Conover is a city in Catawba County,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, United States. The population was 8,421 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the

Hickory Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes 19 species accepted by ''Plants of the World Online''. Seven species are native to southeast Asia in China, Indochina, and northeastern India (Assam), and twelve ...

– Lenoir– Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area and

Charlotte Metropolitan Area The Charlotte metropolitan area is a metropolitan area of the U.S. states of North and South Carolina, containing the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gastonia, Concord, Huntersville, and ...

History

The City of Conover began to develop in the mid-1800s as a “Y” intersection of the railroad traversing North Carolina. Although originally called Wye Town, legend says the name "Canova" was adopted, but transposed to Conover over several years. The City of Conover was chartered in 1876 and incorporated in 1877. The Bolick Historic District and George Huffman Farm are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Geography

Conover is located in the geographic center, as well as the population center, of Catawba County and is bordered by the City of

to the west, the City of Newton to the south, and the City of Claremont to the east.

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west transcontinental Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States, southeastern and Southwestern United States, southwestern portions of the United States. At a leng ...

traverses Conover, with access from four major exits (128, 130, 132, and 133). U.S. Route 70, U.S. Route 321, and North Carolina Highway 16 all pass through Conover, making Conover one of the most easily accessible cities in the Charlotte Metro Region. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, Conover has a total area of , of which , or 0.27%, is water

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,421 people, 3,346 households, and 2,265 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census there were 8,165 people, 3,368 households, and 2,182 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,654 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 78.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 9.2%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 4.2% Asian, 5.8% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 12.2% of the population. There were 3,654 households, out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.96.

City Services

Public works

The Conover Public Works Department provides Water, Street Construction, Maintenance and Repair, Storm Water Management, Solid Waste and Recycling, Water Treatment, Grounds and Parks and Fleet Maintenance services to the residents of Conover.

Fire-Rescue

The Conover Fire Department provides Fire Suppression, Emergency Medical Services, Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Mitigation, Technical Rescues, Public Education, and Fire Prevention and Inspection with 18 full-time and 40 part-time/volunteer firefighters operating out of three fire stations.

Law Enforcement

The Conover Police Department is staffed by 27 full-time officers, 1 Code Enforcement officer, 5 part-time employees, and 5 volunteer police chaplains.

Emergency Medical Services

Emergency Medical Services for the City of Conover are provided by CCEMS, the Catawba County EMS Agency.

Transportation

Conover is located in the western piedmont area of North Carolina. Conover is located northwest of Charlotte, west of

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 91st-most populous city in the Uni ...

, and east of Asheville.

traverses the city along with other major roads including US 70, US 321 and NC 16, making it easy to access the city from any direction.

Mass transit

*Greenway Bus Transportation (main office located in Conover)

Parks and recreation

Conover is home of the Rock Barn Country Club and Spa, a golf club with two championship 18-hole courses and spa that was home to the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn, a PGA Champions Tour Event. Conover has nine neighborhood parks and one greenway: * Downtown Park - , with

gazebo A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or Gun turret, turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden, or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. In British English, the word is also used for a tent-like can ...

, walking

trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road (though it can also be a route along a navigable waterways) generally not intended for usage by motorized vehicles, usually passing through a natural area. Ho ...

s and

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...

equipment. * Gateway Park - a linear park that provides a pedestrian/bicycle link into downtown. * Hines Park - located in the ConWest Business Park, the park and its gazebo are mainly used by employees of nearby businesses. * Hunsucker Park - located in the largest neighborhood in the city, Lecho Park, the park occupies and contains playground equipment. * 'Majestic Park - located in the southwest quadrant of the city, the park occupies and contains recreation equipment. * Rowe Park - the smallest of the city's parks, it contains a gazebo,

picnic table A picnic table (or picnic bench) is a Table (furniture), table with benches (often attached), designed for working with and for picnic, outdoor dining. The term is often specifically associated with rectangular tables having an A-frame structure. ...

, and a swing set. * Travis Park - Located in the northwest quadrant of the city, the park contains benches, a picnic table and recreation equipment. * Washington/Southwest Park - , the park includes a

basketball court In basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor, with baskets at each end. Indoor basketball courts are almost always made of polished wood, usually maple, with -high rims on each basket. Outdoor ...

and

baseball field A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refer ...

, along with recreation equipment. * Conover City Park - , with a

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors (Al fresco dining, ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event su ...

area, playground equipment, walking trails, splash pad and

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

s. * Lyle Creek Greenway - a 1.5 mile long enhanced surface natural trail that follows Lyle Creek and provides great relaxation and wildlife viewing. This trail consists of both wooded areas and open fields.

Education

The City of Conover is served by Newton-Conover City Schools and

Catawba County Schools Catawba County Schools is the largest school district in Catawba County, North Carolina, United States. Its 28 schools serve 17,370 students as of the 2010–11 school year. Student demographics For the 2010–11 school year, Catawba County Sc ...

Elementary schools

*Shuford Elementary School (Newton-Conover City Schools) *South Newton Elementary School (Newton-Conover City Schools) *North Newton Elementary School (Newton-Conover City Schools) *Conover School (Newton-Conover City Schools) *Lyle Creek Elementary School (Catawba County Schools) *St. Stephens Elementary School (Catawba County Schools)

Middle schools

*Newton-Conover Middle School (Newton-Conover City Schools)

Private schools

*Concordia Christian Day School (K–8) * Concordia College (1878–1935)

NASCAR in Conover

Conover is home to the transportation office for

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. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

. Conover is also home to

Dale Jarrett Dale Arnold Jarrett (born November 26, 1956) is an American former race car driver and current racing 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 ...

Inc., and Morgan Shepherd Racing Ventures.

Notable people

* Mark K. Hilton member of the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, state government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

from 2001 to 2013 *

Tommy Houston Tommy Houston (born January 29, 1945) is a retired NASCAR Busch Series driver. Over his career, Houston and Jack Ingram became known as the pair of journeymen drivers that helped that series grow throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. Houston w ...

Cup Series and

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 ...

driver * W. Stine Isenhower member of the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, who holds powers si ...

from 1986 to 1992 *

NASCAR Cup Series champion, three-time

Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...

champion, and 2014

NASCAR Hall of Fame The NASCAR Hall of Fame, is a Hall of Fame and Museum located in Charlotte, North Carolina that honors NASCAR and its history. Inductees to the Hall of Fame are drivers who have shown expert skill at NASCAR driving, all-time great crew chiefs ...

inductee * Glenn Jarrett NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series driver * Jason Jarrett NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series driver *

Ned Jarrett Ned Jarrett (born October 12, 1932) is an American former race car driver and broadcaster. He is a two-time NASCAR Grand National Series champion. Because of his calm demeanor, he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett". He is the father of form ...

two-time NASCAR champion and 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee * Robert Kearns bassist who has played with several notable bandsRobert Kearns - Washburn Guitars
Retrieved July 19, 2020. * Morgan Shepherd NASCAR Cup Series driver and NASCAR team owner * Chris Washburn

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

player

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in North Carolina Cities in Catawba County, North Carolina