ZIP Code 28602

Hickory is the principal city of the HickoryLenoirMorganton Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time of the 2020 census, Hickory's population was 43,490. 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 ever recorded. 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. In 2014, the city was identified as the third best MSA in the country for business cost cost in the Forbes Smart Growth America MSA as being the country's most sprawling metro area. The Hickory metro area has been named the 10th best place to live and raise a family in the U.S. by Reader's Digest and the 3rd best in the United States by Forbes. 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 Hickary was the first for many things in North Carolina, including the council-manager form of government it adopted in 1913. The Elliott Opera House opened in the city in 1889. The auditorium could seat 750 and the parquet balcony could fit another 350. 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.

History

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 ever recorded. 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. Hickory metro area has been named the 10th best place to live and raise a family in the United States by Reader's Digest and the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton MSA has beennamed the third best MSA in the country for business cost by Forbes. The first lot was sold to Henry Link for $45.00 in 1858. The community was the first for many things in North Carolina, including the council-manager form of government it adopted in 1913. In 1889, the Elliott Opera House opened in the city. 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 1902, a fire destroyed the entire building and it was never rebuilt. The Hickory White, formerly known as Hickory Manufacturing Company, was built in 1902 and has been in continuous operation ever since. During World War Two, the factory made ammunition boxes for the U.S. military instead of furniture. In 2014, Smart Growth America identified Hickory MSA as being the country's most sprawling metro area.

Geography

Hickory is located in western Catawba County at 35°4416N 81°1942W (35.737682, 81.328372), and extends westward into Burke County and Caldwell County. Interstate 40 passes through the southern part of the city, leading east 68 miles (109 km) to Winston-Salem. U.S. Route 70 (Conover Boulevard) is an older eastwest route through the city. Lake Hickory was created in 1927 with the completion of the Oxford Dam 11 miles (18 km) northeast of Hickory. The lake covers almost 4,223 acres (17.09 km²) with 105 miles (169 km) of shoreline. Full pond elevation is 935 feet (285 m) and the spillway section of the dam is 550 feet (170 m) long. Duke Energy provides five public access areas on the lake in cooperation with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. The city has a total area of 29.8 square miles (77.2 km²), of which 29.7 square miles [76.9 km²] is land and 0.08 squaremile (0.2km²), or 0.31%, is water. It has a population of 2,788. The City of Hickary is located on the banks of the CatawBA River, which runs through western North Carolina. It is located near the intersection of Interstate 40 and North Carolina Highway 16, which leads to the town of Taylorsville.

Metropolitan area

Hickory is the largest city within the HickoryLenoirMorganton metropolitan area. The MSA includes the cities of Lenoir, Morganton, Conover, and Newton, along with a number of smaller incorporated towns and cities. 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. Several unincorporated rural and suburban communities located nearby include Bethlehem, Mountain View, and St. Stephens. In addition to Hickory, the MSA also includes the towns of Morganton and Conover. It also includes several smaller incorporated cities and towns, such as Bethlehem and Mountain View. It is located in the eastern part of the state, near the eastern tip of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The area is also known as the "Tri-Cities" because of its large number of small towns and small cities. It has a population of more than 365,000 as of 2020 Census, including more than 100,000 people in the city of Hickory. It includes the counties of Burke, Caldwell, Caldwell and Alexander, as well as the town of Newton, which is home to the state's largest city, Hickory-Lenoir-Morgonant. The city of Conover is in the western portion of the area, in the county of Caldwell-Caldwell, and has a smaller population of less than 30,000.

Transportation

Hickory Regional Airport is located in the western portion of the city. The airport is not serviced by a commercial airline given the proximity to larger nearby airports. Greenway Public Transportation operates six fixed bus routes around Hickory, Conover and Newton. The company also provides paratransit services to these cities and surrounding areas. It provides over 250,000 trips each year to residents living in the Hickory region. The city is home to the U.S. Air Force's Hickory-Conover Air Force Base. It is also home to North Carolina's Piedmont Triad Air Force base, which is near Charlotte-Douglas International Airport and Piedmon Triad International Airport. It also has its own airport, Hickory Airport, which provides general aviation services to the city and surrounding area. The town is also the home of the North Carolina Air Force Academy, which offers general aviation and air traffic control services to Hickory and nearby areas. Its airport is located on the eastern edge of the town and is not served by any commercial airlines. It has a population of around 2,000 people. It was the site of the World War II Battle of the Bulge, which took place in World War I and is now the nation's second-largest air base. The Air Force Museum is located at the airport and is open to the public. It opened in the 1950s and has a museum dedicated to the Civil War era and the Civil Aviation Administration of North Carolina.

