Gastonia is the largest city in and

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

Gaston County, North Carolina Gaston County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 227,943. The county seat is Gastonia. Dallas served as the original county seat from 1846 until 1911. Gaston County is included in the C ...

, United States. It is the second-largest

satellite city Satellite cities or satellite towns are smaller municipalities that are adjacent to a principal city which is the core of a metropolitan area. They differ from mere suburbs, subdivisions and especially bedroom communities in that they have mun ...

of the Charlotte area, behind

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

. The population was 80,411 at the 2020 census, up from 71,741 in 2010. Gastonia is the 13th most populous city in North Carolina. It is part of the

Charlotte metropolitan area The Charlotte metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as Metrolina, is a metropolitan area of the U.S. states of North and South Carolina, within and surrounding the city of Charlotte. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gastonia, ...

, officially designated the Charlotte

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

(MSA). The city is a historic center for textile manufacturing and was the site of the

Loray Mill Strike The Loray Mill strike of 1929 in Gastonia, North Carolina, was a notable strike action in the labor history of the United States. Though largely unsuccessful in attaining its goals of better working conditions and wages, the strike was considered ...

of 1929, which became a key event in the labor movement. While manufacturing remains important to the local economy, the city also has well-developed healthcare, education, and government sectors.

History

Gastonia is named for

William Gaston William J. Gaston (September 19, 1778 – January 23, 1844) was a jurist and United States Representative from North Carolina. Gaston is the author of the official state song of North Carolina, "The Old North State". Gaston County, North Carolin ...

, a jurist and

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. The

Loray Mill strike The Loray Mill strike of 1929 in Gastonia, North Carolina, was a notable strike action in the labor history of the United States. Though largely unsuccessful in attaining its goals of better working conditions and wages, the strike was considered ...

of 1929 in Gastonia was one of the most notable strikes in the

labor history of the United States The labor history of the United States describes the history of organized labor, US labor law, and more general history of working people, in the United States. Beginning in the 1930s, unions became important allies of the Democratic Party. T ...

. The role of organizers for Communist Party-affiliated National Textile Workers Union (NTWU) alienated religious leaders in Gastonia, who denounced the organizers' ideology, undermining support for the strike. The strike collapsed after the death of Gastonia's police chief, Orville Alderholt, led to a murder trial of several militants including NTWU chief organizer

Fred Beal Fred Erwin Beal (1896–1954) was an American labor-union organizer whose critical reflections on his work and travel in the Soviet Union divided left-wing and liberal opinion. In 1929 he had been a ''cause célèbre'' when, in Gastonia, North Car ...

. Beal was convicted in the killing but fled to the Soviet Union. The strike largely failed in attaining its goals of better working conditions and wages, and the American labor movement was never able to gain a foothold among textile workers in Gastonia. The strike, however, became for a while an international cause célèbre, figuring in several novels published in the 1930s.

National Register of Historic Places

The City Hospital-Gaston Memorial Hospital,

Craig Farmstead Craig Farmstead is a historic home and farm located near Gastonia, Gaston County, North Carolina. The William Moore Craig House was built about 1852, and is a one-story, single pile, two-room hewn- and sawn-frame house. The William Newton Craig ...

Downtown Gastonia Historic District Downtown Gastonia Historic District is a national historic district located at Gastonia, Gaston County, North Carolina. It encompasses 77 contributing buildings and 1 contributing object in the central business district of Gastonia. The comme ...

, First National Bank Building, Gaston County Courthouse,

Gastonia High School Gastonia High School is a historic high school building located at Gastonia, Gaston County, North Carolina. It was designed by Hugh Edward White and built in 1922–1924. It is a five-story, heavily ornamented E-shaped Tudor Revival style red ...

, David Jenkins House, Loray Mill Historic District, Robinson-Gardner Building, Third National Bank Building, and William J. Wilson House are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.45%, is water. Gastonia occupies 14% of the total area of Gaston County. Gastonia is approximately west of

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

, east of Shelby, and south of

Hickory Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes around 18 species. Five or six species are native to China, Indochina, and India (Assam), as many as twelve are native to the United States, four are found in Mexi ...

