an Entity references as follows:
Watauga County (/wəˈtɔːɡə/ wə-TAW-gə) is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 54,086. Its county seat and largest town is Boone. The county is in an exceptionally mountainous region. It is the home of Appalachian State University, which has approximately 20,023 students as of August 20, 2020. Watauga County comprises the Boone, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area.