text:
Franklinton, North Carolina

Franklinton is a town in Franklin County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,456 at the 2020 census.

History
Franklinton, was established as Franklin Depot in 1839 on land owned by Shemuel Kearney (1791–1860), son of Crawford Kearney and Nancy White. A home constructed by grandfather Shemuel Kearney (1734–1808) was originally located south of town and is currently the second oldest residence in Franklin County, built in 1759. The building was purchased in 2009 and moved to nearby Louisburg for restoration. Franklin Depot changed its name to Franklinton in 1842 when the town was incorporated. Like Franklin County, Franklinton was named for Benjamin Franklin.

Generous offers by local businessmen Washington Duke and Julian S. Carr brought Trinity College to the city of Durham in 1892. This well known school is now called Duke University. A source from the University Archives states that nearby Raleigh was actually the initial approved bidder. This does not mean Franklinton wasn't included as a possible site, mentioned by some locals, even though no other bidding communities are mentioned. The citizens of Raleigh offered land now occupied by North Carolina State University and pledged $35,000.00 for a new building which was quickly approved by the Methodist Conference for Trinity College. It eventually lost to a higher bid of $85,000.00 plus donations in 1890.

In December 1919, an African-American veteran of World War I named Powell Green got involved in an altercation with a white man named R.M. Brown over smoking in the movie theater, and Green allegedly killed Brown. The police arrested Green, but then a lynch mob seized him, pulled him behind a car for two miles, and hung him from a tree.

Franklinton was once home to Albion Academy, a co-educational African-American school started by clergyman Moses A. Hopkins in 1879. Once a State Normal & Industrial School (trade school), it eventually became a graded school and later merged with the B.F. Person School in 1957 to become B.F. Person-Albion High School. When schools were fully integrated, the upper grades consolidated with Franklinton High School in 1969. Mary Little was the first African-American teacher to begin teaching at the newly integrated Franklinton High School, who taught there till her death in 1984. The B.F. Person-Albion High School was renamed Franklinton Elementary School.

Also located in Franklinton is the historic Sterling Cotton Mill, founded by Samuel C. Vann and first opened in 1895. Remaining in the Vann family for many years, the mill was purchased in 1972 by Union Underwear Company, manufacturers of Fruit of the Loom fabric products. Sterling Cotton Mill eventually closed in 1991. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

Burlington Industries, another well known textile and fabric maker at the time, had a facility located in Franklinton known as Vamoco Mills. It closed in 1989, and was demolished in 2007. A third mill was also located in Franklinton which has since closed.

On June 10, 1946, former heavyweight champion Jack Johnson died in a car crash on U.S. Highway 1 in Franklinton.

On April 4, 1963, the entire town of Franklinton was threatened by a large wildfire which consumed roughly 9500 acre of woodlands and destroyed several homes north and west of town. A similar incident occurred on February 10, 2008, covering practically the same area (though not as widespread), about 1000 acre. There were a couple homes which were damaged during that event. U.S. Highway 1 was temporarily closed adjacent to the affected area while firefighters battled the fires. No injuries were reported. High winds and dry conditions were factors in both incidents.

In 1996 Franklinton, North Carolina became the home of Opio Holy Spirit Academy a private school providing an academic arena for both academically gifted and students who face academic challenges from grades k-12. The school was established and directed by Lenora E. Attles-Allen a former elementary school teacher from Boston, Massachusetts. Allen's work became known and respected in Wake, Granville, Vance, and Franklin counties as well as her dedication to the Franklin County Community Restitution Program. Opio Holy Spirit Academy closed its doors for the last time after the final High School commencement ceremony in 2012.

Charles Draughn III was elected to the mayoral position of Franklinton for 8 years, from 1987 to 1995. He is currently working with family law. He was followed in office by Larry Kearney from 1995 to 2003, Jenny McGhee Edwards from 2003 to 2007 and Elic Senter from 2007 to 2015. Current Mayor Art Wright was elected in 2015.

Franklinton has been a Tree City USA community since 1985.