Demographics

Population

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 80,411 people, 27,796 households, and 18,361 families residing in the city.

2010 census

, there were 71,741 people, 27,770 households, and 18,599 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 1,420.6 people per square mile (548.5/km²). There were 31,238 housing units at an average density of 618.6 per square mile (238.8/km²). The racial composition of the city was 62.8%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 27.5%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 2.0%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.4% Native American, 5.2% some other race, and 3.0%

two or more races 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...

. 9.7% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino American Hispanic and Latino Americans ( es, Estadounidenses hispanos y latinos; pt, Estadunidenses hispânicos e latinos) are Americans of Spanish and/or Latin American ancestry. More broadly, these demographics include all Americans who identify as ...

of any race. As of the 2010 census, there were 27,770 households, out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were headed by

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52, and the average family size was 3.05. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males. In 2011 the estimated median income for a household in the city was $36,881, and the median income for a family was $44,576. Male full-time workers had a median income of $38,151 versus $29,590 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $19,277. 20.9% of the population and 18.3% of families were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

. 32.5% of those under the age of 18 and 6.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Crime

Economy

Many shutdowns and job losses have plagued Gastonia over the past decade. Gastonia maintains a relatively strong manufacturing workforce, but many workers are laid off and many more are facing job losses. The city had an unemployment rate of 7.9% as of 2010; 12,536 of the 71,341 residents lived and worked in the city, with a daytime population change of +10,610. The city is the international corporate headquarters for textile company Parkdale Mills, the number one manufacturer of spun yarn in the world. The company also operated two production facilities in Gastonia and several in surrounding communities. Parkdale, like many other companies, has closed plants and moved production to other countries. Other manufacturers in Gastonia include Wix Filtration Corp.,

Freightliner Trucks Freightliner Trucks is a US semi truck manufacturer. Founded in 1929 as the truck-manufacturing division of Consolidated Freightways (from which it derives its name), the company was established in 1942 as Freightliner Corporation. Owned by Dai ...

, Stabilus,

Curtiss-Wright The Curtiss-Wright Corporation is a manufacturer and services provider headquartered in Davidson, North Carolina, with factories and operations in and outside the United States. Created in 1929 from the consolidation of Curtiss, Wright, and v ...

Controls Engineered Systems and

Radici Group RadiciGroup is an Italian corporation with a network of production and sales sites located in Europe, North America, South America and Asia. RadiciGroup is one of the world’s leading producers of a wide range of chemical intermediates, polyamide ...

. Other major employers include the City of Gastonia and Gaston County governments, the

Gaston County Schools Gaston County Schools is a public school district located in Gaston County, North Carolina. With 30,046 students enrolled in 56 schools as of the 2021–22 academic year, it is the tenth largest public school district in North Carolina. Scho ...

system,

CaroMont Regional Medical Center CaroMont Regional Medical Center is a not-for-profit hospital located in Gastonia, North Carolina, United States. The hospital was organized in 1946 as a memorial to soldiers who died in World War II, and the present Court Drive facility opened i ...

, and retailers

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

and

Advance Auto Parts Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (Advance) is an American automotive aftermarket parts provider. Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, it serves both professional installer and do it yourself (DIY) customers. As of July 13, 2019, Advance operated ...

, with two and six stores (plus a distribution center) respectively.

Arts and culture

Gastonia and the surrounding areas feature several notable attractions. The Schiele Museum of Natural History features a number of permanent exhibits, including the Hall of North Carolina Natural History and the Henry Hall of the American Indian. The museum is also home to the James H. Lynn Planetarium, the only

planetarium A planetarium ( planetariums or ''planetaria'') is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation. A dominant feature of most planetarium ...

in the Charlotte area. The

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located on of rolling meadows, woodlands and lakefront property in Belmont, North Carolina. Founded by Daniel J. Stowe, a retired textile executive from Belmont, it includes large manicured gard ...

is located just southeast of the city in Belmont on NC 279. The

U.S. National Whitewater Center The U.S. National Whitewater Center (USNWC) is a not-for-profit outdoor recreation and athletic training facility for whitewater rafting, kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, mountain biking hiking and ice skating which opened to the public on 2006 ...

