Hickory is a city located primarily in

Catawba County Catawba County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 160,610. Its county seat is Newton, and its largest city is Hickory. The county is part of the Hickory– Lenoir– Morganton, NC Metrop ...

, with formal boundaries extending into

Burke Burke is an Anglo-Norman Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (–1206) had the surname ''de Burgh'' which was gaelicised ...

and Caldwell counties. The city lies in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 ...

. At the time of the 2020 census, Hickory's population was 43,490. Hickory is the principal city of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area, in which the metro population at the 2020 census was 365,276. Hickory is located approximately northwest of

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

History

The origin of Hickory's name stems from a

tavern A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern t ...

made of logs beneath a hickory tree during the 1850s. The spot was known as "Hickory Tavern." In 1870, Hickory Tavern was established as a town. Three years later in 1873, the name was changed to the Town of Hickory, and in 1889 to the City of Hickory. The first train operated in the area of Hickory Tavern in 1859. The first lot was sold to Henry Link for $45.00 in 1858. His house is now known as "The 1859 Cafe", a restaurant (closed in 2011). The community of Hickory was the first for many things in North Carolina, including the council-manager form of government it adopted in 1913. Hickory was also one of the first towns to install electric lights in 1888 and a complete sewage system in 1904. In 1868, Dr. Jeremiah Ingold, pastor of Corinth Reformed Church (then German Reformed Grace Church), established Hickory's first school, the Free Academy. With Hickory's rapid population growth in the late 1800s, the need for a proper place for entertainment was needed. In 1889, the Elliott Opera House opened in the city. The auditorium could seat 750 and the parquet balcony could fit another 350. It was decorated in French renaissance style with mythology motifs. The opera house hosted shows from out of town as well as the "Hickory Amateurs," the city's first acting troupe. The first known musical organization performed there with the name Hickory Symphony Band. In 1902, a fire destroyed the entire building and it was never rebuilt. The current Hickory Community Theatre, housed in the old Municipal Auditorium (c. 1921), sits directly across the street from the site of the old opera house. In 1891,

Lenoir–Rhyne University Lenoir–Rhyne University is a private Lutheran university in Hickory, North Carolina. Founded in 1891, the university is affiliated with the North Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Academics The university ...

(then Highland Academy) was founded by four Lutheran pastors with 12 initial students. Hickory is home to one of the oldest furniture manufacturers in the United States that is still located and operated on the original site. Hickory White, formerly known as Hickory Manufacturing Company, was built in 1902 and has been in continuous operation ever since. During World War II, the factory made ammunition boxes for the U.S. military instead of furniture. Hickory was known in the years after World War II for the "Miracle of Hickory". In 1944 the area around Hickory (the Catawba Valley) became the center of one of the worst outbreaks of

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

ever recorded. Residents who were then children recall summers of not being allowed to play outside or visit friends for fear of contracting the disease. Since local facilities were inadequate to treat the victims, the citizens of Hickory and the

March of Dimes March of Dimes is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies. The organization was founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, to comba ...

decided to build a hospital to care for the children of the region. From the time the decision was made until equipment, doctors, and patients were in a new facility, took less than 54 hours. Several more buildings were quickly added. A

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

official on the scene praised the project "as the most outstanding example of cooperative effort he has ever seen." The city also came to national attention when the remains of Zahra Baker were found leading to a police investigation where Zahra's stepmother, Elise Baker, was found guilty of second-degree murder. The Zahra Baker All Children's playground, located in Kiwanis Park, is named in her honor. The Hickory metro area has been named the 10th best place to live and raise a family in the United States by ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wif ...

'' and the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton MSA has been named the third best MSA in the country for business cost by ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

''. In 2014,

Smart Growth America Smart Growth America (SGA) is a US non-profit 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. SGA's mission is to ensure that urban development policies foster safe, equitable, and sustainable community growth. SGA is a coalition of ...

identified the Hickory MSA as being the country's most sprawling metro area.