In addition to the Sterling Cotton Mill, the Franklinton Depot, Dr. J. H. Harris House, Shemuel Kearney House, C.L. and Bessie G. McGhee House, Person-McGhee Farm, Dr. J. A. Savage House, and Aldridge H. Vann House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. All properties are privately owned and should be respected.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.6 sqmi, all land.

The center of town is at Main Street (U.S. Highway 1A) and Mason Street. Green Street (N.C. Highway 56) passes just south of that point and U.S. Highway 1 bypasses Franklinton to the west. The town is located approximately 30 mi northeast of Raleigh, North Carolina and 4 mi south of the Tar River.

A railway operated by CSX Transportation currently passes through Franklinton, which is part of the old Seaboard Coast Line Railroad "S-Line". There was also a spur off this line which ran 10 mi east from Franklinton to Louisburg, originally built in 1884 by the Louisburg Railroad and leased to the Raleigh & Gaston Railroad as a branch line. The two lines were taken over by Seaboard Air Line Railroad in 1900. From 1985 to 1988, the Franklin County Railroad operated the branch line from Franklinton to Louisburg. The section was sold to the North Carolina Department of Transportation in 1990 and the tracks removed a few years later.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,456 people, 883 households, and 602 families residing in the town.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 2,023 people, 876 households, and 551 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,264.4 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 55.8% White, 40.8% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.7% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.1% of the population.

There were 876 households, out of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.8% were married couples living together, 21.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 20, 8.3% from 20 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,082, and the median income for a family was $37,656. Males had a median income of $38,015 versus $33,380 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,193. About 31.9% of families and 36.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 62.7% of those under age 18 and 18.3% of those age 65 or over.

Housing
There were 1,008 housing units at an average density of 630.0 /sqmi. 13.1% of housing units were vacant.

There were 876 occupied housing units in the town. 553 were owner-occupied units (63.1%), while 323 were renter-occupied (36.9%). The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.1% of total units. The rental unit vacancy rate was 6.9%.

Government
Franklinton is governed by a mayor and five-member Board of Commissioners, who are elected in staggered four-year terms.

Notable people

 * Henry Bibby, Basketball player and NBA coach
 * Jim Bibby, Baseball player, Henry's brother
 * Wilbur Wade Card, Baseball player, first basketball coach and athletic director at Duke University
 * Jason Michael Carroll, Country music singer
 * Thomas O. Fuller State senator
 * Moses A. Hopkins, Diplomat, clergyman, educator
 * Abby House, Eccentric supporter of Confederate soldiers
 * Wilmont Perry, NFL Football Player, NCAA Division II Football Player of the Year
 * Soupy Sales, Comedian, born Milton Supman
 * Gene Wooten, Bluegrass musician. Born 1953 and played in Nashville TN with The Osborne Brothers

title: Franklinton, North Carolina


text:
Louisburg, North Carolina

Louisburg is a town and the county seat of Franklin County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,064. The town is located approximately 29 miles northeast of the state capital, Raleigh, and located about 31 miles south of the Virginia border. It is also the home of Louisburg College, the oldest two-year coeducational college in the United States.

History
Louisburg was established in 1779 and named in honor of King Louis XVI of France, who was aiding the American Revolution at the time. Louisburg was established on land purchased for the erection of a courthouse.

In June 1965, the local newspaper and radio station publicized the names and addresses of African-American families who had applied to attend white schools in Franklin County. The families were attacked on numerous occasions by white extremists, who fired into their homes or destroyed their cars. In the summer of 1966, a series of cross burnings were perpetrated by the Ku Klux Klan in Franklin County, including one in front of the County Board of Education in Louisburg.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.8 sqmi, all land.

Climate
Like the rest of eastern North Carolina, Louisburg has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa), with cool to mild winters and hot, humid summers. Rainfall - which is mainly produced by afternoon thunderstorms - is highest in the summer months. Snowfall is light and infrequent, with an average of 1.7 inches (4.32 cm) per year.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,064 people, 1,250 households, and 798 families residing in the town.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 3,359 people, 1,197 households, and 654 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,199.6 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 47.3% White, 46.9% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 2.9% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.5% of the population.