Demographics

As of the 2010 U.S. census, there were 40,093 people, 18,719 households, and 9,952 families residing in the city. The racial composition of the city was: 74.9% White, 14.3% Black or African American, 11.4% Hispanic or Latino American, 3.2% Asian American, 0.19% Native American and 0.06% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. The median income for a household was $37,236, and the median family income was $47,522. 1.8 million people live within 50 miles (80 km) of Hickory. The city has a population of 43,490 as of the 2020 United States census, with 16,690 households and 8,834 families. The average household size is 2.35 and the average family size was 2.98. The per capita income for the city is $23,263, with 14.8% of the population under the age of 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over. It is the only city in the state to have a city center that is also a suburb of Charlotte. It has one of the highest concentrations of African-Americans in the United States, with 13.7% of its population living in or near the African-American community. It also has the highest percentage of Native Americans, with 11.3%. It has the lowest percentage of Hispanics or Latinos, with 3.08% and 1.46% respectively.

Government

In 1913, Hickory became the first city in North Carolina to adopt the council-manager form of municipal government. Hickory City Council is composed of a mayor and six council members, each representing one of the city's six wards. 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. For current listing ofCouncil members, see here.

Education

Clyde Campbell Elementary School is one of Hickory's oldest schools. Hickory is home to a number of private and public schools. The town is also home to several colleges and universities. It is also the site of the North Carolina Center for Engineering Technologies (NCCET), which is part of the NC State College of Arts and Sciences. The state also has a high school, a middle school, and a private high school. The school system is based in Hickory, North Carolina, but also has other locations in North Carolina and South Carolina. It was founded in 1872 and was named after the town's founder, William Hickory. It has been renamed Hickory in honor of its founder, who was born in 1868. The city is also known as "Hickory" in the U.S. and as "Carolina" in Europe. The name Hickory was adopted by the state of North Carolina in 1876. It means "Hollywood" or "Carolinas" in English. The word Hickory means "home" in U.K. and "carries" the word "hickory," which means "town" in American English. It also means "school" in other languages, such as Spanish and French. The term Hickory has been used to refer to schools in the state since the early 1900s, when it was first established. It stands for Hickory High School, which is located in the city's downtown.

Economy

Hickory area is marketed as a data-center corridor and is home to large data centers operated by Apple and Google. Forty percent of the world's fiber optic cable is made in the Hickory area. 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 coils. It is estimated 60% of the nation's furniture used to be produced within a 200-mile (320 km) radius of Hickory. Apple's billion-dollar data center campus just south of Hickary is one of the largest in the world. The area's top revenue tier of privately held businesses is Transportation Insight, a member of North Carolina's top income tier. The city's public schools are ranked among the best in the country. The town's economy is based on manufacturing, education, health care, construction, and retail trade. It also has a reputation for being a good place to live and to work. It has a high percentage of women in the workforce, and a high rate of African-American and Hispanic residents. The average age of the town's residents is 46.5 years old, and it has a median household income of $36,000. The community has a low unemployment rate of 4.4%. The town has a population of 3,000, and the unemployment rate is 2.9%. The city has a large number of businesses, including a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Hickory, Catawba County, North Carolina = 30.7. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 61. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 90. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Hickory = 4.6 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 43,490 individuals with a median age of 36.5 age the population grows by 9.66% in Hickory, Catawba County, North Carolina population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,401.05 residents per square mile of area (540.95/km²). There are average 2.38 people per household in the 16,650 households with an average household income of $39,575 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 12.10% of the available work force and has dropped -8.47% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 10.96%. The number of physicians in Hickory per 100,000 population = 228.6.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Hickory = 50.7 inches and the annual snowfall = 7.8 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 116. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 210. 86 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 27.7 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 41, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Hickory, Catawba County, North Carolina which are owned by the occupant = 50.99%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 31 years with median home cost = $115,530 and home appreciation of -9.98%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $6.51 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,517 per student. There are 14.6 students for each teacher in the school, 515 students for each Librarian and 328 students for each Counselor. 6.56% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 19.62% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 8.62% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).