National Register of Historic Places

The

Claremont High School Historic District Claremont High School Historic District is a national historic district located at Hickory, Catawba County, North Carolina. The district encompasses 172 contributing buildings and 3 contributing structures in a predominantly residential section o ...

, Elliott–Carnegie Library, First Presbyterian Church, Dr. Glenn R. Frye House, Clement Geitner House, Lee & Helen George House, Harris Arcade,

Hickory Municipal Building Hickory Municipal Building is a historic municipal building located at Hickory, Catawba County, North Carolina. It was built in 1920–1921, and is a two-story brick building in the Classical Revival style. It has a three-story auditorium. The fr ...

Hickory Southwest Downtown Historic District Hickory Southwest Downtown Historic District is a national historic district located at Hickory, Catawba County, North Carolina. The district encompasses 8 contributing buildings in the central business district of Hickory. Notable buildings inc ...

, Highland School,

Hollar Hosiery Mills-Knit Sox Knitting Mills Hollar Hosiery Mills-Knit Sox Knitting Mills is a historic knitting mill located at Hickory, Catawba County, North Carolina. It consists of two mill brick manufacturing buildings and a boiler house that were connected by a hyphen in the mid-1960s. ...

, Houck's Chapel,

Kenworth Historic District Kenworth Historic District is a national historic district located at Hickory, Catawba County, North Carolina. The district encompasses 52 contributing buildings and 2 contributing structures in the planned subdivision of Kenworth in Hickory. ...

, John A. Lentz House, Lyerly Full Fashioned Mill, John Alfred Moretz House, Oakwood Historic District,

Piedmont Wagon Company Piedmont Wagon Company was a horse-drawn wagon works company in Hickory, Catawba County, North Carolina. Founded by George G. Bonniwell and A. L. (Andy) Ramseur in 1878, it became "one of the most conspicuous examples of New South prosperity in No ...

, Propst House, Ridgeview Public Library, Shuford House, and Whisnant Hosiery Mills 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

Hickory is located in western Catawba County at (35.737682, −81.328372), and extends westward into Burke County and Caldwell County.

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

passes through the southern part of the city, leading east to

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in ...

and west to

Asheville Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous ci ...

. U.S. Route 70 (Conover Boulevard) is an older east–west route through the city. U.S. Route 321 passes through the western part of the city, leading northwest to Boone and south to Gastonia. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.31%, is water.

Lake Hickory

Lake Hickory was created 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 ...

in 1927 with the completion of the Oxford Dam northeast of Hickory. The dam parallels the NC Highway 16 bridge over the Catawba River between

and Taylorsville. It is high, with an overall length of . The spillway section of the dam is long. Lake Hickory was named after the City of Hickory and runs along its northern edge. The lake covers almost with of shoreline. Full pond elevation is . Lake Hickory is a reliable source of water for the Cities of Hickory and

Conover Conover may refer to: People * Conover (surname) Places in the United States * Conover, Iowa, a ghost town * Conover, North Carolina, a city * Conover, Ohio, an unincorporated community * Conover, Wisconsin, a town * Conover (community), Wisconsi ...

and the Town of Long View, while also functioning as a recreation hub for boating, fishing, and other water based activities. Duke Energy provides five public access areas on the lake in cooperation with the

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is a state government agency created by the North Carolina General Assembly, General Assembly in 1947 to Wildlife management, conserve and sustain North Carolina's fish and wildlife resources through ...

Metropolitan area

Hickory is the largest city within the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton metropolitan area. The

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) includes

, Burke County, Caldwell County, and Alexander County, with a combined population – as of the 2020 Census – of 365,276. In addition to Hickory, the MSA includes the cities of

Lenoir Lenoir may refer to: Locations: * Lenoir, North Carolina, United States * Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States * Lenoir City, Tennessee In Universities: * Lenoir-Rhyne University * Lenoir Dining Hall, a dining hall at the University of N ...

, Morganton,

, and Newton, along with a number of smaller incorporated towns and cities. Several unincorporated rural and suburban communities located nearby include

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

, Mountain View, and St. Stephens.

