Franklin County has long held the title "Moonshine Capital of the World" thanks to its prohibition-era history, and Boones Mill has historically been a part of that as well. Recently, beer production in the area has increased as two breweries, Chaos Mountain and Hammer & Forge have their main facilities in the Boones Mill area.
Geography
Boones Mill is located in northern Franklin County at , along U.S. Route 220 at the southern base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. US 220 leads north to Roanoke and south to Rocky Mount, the Franklin County seat. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, all of it land. The town is in the valley of Maggodee Creek, a southeast-flowing tributary of the Blackwater River, part of the Roanoke River watershed. Murray Knob, elevation, rises to the north on the crest of the Blue Ridge, and the eastern end of Cahas Mountain, at, is 2 miles to the west. Thanks to its location in the extreme northern part of the county, the Boones Mill Post Office serves parts of Southern Roanoke County as well. In particular, many homes and businesses located in the Clearbrook area of Roanoke County have a Boones Mill mailing address.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 285 people, 131 households, and 77 families residing in the town. The population density was 387.5 people per square mile. There were 138 housing units at an average density of 187.6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 95.79% White, 2.46% African American, 0.70% Native American and 1.05% Asian. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.05% of the population. There were 131 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couplesliving together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.2% were non-families. Of all households, 34.4% were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.82. In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.4% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $39,688, and the median income for a family was $44,821. Males had a median income of $37,500 versus $23,542 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,795. About 3.8% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under the age of eighteen and 11.6% of those 65 or over.
