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COMMUNITY PROFILE
Hickory, North Carolina and the beautiful Catawba Valley area is considered the gateway to northwestern North Carolina. Nestled between the Blue Ridge Mountains & the Piedmont Region of North Carolina, Catawba County has received both national & regional awards as one of the best places to raise a family, start a business, launch a career, or retire.
Hickory, Newton, Conover, Maiden, Claremont, Longview, Brookford & Catawba are the eight municipalities that comprise Catawba County. More than 75% of the population lives in or near these towns. Of these eight cities, Hickory is the largest with approximately 31,000 residents. It has twice received the prestigious award of an All-American City. The next largest populated area is Newton, which has 12,000 residents, then Conover, a neighboring city with nearly 6,500. The Unifour Area, which includes Catawba, Alexander, Burke & Caldwell counties, has a population of about 300,000. The Unifour makes up the Hickory Metro Area, the fourth largest metropolitan statistical area in the state following Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham and Greensboro-Winston-Salem.
So, how do we rate? Some of the areas acknowledgements include being the 10th Best Place in America to Raise a Family (Reader's Digest, April 1997), 2nd Best Business Climate (Business North Carolina, February 1998), 5th Best Place to Conduct Business (Business NC Feb 1998), 6th Best Work Force (Business NC Feb 1998), 8th Best Quality of Life (Business NC Feb 1998), 8th Strongest Manufacturing Economy in America (Industry Week Magazine, April 1997). Of the top 20 Small Manufacturing Towns in America; Conover was 1st, Newton 3rd, and Hickory 5th (Outlook Americas Magazine, July 1997). We were in the Top Ten Small Metropolitan Areas in the Nation for Starting a Business (Nation's Business Magazine, January 1996) and the 11th Best Place in America to Open a Restaurant (Restaurants & Institutions, May 1993).
TRANSPORTATION
The Unifour area is the location of several transportation hubs, making the area highly accessible and just minutes away from the other large metropolitan areas throughout the state. The Hickory Regional Airport is conveniently located off of US Highway 321. Reservations are easily obtained by calling 1-800-428-4322, or 322-8025 for paging and baggage information. Car rental agencies located in the terminal are Budget and Thrifty. The Piedmont Wagon Bus System Office is located at 3194 15th Avenue Blvd., SE. Bus schedules can be obtained at City Hall, Elbert Ivey Memorial Library, Department of Social Services, and area hospitals. Also, bus schedules are available on all of the buses, and the Piedmont Wagon office will be glad to furnish a bus schedule upon request. Busses operate from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday - Friday, and 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. The fare is 75 cents for adults, 45 cents for students and persons with disabilities, and 35 cents for senior citizens.
EDUCATION
Catawba Valley has a progressive and effective public school system. 21 elementary schools, 7 middle schools, 7 high schools and 13 private schools serve the student community, with a considerable percentage moving on to attend university or college. Catawba Valley Community College is an open door, comprehensive, two-year public college which serves all eligible persons as defined by the North Carolina General Assembly. Its designated service area is comprised of Catawba and Alexander counties. Many of its unique programs attract students from throughout the region and nation. To enable students to pursue their educational goals, the College provides quality instruction and support services through vocational, technical and transfer programs, continuing education, literacy education, developmental courses, and learning assistance services. For those completing the requirements, the College awards associate degrees, diplomas, and certificates.
Lenoir-Rhyne is a comprehensive liberal arts institution, enrolling some 1,500 students in more than 40 undergraduate degree programs and master's degree programs in the fields of business, counseling and education. With its Evening College, Lenoir-Rhyne strives to serve the non-traditional population. The primary concern of Lenoir-Rhyne is development of the whole person. To that end, all students regardless of major must complete 56 hours of core courses comprising arts, sciences, social sciences, religion and language. The college seeks to liberate the mind and spirit, clarify personal faith, foster physical wholeness, build a sense of community and promote responsible leadership for service in the world. Lenoir-Rhyne holds the conviction that wholeness of personality, true vocation and the most useful service to God and the world are best discerned from within the perspective of the Christian faith.