Climate

Transportation

Air

The Hickory Regional Airport is located in the western portion of the city and provides general aviation services. The airport is not serviced by a commercial airline given the proximity to larger nearby airports, particularly

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 wes ...

and

Piedmont Triad International Airport Piedmont Triad International Airport (commonly referred to locally as "PTI") is an airport located in unincorporated Guilford County, North Carolina, west of Greensboro, serving the Piedmont Triad region of Greensboro, High Point and Winsto ...

Public transportation

Greenway Public Transportation operates six fixed bus routes around Hickory,

and Newton. Greenway also provides

paratransit Paratransit is the term used in North America, also known by other names such as community transport ( UK) for transportation services that supplement fixed-route mass transit by providing individualized rides without fixed routes or timetables. ...

services to these cities and surrounding areas. Greenway Public Transportation provides over 250,000 trips each year to residents living in the Hickory region.

Highways

* * U.S. Highway 321 * U.S. Highway 321 Business * U.S. Highway 70 * North Carolina Hwy 127

Demographics

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 43,490 people, 16,690 households, and 9,834 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 40,093 people, 18,719 households, and 9,952 families residing in the city. There were 18,719 housing units at an average density of 640.4 per square mile (227.9/km²). The racial composition of the city was: 74.9%

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 o ...

, 14.3%

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 ...

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 ...

, 11.4%

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 ...

, 3.2% Asian American, 0.19% Native American, 0.06%

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawa ...

or Other Pacific Islander, 3.08% some other race, and 1.46%

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 ...

. There were 18,719 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.98. In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 23.3% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,236, and the median income for a family was $47,522. Males had a median income of $31,486 versus $23,666 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 $23,263. About 8.4% of families and 11.3% of the population 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 ...

, including 14.8% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over. 364,759 people live within of Hickory; 1.8 million people live within of Hickory.

Government

In 1913, Hickory became the first city in North Carolina to adopt the council-manager form of municipal government, which combines the leadership of elected officials and the administrative experience of a city manager. The mayor and city council set policy and hire a non-partisan manager to oversee city operations, advise council, and implement adopted policies and ordinances. Hickory City Council is composed of a mayor and six council members, each representing one of the city's six wards. For current listing of council members, se
here.

Education

Elementary schools

* Clyde Campbell Elementary School * Jenkins Elementary School * Longview Elementary School * Oakwood Elementary School * Snow Creek Elementary School * Southwest Primary School * Viewmont Elementary School * Webb A. Murray Elementary School * St. Stephens Elementary School

Middle schools

* Grandview Middle School * Northview Middle School * H. M. Arndt Middle School

High schools

* Hickory High School *

Challenger Early College High School Challenger Early College High School is a public secondary school in Hickory, North Carolina, United States on the campus of Catawba Valley Community College. Challenger Early College High School is ranked the top high school in Catawba County Sch ...

* Hickory Career and Arts Magnet High School *

St. Stephens High School St. Stephens High School is a high school located in Hickory, North Carolina, United States. It is in Catawba County, and is part of the Catawba County School district. History St. Stephens was formed when Allen Frye, Peace Academy, Lail, San ...

Private schools

St. Stephens Lutheran School
* University Christian High School * Hickory Christian Academy * Hickory Day School * Tabernacle Christian School * Christian Family Academy * Cornerstone Christian Academy (Specialized for students with learning differences)

Colleges and universities

Catawba Valley Community College Catawba Valley Community College is a public community college in Hickory, North Carolina. The college, established April 3, 1958, is part of the North Carolina Community College System. The main campus covers and includes 16 buildings. The col ...

