Catawba County

History

Catawba County, formed in 1842 from Lincoln County, was named after the Catawba River. 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, 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. 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 416.02 square miles (1,077.5 km2), of which 401.37 square miles (1,039.5 km2) is land and 14.65 square miles (37.9 km2) (3.52%) 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

Catawba River

Clark Creek

Henry Fork

Jacob Fork

Lake Hickory

Lake Norman

Lookout Shoals Lake

Lyle Creek

McLin Creek

Muddy Creek

Pinch Gut Creek

Pott Creek

Snow Creek

South Fork Catawba River

Adjacent counties

Alexander County – north

Iredell County – east

Lincoln County – south

Caldwell County – northwest

Burke County – west

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 160,610 people, 64,471 households, and 41,861 families residing in the county. The median age was 42.7 years; 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.0% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.7 males.

Of the 64,471 households in the county, 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 47.6% were married-couple households, 18.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 70,744 housing units, of which 8.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 69.2% were owner-occupied and 30.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.5%.

64.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 35.2% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 74.1% White, 8.0% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 4.4% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.9% from some other race, and 7.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 10.8% of the population.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, 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 people/km2). There were 59,919 housing units at an average density of 150 units per square mile (58 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 87.1% White, 8.5% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 3.1% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, and 1.14% from two or more races, 9.4% of the population were Hispanic 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, including 12.50% of those under age 18 and 9.70% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

The county has been represented primarily by Republicans since World War II: no Democratic presidential candidate has won Catawba County since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944. Jimmy Carter is the last Democrat to manage even 40 percent of the county's vote.

Law and government

Catawba County is governed by a five-member county board of commissioners, a seven-member school board, and five supervisors on the water and soil conservation district. The county's judiciary is represented by two superior court judges and six district court judges. Other offices include the district attorney, county clerk, sheriff, and register of deeds.

Transportation

Major infrastructure

Hickory Regional Airport (partially in Burke County)

Rail and mass transit

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.

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

The Greenway Public Transportation bus service serves the cities of Conover, Hickory, and Newton.

Economy

Catawba County is part of the "North Carolina Data Center Corridor" in western North Carolina. The town of Maiden is home to the Apple iCloud data center and is the largest privately owned solar farm in the United States (operated by Apple). As of 2017, the Catawba County Economic Development Corporation controls a 55-acre business park in Conover designed for data centers and office use. CommScope, 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, the Hickory Motor Speedway, and the minor league baseball team the Hickory Crawdads. The town of Conover is home to the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn.

Education

The school districts are as follows:

Most of the county is in the Catawba County Schools school district.

Most of Newton and Conover, and some unincoprorated areas, are in the Newton-Conover City Schools school district.

Most of Hickory, the Catawba County portion of Long View, portions of Brookford, and some unincoroporated areas are in the Hickory City School System school district.

Higher education

Lenoir–Rhyne University

Catawba Valley Community College

Appalachian State University, Hickory campus

NC Center for Engineering Technologies

Libraries

The Catawba County Library System serves the residents of Catawba County. The library system operates seven libraries throughout the county.

The Hickory Public Library System serves the residents of Hickory. The library system operates two 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

Hickory Crawdads

Hickory Motor Speedway

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

Conover

Hickory (largest community)

Newton (county seat)

Towns

Brookford

Catawba

Long View

Maiden

Census-designated places

Lake Norman of Catawba

Mountain View

St. Stephens

Unincorporated communities

Banoak

Blackburn

Chronicle

Drums Crossroads

Long Island

Monbo

Olivers Crossroads

Propst Crossroads

Sherrills Ford

Terrell