(on the

Catawba River The Catawba River originates in Western North Carolina and flows into South Carolina, where it later becomes known as the Wateree River. The river is approximately 220 miles (350 km) long. It rises in the Appalachian Mountains and drains into ...

) is located east of the city in neighboring Mecklenburg County.

Crowders Mountain State Park Crowders Mountain State Park is a List of North Carolina state parks, North Carolina state park in Gaston County, North Carolina, Gaston County, North Carolina in the United States. It is near Kings Mountain, North Carolina and on the outskirts ...

is located west of the city, near Kings Mountain. The park offers a number of hiking trails, as well as campgrounds, picnic areas, rock climbing, and fishing.

Shopping

Eastridge Mall, located at exit 20 on North New Hope Road, is the only indoor regional mall in the area; it is anchored by

Belk Belk, Inc. is an American department store chain founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, North Carolina, with nearly 300 locations in 16 states. Belk stores and Belk.com offer apparel, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, home furnishings, ...

and

Dillard's Dillard's, Inc. is an upscale American department store chain with approximately 282 stores in 29 states and headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Currently, the largest number of stores are located in Texas with 57 and Florida with 42. The ...

. The mall is also home to over 80 specialty stores, a full-service food court, Red Lobster and other services.

has undergone a revitalization with locally owned businesses including Webb Custom Kitchen, Gaston Pour House, Owl and Ivy, Java House, The Hive, Viva Tequis, Sleepy Poet Antique Mall, Fannie Cakes Bakery, Pho Feel'n Asian Cuisine among many others. This has created a unique atmosphere of local shopping experiences with events centered around the community. There are also a few more shopping centers across the city with other well-known national and local retailers.

Sports

The

Gastonia Honey Hunters The Gastonia Honey Hunters are a professional baseball team based in Gastonia, North Carolina. They play in the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball, at CaroMont Health Park i ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

, a partner of

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

, will begin play in 2021 at FUSE District Stadium, which is part of an overall renewal project called the Franklin Urban Sports and Entertainment (FUSE) District. Before the Honey Hunters' arrival, the

Gastonia Grizzlies The Gastonia Grizzlies were a collegiate summer baseball team playing in the Coastal Plain League. The team played its home games at Sims Legion Park in Gastonia, North Carolina, where they were known for their unique promotional events and firew ...

, a

Coastal Plain League The Coastal Plain League (CPL) is a wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league, featuring college players recruited from throughout the nation. The league takes its name from the Class D level Coastal League which operated in the area from 19 ...

summer collegiate wood-bat team, played at

Sims Legion Park Sims Legion Park is a 3,000-seat baseball park in Gastonia, North Carolina that is the home field for Gaston College baseball. It has hosted the Gastonia Grizzlies of the Coastal Plain League, as well as American Legion Baseball, American Legion b ...

. The Gastonia Gargoyles play

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

at Gaston County's North Belmont Park. The team is part of the Carolinas Geographical Union (CGU) and plays Division IV men's social rugby. The club plays in the fall (August - November) and spring (Feb - May) seasons. The club also hosts an annual rugby 7's tournament in

Clover, South Carolina Clover is a town in York County, South Carolina, United States. It is located in the greater Charlotte metropolitan area. As of 2020, the population was at 6,671 within the town limits. Clover is twinned with the Northern Irish town of Larne on C ...

, during the Clover Scottish Games on the first or second Saturday in June. Gastonia's two

roller derby Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played by two teams of fifteen members. Roller derby is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leagues worldwide, mostly in the United States. Game play consists of a series of short scrimmages (jam ...

teams are the G*Force (senior team) and Mini*Gs (junior team). Bouts take place at Kate's Skating Rink on Hudson Blvd.

Government

Law enforcement

The city is served by the Gastonia Police Department, the Gaston County Police Department, and the Gaston County Sheriff's Office.