* Appalachian Center at Hickory *

Gardner–Webb University Gardner–Webb University (Gardner–Webb, GWU, or GW) is a private Baptist university in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina ( Southern Baptist Convention). It was founded as Boi ...

satellite campus
North Carolina Center for Engineering Technologies

Economy

Early industries such as wagon-making, as well as proximity to expansive forests and excellent transportation via two intersecting railroads, provided fertile ground for the emergence of the furniture industry. Likewise experience with textile manufacturing and easy access to power drove new industries in both fiber-optic cable and pressure-sensitive tape. Forty percent of the world's fiber optic cable is made in the Hickory area. Adhesive tape manufacturer

Shurtape Technologies } Shurtape Technologies, LLC is an American manufacturing company that produces adhesive tape as well as consumer goods and office supplies. Founded in 1996, Shurtape had its origins as the tape division of Shuford Mills, a textile manufacturing ...

and Fortune 500 network infrastructure provider

CommScope CommScope is an American network infrastructure provider based in Hickory, North Carolina. CommScope employs over 30,000 employees. The company joined the NASDAQ stock exchange on October 25, 2013. CommScope designs and manufactures network infr ...

are based in Hickory. The furniture industry in Hickory is not as strong as in previous decades, but is still a primary component in the area economy. HSM (company) (formerly Hickory Springs, founded 1944) is a leading manufacturer of

mattress coil Mattress coils, also known as mattress springs, are coil springs used in a mattress. Coils are primarily used in the core (support layer) of innerspring mattresses, which is their original use. In recent years, small "micro-coils" are being used ...

s. It is estimated 60% of the nation's furniture used to be produced within a radius of Hickory. The Hickory area is marketed as a data-center corridor and is home to large data centers operated by

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

and

Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...

. Apple's billion-dollar data center campus just south of Hickory is one of the world's largest. Hickory is home to the corporate headquarters of third-party logistics provider Transportation Insight, a member of North Carolina's top revenue tier of privately held businesses. In 2015, the company relocated its headquarters to the historic Lyerly Full Fashioned Mill in downtown Hickory.

Major Industries

* Manufacturing * Education * Healthcare * Retail Trade * Professional, scientific, and management * Public Administration * Transportation * Construction

Major employers

* Catawba Valley Medical Center * Frye Regional Medical Center/Duke LifePoint * MDI * Hickory Springs Manufacturing * Corning Inc. *

Convergys Convergys Corporation was a corporation based in Cincinnati, Ohio, that sold customer management and information management products, primarily to large corporations. Customer management products included agent assisted, self-service and care soft ...

* Century Furniture * City of Hickory * Catawba Valley Community College * Performance Food Group * Hickory Public Schools * Sherrill Furniture Company * Fiserv * Transportation Insight * Catawba County * Catawba County Schools * ITM * Cataler North America

Tourism

Sports

Hickory is home to the

Hickory Crawdads The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League (SAL) and the High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans Stadium, which opened i ...

, a Class High-A

High-A East The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

minor-league baseball affiliate of the Texas Rangers. The Crawdads play in L.P. Frans Stadium, located in the western portion of the city, near the Hickory Regional Airport. Hickory is also home to the

Hickory Motor Speedway Hickory Motor Speedway is a short track located in Hickory, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing's most storied venues, and is often referred to as the "World's Most Famous Short Track" and the "Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars". The t ...

. The speedway was opened in 1951 and features a 1/2-mile track with seating for approximately 5,000 spectators. Lenoir-Rhyne University, whose teams have the nickname "Bears", participates within

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

athletics in the

South Atlantic Conference The South Atlantic Conference (SAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the southeastern United States. The SAC was founded in 1975 as a ...

. The university's athletics program includes teams in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, triathlon, and volleyball.

Hickory Aviation Museum

Hickory Aviation Museum is an aerospace museum at the Hickory Regional Airport. The museum originated from the Sabre Society co-founded by Kyle and Kregg Kirby, when an FJ-3 Fury, the Naval version of the North American F-86 Sabre was recovered and became the first aircraft of the museum. It features a museum located in the former airport terminal with artifacts, a hangar with aircraft and outdoor exhibits of aircraft on the former airport ramp.

Arts and Culture

Hickory Museum of Art

Hickory is home to the second oldest art museum in North Carolina. Hickory Museum of Art was established in 1944 by Founding Director, Paul Whitener. The museum is housed at the SALT Block, overseen by the SALT Block Foundation, along with the Catawba Science Center, Hickory Choral Society, United Arts Council and Western Piedmont Symphony. Hickory Museum of Art (HMA) holds exhibitions, events, and public educational programs based on a permanent collection of 19th through 21st century American art. The museum also features a long-term exhibition of Southern contemporary folk art, showcasing the work of self-taught artists from around the region.

