Conover is a city 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 ...

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 ...

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

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 as a city or tow ...

and

Charlotte Metropolitan Area The Charlotte metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as Metrolina, is a metropolitan area of the U.S. states of North and South Carolina, within and surrounding the city of Charlotte. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gastoni ...

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 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 ...

Geography

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

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 North Carolina Highway 16 (NC 16) is a 143.8-mile (231.4 km) primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Traveling in a north–south direction, it connects the cities and towns of Charlotte, Newton, Conover, Taylo ...

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 (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 t ...

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

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 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 Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 738.1 people per square mile (249.2/km). There were 3,654 housing units at an average density of 328.5 per square mile (108.7/km). The racial makeup of the city was 78.1%

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 ...

, 9.2%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 4.2% Asian, 5.8% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

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 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 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 ...

, west of

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 east of

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 ...

traverses the city along with other major roads including

US 70 U.S. Route 70 or U.S. Highway 70 (US 70) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. It is a major east–west highway of the Southeastern, Southern and Southwestern United States. E ...

US 321 U.S. Route 321 (US 321) is a spur of U.S. Route 21. It runs for from Hardeeville, South Carolina to Lenoir City, Tennessee; with both serving as southern termini. It reaches its northernmost point at Elizabethton, Tennessee. Because ...

and

NC 16 North Carolina Highway 16 (NC 16) is a 143.8-mile (231.4 km) primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Traveling in a north–south direction, it connects the cities and towns of Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte ...

, 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 renowned spa that was home to the

Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn The Greater Hickory Kia Classic at Rock Barn was a golf tournament on the Champions Tour. It was played annually in June in Conover, North Carolina at the Rock Barn Golf & Spa. The purse for the 2014 tournament was US$1,600,000, with $240,000 goi ...

, 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 turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. Etymology The etymology given by Oxford Dictionaries is "Mid 18th c ...

, walking

trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. ...

s and playground 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, 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 sur ...

and baseball field, along with recreation equipment. *Conover City Park - , with a picnic area, playground equipment, walking trails,

splash pad A splash pad or spray pool is a recreation area, often in a public park, for water play that has little or no standing water. This is said to eliminate the need for lifeguards or other supervision, as there is little risk of drowning. Typical ...

and

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

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 Newton-Conover City Schools is a school district located in Catawba County, North Carolina that serves the cities of Newton and Conover. As of 2021 the district schools has a total of around 2,888 students on roll, and 188 teachers. Schools Th ...

and Catawba County Schools.

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)

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. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...

. Conover is also home to

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 ...

Inc., and

Morgan Shepherd Clay Morgan Shepherd (born October 12, 1941) is an American retired professional stock car racing driver and current team owner. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 89 Chevrolet Camaro for Shepherd Racing Ven ...

Racing Ventures.

Notable people

* Mark K. Hilton, member of the North Carolina General Assembly 2001–2013 * Tommy Houston,

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, ...

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 1986–1992 *

, NASCAR

champion, three-time Daytona 500 champion, and 2014

NASCAR Hall of Fame The NASCAR Hall of Fame, located in Charlotte, North Carolina, honors drivers who have shown expert skill at NASCAR driving, all-time great crew chiefs and owners, broadcasters and other major contributors to competition within the sanctioning ...

inductee *

Glenn Jarrett Glenn Jarrett (born August 11, 1950) is an American former NASCAR driver from Conover, North Carolina and the oldest son of Ned Jarrett and older brother of Dale Jarrett. He made 10 Winston Cup starts from 1978 to 1983 with a best finish of 12th ...

, 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 retired race car driver and two-time NASCAR Grand National Series champion. Because of his calm demeanor, he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett". He is the father of former drivers Glenn J ...

, two-time NASCAR champion and 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee *

Robert Kearns Robert William Kearns (March 10, 1927 – February 9, 2005) was an American engineer, educator and inventor who invented the most common intermittent windshield wiper systems used on most automobiles from 1969 to the present. His first pat ...

, bassist who has played with several notable bandsRobert Kearns - Washburn Guitars
Retrieved July 19, 2020. *

, NASCAR Cup Series driver and NASCAR team owner *

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

References

External links

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