Fire and rescue

The Gastonia Fire Department consists of eight fire house spread throughout the communities within the City limits. The Gastonia Fire Department maintains 130 full-time firefighters working 3- to 24-hour shifts. The Life Safety division has a Fire Marshal and four inspectors, the Administration consists of the Fire Chief, Deputy Chief, Assistant Chief, Training Chief, and two Administrative assistants. Gaston County EMS (GEMS) is the county ambulance service.

Education

K–12

All public K–12 schools in Gaston County, including the city of Gastonia, are part of the

(GCS). GCS operates schools at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. There are four public high schools in Gastonia:

Ashbrook High School Ashbrook High School is a public high school in the Gaston County Schools public school district located in Gastonia, North Carolina. The school was the result of the merger of two former senior high schools, Holbrook Senior High and Ashley Sen ...

, Forestview High School,

Hunter Huss High School Hunter Huss High School (abbreviated HHHS) is a public high school in the Gaston County Schools school district located in Gastonia, NC. It is the oldest existing high school building still used as a high school in Gaston County. Its attendance ...

, and

Highland School of Technology Highland School of Technology is a magnet public high school located in Gastonia, North Carolina. It is the first magnet school available to students in the Gaston County Schools public school district and draws students from each of the other n ...

. Students from outlying parts of Gastonia also attend

Stuart W. Cramer High School Stuart W. Cramer High School is a public high school in the Gaston County Schools district located in Cramerton, North Carolina (though its mailing address says Belmont). Its attendance range covers the central portion of eastern Gaston County an ...

North Gaston High School North Gaston High School is a public high school in the Gaston County Schools school district located in Dallas, North Carolina, United States. Its attendance range covers the central portion of northern Gaston County and it also serves the commun ...

, and Bessemer City High School. Private schools are also available in the city. Gaston Day School,

Gaston Christian School Gaston Christian School is a private Christian school located in Lowell, North Carolina. History "GCS" was founded in 1979 by a group of parents who wished to have a college preparatory, Christian school. With support of the pastors of Parkwood ...

are among various private schools offered in the Gastonia area. Gastonia also has a charter school, Piedmont Community Charter School, that serves K–12 grade students. Currently the school has an Elementary campus along with a Secondary campus. A new High School campus is presently under construction. The new campus is set to open for the 2020–2021 school year.

College and university

Although there are no colleges or universities within the city limits of Gastonia, higher education is well represented in the greater Gastonia area. Gaston County is home to

Belmont Abbey College Belmont Abbey College is a private, Catholic liberal arts college in Belmont, North Carolina. It was founded in 1876 by the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey. The school is affiliated with the Catholic Church and the Order of Saint Benedict. I ...

(Belmont; four-year) and

Gaston College Gaston College is a public community college in Dallas, North Carolina. Serving Gaston County and Lincoln County, Gaston College enrolls over 5,000 students each term in curriculum programs and about 16,000 students in continuing education pro ...

(

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, Lincolnton (Lincoln County), and Belmont; two-year).

Library

The Gaston County Public Library has three locations in the city.

Media

Newspaper

The Gaston Gazette ''The Gaston Gazette'' is an American, English-language daily newspaper based in Gastonia, North Carolina. The newspaper was owned by Freedom Communications until 2012, when Freedom sold its Florida and North Carolina papers to Halifax Media Grou ...

'' is Gastonia's main newspaper. It is published daily, and covers Gastonia city, Gaston County, and surrounding areas. ''

The Charlotte Observer ''The Charlotte Observer'' is an American English-language newspaper serving Charlotte, North Carolina, and its metro area. The Observer was founded in 1886. As of 2020, it has the second-largest circulation of any newspaper in the Carolinas. I ...

'' (North Carolina's largest newspaper) is also available, citywide.

Radio

Gastonia is served by numerous FM and AM radio stations, mainly based in nearby Charlotte. The city has one licensed AM station: WGNC 1450 AM; it has two licensed FM stations: WGNC 101.1FM and

WBAV WBAV-FM (101.9 MHz, ''"V 101.9"'') is an urban adult contemporary radio station serving the Charlotte, North Carolina market. Owned by Beasley Broadcast Group, WBAV's studios are located on South Boulevard in Charlotte's South End, and a transm ...