Western Piedmont Symphony

The symphony hosts several series of concerts, including their free Foothills Pops concerts held annually in Downtown Hickory.

Media

* The ''

Hickory Daily Record ''Hickory Daily Record'' is an American, English language daily newspaper based in Hickory, North Carolina, USA. It is owned by Lee Enterprises and is published seven days a week. The newspaper is a member of the North Carolina Press Associati ...

'' is published daily. * ''Focus Newspaper'' is a free weekly publication, distributed every Thursday in print, online, and mobile app. Focus features local news and events, movie reviews, original columnists, places to go and things to do. * WHKY, 1290 AM, is a radio station that features a news-talk format. * WAIZ, "63 Big Ways", 630 AM, is a radio station that features music from the 1950s and 1960s. Its branding is an homage to the former "61 Big Ways" radio station (now WFNZ) in Charlotte, North Carolina. * The local television station is

WHKY-TV WHKY-TV (channel 14) is an independent television station licensed to Hickory, North Carolina, United States. It serves the northwestern corner of the Charlotte media market, a region locally referred to as " The Unifour". WHKY-TV is owned by Lo ...

, channel 14. * ''The Claremont Courier'' is a free newspaper distributed every month throughout Catawba County

Notable people

Athletes

* Jeff Barkley,

MLB 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), ...

player *

Rick Barnes Rick may refer to: People *Rick (given name), a list of people with the given name *Alan Rick (born 1976), Brazilian politician, journalist, pastor and television personality *Johannes Rick (1869–1946), Austrian-born Brazilian priest and mycol ...

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

head coach *

Madison Bumgarner Madison Kyle Bumgarner (born August 1, 1989), commonly known by his nickname, "MadBum", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he pitched for the San Francisco Giants ...

, MLB pitcher, 3-time

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

Champion with the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

, 2014 World Series MVP *

Paul Burris Paul "Buddy" Burris (January 20, 1923 – November 26, 2007) was an American football player. He played college football for the Golden Hurricane at University of Tulsa, and after a hiatus to serve in the Second World War, for the Sooners at ...

, MLB catcher * Ozzie Clay, NFL safety *

Matt DiBenedetto Matthew Guido DiBenedetto (born July 27, 1991) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 25 Chevrolet Silverado for Rackley WAR. Racing career Early care ...

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 *

Landon Dickerson Landon Dickerson (born September 30, 1998) is an American football guard for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State and Alabama, and was drafted by the Eagles 37th overall in t ...

, NFL offensive lineman *

Robert Dillingham Robert Deon Potasi Dillingham (born January 4, 2005) is an American college basketball player for the Kentucky Wildcats of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He is a five-star recruit that previously played professionally for the Cold Hearts in O ...

, high school basketball player * Harry Dowda, NFL defensive back *

Charlie Frye Charles Thomas Frye (born August 28, 1981) is a former American football quarterback and former quarterbacks coach for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the ...

, MLB pitcher *

Robert Griswold Robert Griswold (born November 27, 1996) is an American swimmer. He was a member of the 2016 and 2020 U.S. Paralympic Swimming Teams. He holds multiple American and world paralympic swimming records in freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, and ind ...

(born 1996), swimmer *

Ryan Hill Ryan Hill (born January 31, 1990) is an American long-distance runner. Hill was a silver medalist at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships after finishing second in the 3,000 meters. He represented the United States at the 2009 IAAF World Cros ...

long-distance Long distance or Long-distance may refer to: *Long-distance calling * Long-distance operator * Long-distance relationship * Long-distance train *Long-distance anchor pylon, see dead-end tower Footpaths * Long-distance trail *European long-d ...

runner *

Andy Houston Andrew Houston (born November 7, 1970) is an American stock car racing spotter and former driver. He is a veteran of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, scoring three wins. Houston is the son of legendary Busch driver Tommy Houston and the younge ...

