Hickory is a city in western

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 ...

primarily located in Catawba County. The 25th most populous city in the state, it is located approximately northwest of Charlotte. Hickory's population in the 2022 United States Census Bureau estimate was 44,084. Hickory is the main city of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 368,347 in the 2022

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, and is included in the larger Charlotte-Concord, NC Combined Statistical Area with a population of 3,387,115 in 2022. In 2014, ''

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 wi ...

'' named the Hickory metro area as the 10th best place to live and raise a family in the United States. ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' ranked the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton MSA the third best MSA in the country for business cost in the same year. The Hickory MSA was described by Smart Growth America in 2014 as being the country's most sprawling metro area. In 2023, ''

Travel and Leisure Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel c ...

'' rated Hickory as the most beautiful and affordable place to live in the U.S.

History

Hickory owes its name to the Hickory Tavern, a log structure built in the 1850s underneath a

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 ...

tree. Henry Link bought the first lot in the area for $45 in 1858. The house he built was later adapted as ''The 1859 Cafe,'' a restaurant which closed in 2011. The first train operated near Hickory Tavern in 1859. In 1868, Dr. Jeremiah Ingold, pastor of Corinth Reformed Church (then known as German Reformed Grace Church), established the Free Academy, the first school in the area. Hickory Tavern was incorporated as a town in 1870. Three years later, its name was officially changed to Hickory. In 1889, it became the City of Hickory. Hickory grew rapidly in the 1880s. Electric lights were installed in 1888. A year later, the Elliott Opera House opened. Decorated in French renaissance style with mythological motifs, the opera house auditorium had seating for 750; the parquet balcony fit another 350. The opera house hosted touring out of town shows, the Hickory Amateurs (the city's first acting troupe), and The Hickory Symphony Band. A fire destroyed the entire building in 1902, and it was never rebuilt. A municipal auditorium was constructed across the street in 1921, and now houses the Hickory Community Theatre. In 1891, four Lutheran pastors founded Highland Academy with 12 students. It has developed through the decades as

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

. Hickory built a sewage system in 1904. The city adopted the council-manager form of government in 1913, thus becoming the first municipality in the state to hire a city manager. 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 Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of oth ...

boxes for the

U.S. military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except th ...

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 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

ever recorded. Residents who were then children recall summers of not being allowed to play outside or visit friends for fear of contracting the infectious 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 US President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, to co ...

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 organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

official on the scene praised the project "as the most outstanding example of cooperative effort he has ever seen." In 2010, the city also came to national attention when the remains of a girl, Zahra Baker, were found. Following the police investigation, Zahra's stepmother, Elisa Baker, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. The Zahra Baker All Children's playground, located in Kiwanis Park, is named in the girl's honor.

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 sectio ...

, Elliott–Carnegie Library, First Presbyterian Church, Dr. Glenn R. Frye House, Clement Geitner House, Lee & Helen George House, Harris Arcade, Hickory Municipal Building, Hickory Southwest Downtown Historic District, Highland School, Hollar Hosiery Mills-Knit Sox Knitting Mills, Houck's Chapel, Kenworth Historic District, John A. Lentz House, Lyerly Full Fashioned Mill, John Alfred Moretz House, Oakwood Historic District, Piedmont Wagon Company, 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 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

Hickory is located in western Catawba County and extends westward into Burke County and Caldwell County.

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 ...

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

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 west to

Asheville Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populous city in Western North Carolina a ...

. 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, 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 ...

, 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 is a major river located in the Southeastern United States. It 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&nbs ...

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), Wis ...

and the Town of Long View, while also functioning as a recreation hub for boating, fishing, and other water based activities.

Duke Energy Duke Energy Corporation is an American electric power and natural gas holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company ranked as the 141st largest company in the United States in 2024 – its highest-ever placement on the ...

provides five public access areas on the lake in cooperation with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

Metropolitan area

Hickory is the largest city within the

Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton metropolitan area The Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of four counties, Catawba, Burke, Caldwell, Alexander. It is located in the Catawba Valley region of western ...

. The Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) includes Catawba County, 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, Morganton,

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

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

, Mountain View, and St. Stephens.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Hickory has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Hickory was on July 28–29, 1952, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 21, 1985.

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 of larger airports, particularly Charlotte-Douglas International Airport 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 (also community transport in the United Kingdom, or intermediate public transport) is a type of public transport service that supplements fixed-route mass transit by providing individualized rides without fixed routes or timetables. P ...

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 16 * North Carolina Hwy 127

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, 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 . The racial composition of the city was: 74.9%

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 ...

, 14.3%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 11.4%

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 ...

Latino American Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans who have a Spanish or Latin American background, culture, or family origin. This demographic group includes all Americans who identify as Hispanic or Latino, regardless of race. According to th ...

, 3.2%

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans with ancestry from the continent of Asia (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of those immigrants). Although this term had historically been used fo ...

, 0.19% Native American, 0.06%

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

or Other Pacific Islander, 3.08% some other race, and 1.46% two or more races. 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 average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

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 ...

, 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 * Hickory Career and Arts Magnet High School * St. Stephens High School

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 *

North Carolina Center for Engineering Technologies
*

Appalachian State University Appalachian State University (), or App State, is a Public university, public research university in Boone, North Carolina, United States. It was founded as a normal school, teachers' college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and th ...

Hickory Campus

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 is based in Hickory and Fortune 500 network infrastructure provider

CommScope CommScope Holding Company, Inc. is an American network infrastructure provider based in Claremont, North Carolina. CommScope employs over 22,000 employees. The company joined the Nasdaq stock exchange on October 25, 2013. CommScope designs an ...

, is based in nearby Claremont. 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) HSM is an American company globally manufacturing materials and components for transportation, furniture, bedding and other markets. It is a privately held company that is family-owned, based in Hickory, North Carolina, where it was originally ...