101.9 FM.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Highways and major city thoroughfares

Interstate 85 (

I-85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 65, I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with Interstate 95, I ...

) links Gastonia directly with

, Greensboro, Durham, and

Petersburg Petersburg, or Petersburgh, may refer to: Places Australia *Petersburg, former name of Peterborough, South Australia Canada * Petersburg, Ontario Russia *Saint Petersburg, sometimes referred to as Petersburg United States *Peterborg, U.S. Virg ...

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

(to the northeast) and Spartanburg, Greenville,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

and Montgomery (to the southwest). Gastonia's transportation network is supplemented by one additional freeway (

US 321 U.S. Route 321 (US 321) is a spur of U.S. Route 21. It runs for from Hardeeville, South Carolina to Lenoir City, Tennessee; with both serving as southern termini. It reaches its northernmost point at Elizabethton, Tennessee. Because o ...

), the freeway portion of which directly connects Gastonia with transcontinental I-40 and the city of

, north of Gastonia. Gastonia is also served by three federal highways:

US 29 U.S. Route 29 (US 29) is a north–south United States highway that runs for from Pensacola, Florida to the western suburbs of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland in the Southern United States, connecting the Florida Panhandle to the Baltimore-Was ...

US 74 U.S. Route 74 (US 74) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Primarily in North Carolina, it serves as an important highway from the mountains to the ...

(US 29 and US 74 follow the same route through the city), and US 321. US 29 parallels I-85 through the Carolinas, while US 74 provides direct east–west links to Charlotte and Wilmington (east), and Asheville and

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

(to the west). US 321 links Gastonia to central South Carolina and the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States, and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsylvania through Maryland, West Virgin ...

in northwest North Carolina. State highways include: NC 7, NC 274, NC 275 and NC 279. Franklin Boulevard, Garrison Boulevard, Hudson Boulevard and Ozark/Long/Airline/Gaston Avenues are major east–west city thoroughfares. New Hope Road, Chester Street/York Road, and Marietta Street/Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, are major north–south city thoroughfares.

Bus (local)

Gastonia Transit The Gastonia Transit System (GT), is a municipally-owned operator of public transportation in Gastonia, North Carolina Gastonia is the largest city in and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest ...

(GT) is Gastonia's city transit provider. The bus service operates on a fixed-route system covering most of the city and stops are clearly visible around town. Buses run Monday-Saturday, and transfer downtown Gastonia at the

Bradley Station Bradley Station is a bus station located in Gastonia, North Carolina, United States. It serves as a bus terminus for Gastonia Transit (GT) and provides intercity bus service via Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), Greyhound Lines, and Sunway ...

. Regular fare is $1.00, transfers are free.

Bus (regional)

Charlotte Area Transit System The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is the agency responsible for public transportation in the Charlotte metropolitan area. CATS operates bus and rail transit services in Mecklenburg County and surrounding areas. Established in 1999, CATS' b ...

(CATS) is Gastonia's commuter provider to Charlotte. The Gastonia Express (Route 85X) offers Monday-Friday bus service to/from uptown Charlotte, via the Bradley Station. One-way fare to/from uptown Charlotte is $4.40; transfer is free when transferring to any other CATS services.

Bus (national)

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. (commonly known as simply Greyhound) operates the largest intercity bus service in North America, including Greyhound Mexico. It also operates charter bus services, Amtrak Thruway services, commuter bus services, and pac ...

serves the city. Alongside Gastonia Transit, Greyhound utilizes downtown's Bradley Station.

Rail (Amtrak)

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

's ''Crescent'' (trains 19, 20) connects Gastonia (GAS) with the cities of (to the north)

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

, and Charlotte, and (to the south) Atlanta,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, and

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. The unmanned

Amtrak station This is a list of train stations and Thruway Motorcoach stops used by Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation in the United States). This list is in alphabetical order by station or stop name, which mostly corresponds to the city ...

is situated at 350 Hancock Street.

