Catawba County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the U.S. state of

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 160,610. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Newton, and its largest city is Hickory. The county is part of the Hickory– Lenoir– Morganton, NC

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 ...

History

Catawba County formed in 1842 from Lincoln County, was named after the

Catawba River The Catawba River 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 km) long. It rises in the Appalachian Mountains and drains into ...

. The word "catawba" is rooted in the Choctaw sound ''kat'a pa'', loosely translated as "to divide or separate, to break." However, scholars are fairly certain that this word was imposed from outside. The Native Americans who once inhabited the region known as the

Catawba people The Catawba, also known as Issa, Essa or Iswä but most commonly ''Iswa'' (Catawba: '' Ye Iswąˀ'' – "people of the river"), are a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans, known as the Catawba Indian Nation. Their current lands ar ...

, were considered one of the most powerful Southeastern Siouan-speaking tribes in the Carolina Piedmont. They now live along the border of North Carolina, near the city of

Rock Hill, South Carolina Rock Hill is the largest city in York County, South Carolina and the fifth-largest city in the state. It is also the fourth-largest city of the Charlotte metropolitan area, behind Charlotte, Concord, and Gastonia (all located in North Carolina, ...

. Scots-Irish and German colonial immigrants first settled in the Catawba River valley in the mid-18th century. An official history of the Scots-Irish and German settlement was documented in 1954, by Charles J. Preslar Jr, and more recently by a series of three books by Gary Freeze, called The Catawbans.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.6%) is water.

State and local protected areas/sites

* Houck's Chapel * Mountain Creek Park * Murray's Mill Historic Site * Old Hickory Tavern Birthplace of Hickory * Old Piedmont Wagon

Major water bodies

* Balls Creek * Betts Creek *

* Clark Creek * Henry Fork (South Fork Catawba River tributary) * Jacob Fork (South Fork Catawba River tributary) * Lake Hickory * Lake Norman * Lookout Shoals Lake * Lyle Creek * McLin Creek * Muddy Creek * Pinch Gut Creek * Pott Creek * Snow Creek *

South Fork Catawba River The South Fork Catawba River (better known as the South Fork River) begins south of Hickory, North Carolina just northwest of the intersection of US Highway 321 and North Carolina Highway 10, at the confluence of the Henry Fork and Jacob Fork. ...

Adjacent counties

* Alexander County – north * Iredell County – east * Lincoln County – south * Caldwell County – northwest * Burke County – west

Major highways

* * * * * * * ( Lowesville–Denver business route) * ( Newton–Conover business Route) * (

Truck Route A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...

) * * *

Major infrastructure

* Hickory Regional Airport (partially in Burke County)

Mass transit

* Greenway Public Transportation bus service serves the cities of

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), Wisconsi ...

, Hickory, and Newton.

Rail

With approximately twenty freight trains a day, Catawba County is a freight railroad transportation center. This is largely due to the areas strong manufacturing based economy, and its placement along the Norfolk Southern Railway line. The Caldwell County Railroad also serves the county and interchanges with Norfolk Southern in Hickory.

has been designated as the Catawba County passenger rail stop for the Western North Carolina Railroad planned to run from Salisbury, NC, to

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 ...

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 160,610 people, 62,417 households, and 41,861 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 154,358 people, 55,533 households, and 39,095 families residing in the county. The population density was 354 people per square mile (137/km²). There were 59,919 housing units at an average density of 150 per square mile (58/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.1%

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 ...

, 8.5%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 3.1% Asian, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, and 1.14% from two or more races, 9.4% of the population were

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 ...

or Latino of any race. There were 55,533 households, out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.10% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.98. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.30% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 31.10% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $43,536, and the median income for a family was $47,474. Males had a median income of $30,822 versus $23,352 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,358. About 6.50% of families and 9.10% 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 t ...

, including 12.50% of those under age 18 and 9.70% of those age 65 or over.