, NASCAR Cup Series,

Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

and Camping World Truck Series driver *

Marty Houston Marty Houston (born January 7, 1968 in Hickory, North Carolina) is a former NASCAR driver. His younger brother, Andy Houston, Andy and father Tommy Houston have driven in NASCAR as well. Racing career Craftsman Truck Series Marty Houston made h ...

, NASCAR Xfinity Series driver * Tommy Houston, NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series driver *

Dale Jarrett Dale Arnold Jarrett (born November 26, 1956) is a former American race car driver and current commentator for NBC. He is best known for winning the Daytona 500 three times (in 1993, 1996, and 2000) and winning the NASCAR Winston Cup Series champi ...

, 1999

Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...

champion, 3-time Daytona 500 champion * Austin Johnson, NFL fullback * Brad Knighton,

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

(MLS) goalkeeper * Chad Lail, professional

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...

wrestler * Bobby Lutz, college basketball coach, former

UNC Charlotte The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte) is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs through nine colle ...

men's basketball head coach *

Dick Marlowe Richard Burton Marlowe (June 27, 1929 – December 30, 1968) was an American professional baseball pitcher who appeared in 98 games in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox from 1951 to 1956. Born in Hickory, North C ...

, MLB pitcher * Trevin Parks, professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player *

Andy Petree Joseph Andrew Petree III (born August 15, 1958), is a former NASCAR crew chief, driver, team owner, and broadcaster who has worked as the rules analyst for ''Fox NASCAR'' and the Vice President of Competition at Richard Childress Racing. After ra ...

, NASCAR crew chief and analyst * J.T. Poston,

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...

player * Gary Sain, NASCAR Cup Series driver *

Ryan Succop Ryan Barrow Succop ( "suck-up"; born September 19, 1986) is an American football placekicker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). Succop played college football at South Carolina and was the 2009 Mr. Irrelevant by ...

, NFL kicker, Super Bowl LV champion with the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

* Bob Warlick, NBA player, younger brother of Ernie Warlick *

Ernie Warlick Ernest "Ernie" "Big Hoss" Warlick (July 21, 1932 – November 24, 2012) was a tight end from North Carolina Central University who played American collegiate and Professional Football as well as Canadian Professional Football. Warlick was born ...

AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...

player and 4-time

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

selection for the Buffalo Bills *

Chris Washburn Christopher Scott Washburn (born May 13, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player. College career A 6'11" center, Washburn was one of the top three high school recruits in the country in 1984, along with John Williams (LSU) ...

, NBA player *

Shane Watts Shane Watts (born 7 November 1972), is an Australians, Australian former professional motorcycle enduro racer. He won the 1997 125cc World Enduro Championship as well as several Australian and American national off-road championships during his c ...

, World Enduro (off-road motorbike racing) champion

Entertainers

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

, musician and songwriter, was born in the area during a family trip *

James Best Jewel Franklin Guy (July 26, 1926 – April 6, 2015), known professionally as James Best, was an American television, film, stage, and voice actor, as well as a writer, director, acting coach, artist, college professor, and musician. Duri ...

, actor *

Eric Church Kenneth Eric Church (born May 3, 1977) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He has released nine studio albums through Capitol Nashville since 2005. His debut album, 2006's '' Sinners Like Me'', produced three singles on the ''Billboar ...

, country music singer and songwriter *

Tom Constanten Tom Constanten (born March 19, 1944) is an American keyboardist, best known for playing with Grateful Dead from 1968 to 1970, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Biography Early career Born in Long Branch, N ...

, musician, composer, former member of the Grateful Dead and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame * Jon Reep, comedian *

Matthew Settle Jeffrey Matthew Settle (born September 17, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for playing Captain Ronald Speirs on the HBO miniseries '' Band of Brothers'' and Rufus Humphrey on the CW teen drama series ''Gossip Girl''. Early life Settl ...