Airports

General service: Gastonia Municipal Airport (AKH) handles most of the city's private air service needs. It is located in the southeast part of the city on Gaston Day School Road, off NC 274 (Union Road). Commercial service:

Charlotte/Douglas International Airport Charlotte Douglas International Airport ( IATA: CLT, ICAO: KCLT, FAA LID: CLT), typically referred to as Charlotte Douglas, Douglas Airport, or simply CLT, is an international airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, located roughly six miles we ...

(CLT) provides the city with a major domestic/international gateway and is located east, in Charlotte.

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

has the airline's second largest hub operation at Charlotte.

Notable people

* Ernest Angley,

televangelist Televangelism (wikt:tele-, tele- "distance" and "evangelism," meaning "Christian ministry, ministry," sometimes called teleministry) is the use of media, specifically radio and television, to communicate Christianity. Televangelists are minister ...

Darrell Armstrong Darrell Eugene Armstrong (born June 22, 1968) is a former American professional basketball player, who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association. He is currently an assistant coach for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, who won the cham ...

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

player * R. B. Babington, businessman, telecommunications pioneer, banker, and alderman of Gastonia *

John T. Biggers John Thomas Biggers (April 13, 1924 – January 25, 2001) was an African-American muralist who came to prominence after the Harlem Renaissance and toward the end of World War II. Biggers created works critical of racial and economic injustice. He ...

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

muralist *

Cliff Cash Clifton Freeman Cash is an American stand-up comedian from North Carolina. His album ''Half Way There'', released on January 8, 2021 on Stand Up! Records, reached No. 1 on the iTunes comedy chart. Personal life Cash was born in Gastonia, North ...

, stand-up comedian *

Wiley Cash Wiley Cash (born September 7, 1977) is a ''New York Times'' best-selling novelist from North Carolina. He is the author of three novels, ''A Land More Kind Than Home'', ''This Dark Road to Mercy'', and ''The Last Ballad''. His work has won nu ...

, author *

Clyde Caldwell Clyde Caldwell (born February 20, 1948) is an American artist. Self-described as a fantasy illustrator, he is best known for his portrayals of strong, sexy female characters. With his work at TSR in the 1980s, he is considered one of the artis ...

, fantasy artist * R. Gregg Cherry, 61st Governor of the state of North Carolina from 1945 to 1949 *

Rufus Crawford Rufus Crawford is an American actor and retired football player who was a running back for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 1979 through 1985. He broke the Canadian Football League yardage record which had stood for 28 years. He started his career in ...

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

and

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

player *

Crash Davis Lawrence Columbus "Crash" Davis (July 14, 1919 – August 31, 2001) was an American professional baseball player whose name inspired that of the main character of the 1988 in film, 1988 movie ''Bull Durham''. Biography Born in Canon, Georgia, ...

player who graduated from Gastonia HS; his name inspired that of the main character of the 1988 movie Bull Durham *

Glenn Dunaway Henry Glenn Dunaway (July 6, 1914 – March 8, 1964) was an American auto racer noted for initially winning, and then being disqualified from, what is today recognized as NASCAR's first-ever race. NASCAR career 1949 Dunaway competed in NASCA ...

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

driver * Harold Dunaway, NASCAR driver * Fred Durst, frontman and lyricist of the nu metal group

Limp Bizkit Limp Bizkit is an American rap rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers. The band's music is marked by D ...

* Eric "Sleepy" Floyd,

player * Jamie Fraley, missing woman *

Gary M. Green Gary M. Green (born 20th century) is a musician, author, television host, gaming consultant and entrepreneur. He was vice president of marketing for The Trump Organization and appeared on the television reality game show ''The Apprentice (U.S ...

, musician, author, television host, gaming consultant and entrepreneur *

Leonard Hamilton James Leonard Hamilton (born August 4, 1948) is an American basketball coach and the current men's basketball head coach at Florida State University. He is a former head coach at Oklahoma State University, the University of Miami, and for the Nat ...

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

men's basketball head coach; born in Gastonia and attended

Sylvia Hatchell Sylvia Rhyne Hatchell (born February 28, 1952) is a former American women's basketball coach, who last coached for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was the fifth with the most career wins in NCAA women's basketball history, be ...