Government, public safety, and politics

Catawba County is a member of the regional Western Piedmont Council of Governments. The county has been represented primarily by Republicans since

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

: no Democratic Presidential candidate has won Catawba County since

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

in 1944.

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...

is the last Democrat to manage even 40 percent of the county's vote.

County officers

Board of Commissioners

Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisors

Superior Court Judges

District Court Judges

Catawba County Sheriff

The Catawba County Sheriff's Office consists of 198 Deputies and Employees. It provides court protection, jail administration, patrol and detective services for all unincorporated county areas, serves civil process and criminal papers, provides School Resource Officers at County High and Middle Schools and CV Community College, and narcotics crime investigation. Newton, Hickory, Conover, and Maiden have municipal police departments. The North Carolina Bureau of Investigation, the SBI, provides investigative assistance to local law enforcement agencies when requested by the sheriff, local police departments, the district attorney, or judges.

Other offices

North Carolina General Assembly

North Carolina Senate

North Carolina House of Representatives

Federal offices

Senate

House of Representatives

Economy

Catawba County is part of the "North Carolina Data Center Corridor" in western North Carolina. The town of

Maiden Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

is home to the

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

iCloud data center and is the largest privately owned solar farm in the United States (operated by

). As of 2017, the Catawba County Economic Development Corporation controls a 55-acre business park in

designed for data centers and office use.

CommScope CommScope is an American network infrastructure provider based in Hickory, North Carolina. CommScope employs over 30,000 employees. The company joined the NASDAQ stock exchange on October 25, 2013. CommScope designs and manufactures network infr ...

, Inc., and Corning Corp., manufacturers of fiber optic cabling, became the region's largest employers in the late 1990s. The city of Hickory is home to

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

, 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 ...

, and the minor league baseball team the

Hickory Crawdads The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League (SAL) and the High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans Stadium, which opened i ...

. The town of Conover is 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 ...

Education

* Most of the county is served by Catawba County Schools. * Newton and

are 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 ...

. * Most of Hickory is served by the Hickory City School System.

Higher education

Catawba Valley Community College Catawba Valley Community College is a public community college in Hickory, North Carolina. The college, established April 3, 1958, is part of the North Carolina Community College System. The main campus covers and includes 16 buildings. The col ...

* Appalachian Center at Hickory * NC Center for Engineering Technologies

Libraries

* The Catawba County Library System serves the residents of Catawba County. The library system operates 7 libraries throughout the county. * The Hickory Public Library System serves the residents of Hickory. The library system operates 2 libraries: The Patrick Beaver Memorial Library and the Ridgeview Library.

Points of Interest

Museums and historical sites

* Catawba County Firefighters Museum * Catawba County Museum of History * Hickory Aviation Museum * Hickory Museum of Art * Catawba Science Center * Murrays Mill * Bunker Hill Covered Bridge * Piedmont Wagon Company

Sports and entertainment

Music and performing arts

* Newton-Conover Auditorium * The Green-Room Theatre * Western Piedmont Symphony * Hickory Community Theatre

Other attractions

* Valley Hills Mall * Lake Norman * Lake Hickory * Lake Lookout

Communities

Cities

* Claremont *

* Hickory (largest city) * Newton (county seat)

Towns

* Brookford *

Catawba Catawba may refer to: *Catawba people, a Native American tribe in the Carolinas *Catawba language, a language in the Catawban languages family *Catawban languages Botany *Catalpa, a genus of trees, based on the name used by the Catawba and other N ...

* Long View *

Census-designated places

* Lake Norman of Catawba * Mountain View * St. Stephens

Unincorporated communities

* Banoak * Sherrills Ford * Terrell

Townships

* Bandy's * Caldwell * Catawba * Clines * Hickory * Jacobs Fork * Mountain Creek * Newton

References

External links

* *
Catawba County Chamber of Commerce
{{Coord, 35.66, -81.21, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NC_source:UScensus1990 Charlotte metropolitan area