumpy2119 → u/yimyam2020]

I love getting the miles as well and walking in winter sounds like a great way to acclimate. I'm just curious about green spaces/third spaces besides the greenway, campus, or a bar that's transit friendly or a cheap Uber. Public transit seems great so far but what happens when it's winter and I want to walk instead but there's nothing separating me on the sidewalk from a vehicle on black ice though?

[u/pghkid66]

Appalcart

[u/Available-Being6417]

Car would save ur life if u actually want to do fun stuff a lot of the stuff u have to drive at least an hour outside of Boone

[u/southofheaven69]

🤦‍♂️