, women's basketball coach (

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

) * Wesley Ray "Wes" Helms,

player * Lamar Holmes,

player *

Charlie Hughes __NOTOC__ Charles Hughes may refer to: Politics * Charles Hughes (representative) (1822–1887), U.S. Representative from New York * Charles J. Hughes Jr. (1853–1911), U.S. Senator from Colorado * Charles Evans Hughes (1862–1948), Chief Justic ...

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

and

audio engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

* Billy James, of radio talk show ''The John Boy and Billy Show'' * Evan Karagias, wrestler and actor *

Buddy Lewis John Kelly Lewis (August 10, 1916 – February 18, 2011), better known as Buddy Lewis, was a third baseman/right fielder in Major League Baseball who played his entire career with the Washington Senators (1935–41, 1945–47, 1949). Lewis ...

player *

Lillian M. Lowery Lillian M. Lowery (1954 – April 13, 2022) was an American government official and educator who served as Superintendent of the Maryland State Department of Education in the Cabinet of Governors Martin O'Malley and Larry Hogan from July 2012 t ...

, Superintendent of the Maryland State Department of Education, born in Gastonia *

Mel Melton Mel Melton, is an American musician, singer, and chef. Much of his music is in the Zydeco style and his cooking primarily focuses on the culture of southern Louisiana. Biography A native of Gastonia, North Carolina, Roy "Mel" Melton first went to ...

, musician and chef * Kevin Millwood,

pitcher *

Joe Pacheco Joe Pacheco (born February 19, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist of Puerto Rican and Belizean descent who competes in Bellator's middleweight division. Mixed martial arts career Early career Pacheco started his professional career in ...

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

fighter * Buddy Parrott,

crew chief * Ricky Rainey,

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

fighter * Marshall Rauch, longest-serving Jewish state Senator in North Carolina history * Diane Ray, singer of the early 1960s * Mary Reynolds, baseball player in the

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...

* Dave Robbins, college basketball coach and NCAA Hall of Fame member * Koren Robinson, professional football player * Lionel Shriver, author of ''

We Need to Talk About Kevin ''We Need to Talk About Kevin'' is a 2003 novel by Lionel Shriver, published by Serpent's Tail, about a fictional school massacre. It is written from the first person perspective of the teenage killer's mother, Eva Khatchadourian, and documen ...

'' *

Michal Smolen Michal Smolen (born Michał Smoleń, September 13 1993) is a Polish-American slalom canoeist who has competed at the international level since 2008 for the United States. He won a bronze medal in the K1 event at the 2015 ICF Canoe Slal ...

, slalom canoeist and OlympianPells, Eddie. (May 28, 2016)
Patience pays off for Gastonia’s Michal Smolen
''Gaston Gazette''. Retrieved August 15, 2021. *

Harold Varner III Harold Varner III (born August 15, 1990) is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour. He won the Australian PGA Championship in December 2016 and the PIF Saudi International in February 2022. Amateur career Varner was born ...

, professional golfer * Thomas Sowell, political commentator and economist; born in Gastonia, raised in New York City * Melvin Stewart, former world record-holder in swimming who won two

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

gold medals and one bronze * Hassan Whiteside,

player * James Worthy,

player and member of

Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

Sister cities

Gastonia has two

sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

: * Gotha,

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and larg ...

, Germany *

Santiago de Surco Santiago de Surco, commonly known simply as Surco, is a district of Lima, Peru. It is bordered on the north with the district of Ate Vitarte and La Molina; on the east with San Juan de Miraflores, on the west with San Borja, Surquillo, Mirafl ...

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

, Peru Gotha was Gastonia's first sister city in 1994. Santiago de Surco became an official partner in March 2004. Mayor Jennie Stultz visited Gotha in 2007. In December 2007, the mayor of Santiago de Surco visited for the annual lighting of the Christmas tree in the Rotary Pavilion. He was invited to light the tree along with one of the city's councilmen.

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Gaston County, North Carolina Cities in North Carolina County seats in North Carolina

History

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