HEALTH CARE
Catawba County has many resources that make it a wonderful location to live. National surveys have ranked our county and the municipalities within its borders as one of the best places in the nation to call home. Our county government is progressive, efficient and responsive. High performance standards are a part of county agency operation. County employees are encouraged to be creative; making constant improvements is a shared value and goal. Thus, the Catawba County Health Department is blessed to exist in an environment that expects and promotes excellence. This agency has a hard working staff, with many disciplines represented. They provide a broad array of Public Health Services to all Catawba County citizens everyday and everywhere with in the county.
"Our employees comprise a team of winners, and our services are national, state and regional award recipients. Our job is to protect, promote and maintain the health of our citizens and all visitors to our county. The Catawba County Health Department Board and staff strive hard to succeed in our mission. We, in partnership with other invaluable private and public service providers, work to contribute to the happiness and productivity of our customers--you, the public. Come visit your Health Department. See us in action and give us your thoughts about our services."
AMENITIES AND ATTRACTIONS
At the heart of Catawba County's cultural activities is the Arts and Science Center of Catawba Valley which houses the Catawba County Council for the Arts, Hickory Museum of Art, and Catawba Science Center. The center also provides offices and rehearsal space for the Western Piedmont Symphony and the Hickory Choral Society. The neoclassical structure that was home to Hickory High School was saved from oblivion by the late Hickory industrialist and philanthropist Harley F. Shuford Sr. The building was renovated in 1985 and further renovated in 1996-1997. The Catawba County Council for the Arts is the umbrella cultural organization that advocates and fosters excellence in the arts, sciences, and history, providing cultural opportunities for all residents.
Catawba County is home to three thriving community theatre groups. These are the Hickory Community Theatre, The Green Room and the Lenoir Rhyne Playmakers. The two theatres in Hickory and one in Newton provide audiences and volunteers with wonderful opportunities to enjoy a variety of comedy, drama and musical productions. Also in the area is KEY Players, an acronym for Keep Empowering Youth. This is a non-profit, professional theatre which presents issue-oriented productions to school children from kindergarten to twelfth grade.
The Catawba Science Center, founded in 1975, offers hands-on, permanent exhibits, including Naturalist Center, Physical Science Arcade, Kidspace, and Raceways. Special traveling exhibits are featured throughout the year. Each member of the family will enjoy a wide variety of fun, including summer and weekend programs, field trips, teacher workshops, and more.
The Hickory Museum of Art, founded in 1943, is the second oldest art museum in North Carolina. The museum collects American art, primarily from the 19th and 20th centuries. Classes, workshops, tours, lectures, and films are available for all ages.
The Hickory Landmark Society promotes cultural awareness of architecture in the community while preserving historic sites and neighborhoods. The society's three properties, Maple Grove, Propst House, and The Parsonage, are on the National Register of Historic Places. Restorations are open to the public. The county courthouse was renovated to house the Catawba County Museum of History which showcases local artifacts. The Catawba County Historical Associations maintains the museum, preserves historical sites, sponsors educational programs, maintains the archives, and operates two historic sites - Murray's Mill complex, a working grist mill near Newton and Bunker Hill Bridge near Catawba.
The Hickory Choral Society is comprised of 150 singers and performs at least three concerts each year, including its popular Christmas concert. The group has appeared with the North Carolina Symphony and at New York City's Lincoln Center with the American Symphony. The 1996-1997 season included a concert tour of Great Britain, with a performance in London at St. Martin-in-the-Fields. The 75-member Western Piedmont Symphony was founded in 1964. Each season includes five Masterworks Concerts and Christmas, Family, Pops, and Outdoor concerts. Two concerts are also presented by the Western Piedmont Youth Symphony. The Western Piedmont String Quartet is one of two professional string quartets performing a regular series of concerts in North Carolina. Both the symphony's Chamber Orchestra and the String Quartet present numerous in-school programs.
PLACES OF WORSHIP
In the midst of the Bible Belt, Spiritual life is at the heart of the community and places of worship for many major denominations are found in Hickory. There are 237 Protestant, 2 Catholic and 1 Jewish places of worship.
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