(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 use ...

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 a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

and

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

. 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. Corning Incorporated is an American multinational technology company specializing in glass, ceramics, and related materials and technologies including advanced optics, primarily for industrial and scientific applications. The company was name ...

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 (MiLB) team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans St ...

, the

Single-A Single-A, formerly known as Class A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A, Double-A (baseball), Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams cl ...

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

affiliate of the Texas Rangers of the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

. The Crawdads play at 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 the 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 environment ...

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 ...

. 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, US. It is owned by Lee Enterprises. The newspaper is a member of the North Carolina Press Association. The newspaper serves the city of ...

'' 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

WWJS WWJS (channel 14) is a religious television station licensed to Hickory, North Carolina, United States, owned and operated by the Sonlife Broadcasting Network. It serves the northwestern corner of the Charlotte media market, a region locally r ...

, channel 14 (formerly WHKY-TV). * ''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 league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player *

Rick Barnes Richard Barnes (born July 17, 1954) is an American college basketball coach who is currently the head coach at the University of Tennessee. He is also known for coaching at the University of Texas from 1998 to 2015, taking the team to the NCAA ...

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

head coach *

Madison Bumgarner Madison Kyle Bumgarner (born August 1, 1989), nicknamed "MadBum", is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. Previously, he pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants (2009–19) and Arizona Diamon ...

, MLB pitcher, 4-time

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

selection, 3-time

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

champion and 2014

World Series MVP The Willie Mays World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award is given to the Major League Baseball (MLB) player deemed to have the most impact on his team's performance in the World Series, which is the final round of the MLB postseason. The a ...

with the

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

* Paul Burris, MLB catcher * Ozzie Clay,

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

safety * Matt DiBenedetto,

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 ...

driver * Landon Dickerson, NFL offensive lineman, 3-time

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

selection,

Super Bowl LIX Super Bowl LIX was an American football championship game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2024 NFL season, 2024 season. In a rematch of Super Bowl LVII two years prior, the National Football Conf ...

champion with the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

* Harry Dowda, NFL defensive back * Charlie Frye, MLB pitcher * Robert Griswold, swimmer * Ryan Hill, long-distance runner, silver medalist in the 3000 meters at the 2016 World Indoor Championships, gold medalist in the 5000 meters at the 2015 USA Outdoor Championships *

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 The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...

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 Truck Series driver *

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

, NASCAR Xfinity Series driver *

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 ...

, NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series driver *

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 ...

, 1999

Cup Series champion, 3-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, member of the

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 ...

* Austin Johnson, NFL fullback * Brad Knighton,

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

(MLS) goalkeeper * Chad Lail, professional

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

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, United States. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs thr ...

men's basketball head coach * Dick Marlowe, 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 (appro ...

player *

Andy Petree Joseph Andrew Petree III (born August 15, 1958) is an American former NASCAR crew chief, driver, team owner, and broadcaster who has worked as the rules analyst for '' Fox NASCAR''. He used to be the Vice President of Competition at Richard Childr ...

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

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

player * Gary Sain, NASCAR Cup Series driver * Ryan Succop, NFL kicker,

Super Bowl LV Super Bowl LV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2020 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the American Football Conferen ...

champion with the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

* Bob Warlick, NBA player, younger brother of Ernie Warlick * Ernie Warlick, AFL player and 4-time

AFL All-Star The American Football League All-Star game was the annual game which featured each year's best performers in the American Football League (AFL). The game was first played in 1961 and the final AFL All-Star game occurred in 1969, prior to the lea ...

selection for the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

* Chris Washburn, NBA player * Rob Dillingham, NBA player, 2024 NBA draft 1st round, 8th overall pick

Entertainers

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 and musician *

Tom Constanten Tom Constanten (born March 19, 1944) is an American keyboardist, best known for playing with the 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 Branc ...

, musician, composer, former member of the Grateful Dead and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame * Jon Reep, comedian * Matthew Settle, actor * Drew Starkey, actor * Brandon Wardell, comedian * Hermene Warlick Eichhorn, composer *

Machinedrum Travis Stewart (born March 4, 1982), better known as Machinedrum, is an American electronic record producer and performer from North Carolina.The Blue Sky Boys, country music duo

Other notables

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

Teresa Earnhardt Teresa Diane Earnhardt (née Houston; born October 29, 1958) is an American former NASCAR team owner. She is the third wife and widow of Dale Earnhardt. She is the biological mother of Taylor Nicole Earnhardt and the stepmother of Kerry Earnhardt ...

, former

team owner * Fannie Gaston-Johansson, professor of nursing and distinguished professor at

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

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

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

Chris Hughes Christopher 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 ...

, co-founder of

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

* E. Patrick Johnson, ethnographer, scholar in

critical race theory Critical race theory (CRT) is an academic field focused on the relationships between Social constructionism, social conceptions of Race and ethnicity in the United States census, race and ethnicity, Law in the United States, social and political ...

queer theory Queer theory is a field of post-structuralist critical theory that emerged in the early 1990s out of queer studies (formerly often known as gay and lesbian studies) and women's studies. The term "queer theory" is broadly associated with the study a ...

, and performance studies * 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 Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

minister and

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

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 church headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA was officially formed on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies. As of December 31, 2023, it ...

* Elwood L. Perry, inventor of the form of fishing lure known as the spoonplug * Paul Whitener, landscape painter and founder of the Hickory Museum of Art

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 inte ...

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

Altenburg Altenburg () is a city in Thuringia, Germany, located south of Leipzig, west of Dresden and east of Erfurt. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district and part of a polycentric old-industrial textile and metal production region betw ...

, Germany

References

External links

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