, actor *

Drew Starkey Drew Starkey is an American actor. He portrays Garrett Laughlin in the Simonverse films ''Love, Simon ''and ''The Hate U Give'', Rafe Cameron in the Netflix teen drama series ''Outer Banks'' and Hawkins in the VH1 series '' Scream: Resurrection ...

, actor * Brandon Wardell, comedian * Hermene Warlick Eichhorn, composer * Machinedrum, aka Travis Stewart, musician *

The Blue Sky Boys The Blue Sky Boys were an American country music duo consisting of the brothers Earl Bolick (November 16, 1919 – April 19, 1998) and Bill Bolick (October 28, 1917 – March 13, 2008), whose careers spanned over forty years. Biography The brother ...

, country music duo

Other notables

Cass Ballenger Thomas Cass Ballenger (December 6, 1926 – February 18, 2015) was an American politician. A Republican, he represented North Carolina's 10th Congressional district, centered in North Carolina's foothills, in the United States House of Represen ...

, politician * Norma Bonniwell, architect * James Broselow, emergency physician, assistant professor, and entrepreneur *

Teresa Earnhardt Teresa Earnhardt (née Houston; born October 29, 1958) is the third wife and widow of Dale Earnhardt. She is the biological mother of Taylor Nicole Earnhardt (born December 20, 1988) and she is the stepmother of Kerry Earnhardt, Kelley Earnhardt ...

, widow of Dale Earnhardt and stepmother to

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. (born October 10, 1974) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver, team owner, author, and an analyst for '' NASCAR on NBC''. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving ...

Gary Glenn Gary Richard Glenn (June 16, 1958 – July 27, 2023) was an American politician and activist who was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives for the state's 98th district, from 2015 to 2018, as a Republican. He campaigned to prohibi ...

, Michigan House of Representatives (2015–18), Associate Speaker of the House Pro Tem and chairman of the House Energy Policy Committee (2017–18) * Kenneth Lamar Holland, former Democratic member of the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

Chris Hughes Chris Hughes (born November 26, 1983) is an American entrepreneur and author who co-founded and served as spokesman for the online social directory and networking site Facebook until 2007. He was the publisher and editor-in-chief of ''The New R ...

, co-founder of Facebook *

E. Patrick Johnson E. Patrick Johnson is the dean of the Northwestern University School of Communication. He is the Carlos Montezuma Professor of Performance Studies and professor of African-American studies at Northwestern University. He is also a visiting scho ...

, ethnographer, scholar in critical race theory, queer theory, and

performance studies Performance studies is an interdisciplinary academic field that uses performance as a lens and a tool to study the world. The term ''performance'' is broad, and can include artistic and aesthetic performances like concerts, theatrical events, ...

* Brock Long, FEMA Administrator * J.B. Long, store manager/owner and record company talent scout * Douglas E. Moore,

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

minister and

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...

activist * Scott Owens, poet, teacher, and editor * William Powlas Peery, pastor of the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant Lutheran church headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA was officially formed on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies. , it has approxim ...

* Elwood L. Perry, inventor of the form of fishing lure known as the

spoonplug Elwood "Buck" Lake Perry (15 July 1915, Hickory, North Carolina – 12 August 2005, Taylorsville, North Carolina) was the inventor of the form of fishing lure known as the spoonplug along with being an author. NY Times "Correction: August 30, 2005, ...

* Paul Whitener, landscape painter and founder of the

Hickory Museum of Art Hickory Museum of Art (HMA) is an art museum in Hickory, North Carolina which holds exhibitions, events, and public educational programs based on a permanent collection of 19th to 21st century American art. The museum also features a long-term ...

Sister city

Hickory has one

sister city 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 ...

:Griffin, Kevin. (June 1, 2016)
Sister city delegation from Germany visits Hickory for cultural exchange
''Hickory Daily Record''. Retrieved July 21, 2020. * Altenburg, Germany

References

External links

* *
Hickory Public Schools
{{Authority control Populated places established in 1863 1863 establishments in North Carolina Cities in Caldwell County, North Carolina Cities in Catawba County, North Carolina Cities in Burke County, North Carolina North Carolina populated places on the Catawba River