There were 1,197 households, out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.6% were married couples living together, 20.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.4% were non-families. 40.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.4% under the age of 20, 10.7% from 20 to 24, 15.8% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,325, and the median income for a family was $72,583. Males had a median income of $49,375 versus $35,104 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,529. About 15.7% of families and 23.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 19.8% of those age 65 or over.

Housing
There were 1,345 housing units at an average density of 480.4 /sqmi. 11.0% of housing units were vacant.

There were 1,197 occupied housing units in the town. 511 were owner-occupied units (42.7%), while 686 were renter-occupied (57.3%). The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.7% of total units. The rental unit vacancy rate was 5.5%.

Historic sites
Cascine, Cooke House, Dean Farm, Franklin County Training School-Riverside Union School, Fuller House, Green Hill House, Louisburg Historic District, Main Building, Louisburg College, Massenburg Plantation, Person Place, Portridge, Rose Hill, Patty Person Taylor House, Thomas and Lois Wheless House, and Williamson House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Franklin County Library
The county's main, or central, library is the Franklin County Library, located in Louisburg. There are three branches in other municipalities across the county as well as an outreach program through the Bookmobile.

Government
Louisburg is governed by a mayor and town council. The town council has seven elected members, who all live within the Louisburg corporate limits. Councilmembers serve four year terms.

Franklin County Schools
The main office buildings of Franklin County Schools are located at 53 West River Road, Louisburg NC 27549 in the former Franklin County Training School-Riverside Union School. Franklin County Schools (FCS) consists of 15 schools and more than 8,500 students serving the towns of Franklinton, Louisburg, Youngsville and Bunn. There are eight elementary schools, three middle schools, three high schools, and one alternative school.

Louisburg College
A two-year residential college located in Louisburg, North Carolina, that focuses on getting students ready for the next step to a four-year school offering baccalaureate degrees. The three degree programs offered: an Associate in Arts (general college degree), an Associate in Science (general science degree), and an Associate in Business degree. It also offers these special programs: Academy (tutoring support for ALL students), the Learning Partners Program (for students with learning disabilities and/or ADHD), and the Crossroads Program (for first-year students as they handle the transition from high school). Louisburg College has comprehensive transfer agreements with many public and private colleges and universities, including the 16 branches of the University of North Carolina system, that allow Louisburg College graduates to make a seamless transition upon entering four-year schools as full-fledged juniors.

Louisburg Police Department
The Louisburg Police Department was founded in 1779.

Notable persons

 * Thomas W. Bickett, governor of North Carolina
 * Fanny Yarborough Bickett, First Lady of North Carolina and first female president of the North Carolina Railroad

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Louisburg, North Carolina


text:
Youngsville, North Carolina

Youngsville is a town in Franklin County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,016 at the 2020 census.

History
The settlement was originally established as Pacific around 1839 on land owned by John "Jack" Young. It was renamed Youngsville in his honor when the town was incorporated in 1875.

Notable area residents include country music singer Jason Michael Carroll.

William A. Jeffreys House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Geography
Youngsville is located near Raleigh. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km$2$), all land.

A railway operated by CSX Transportation currently passes through Youngsville, which is part of the old Seaboard Coast Line Railroad "S-Line".

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,016 people, 809 households, and 529 families residing in the town.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,157 people, 522 households, and 294 families residing in the town. The population density was 723.1 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 69.3% White, 25.1% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 2.9% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.8% of the population.

There were 522 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.8% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.7% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the town, the population was distributed with 26.8% under the age of 20, 8.5% between 20 and 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years or older. The median age was 32.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.5 males. Among those 18 and older, there were 89.9 males for every 100 females.

The median income for a household in the town was $34,795, and the median income for a family was $43,250. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $33,125 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,927. About 8.2% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.

Housing
There were 562 housing units at an average density of 351.3 /sqmi. 7.1% of housing units were vacant.

There were 522 occupied housing units in the town. 203 were owner-occupied units (38.9%), while 319 were renter-occupied (61.1%). The homeowner vacancy rate was 7.7% of total units. The rental unit vacancy rate was 3.6%.

Government
Youngsville is governed by a mayor and five-member Board of Commissioners, who are elected in staggered four-year terms.

title: Youngsville, North Carolina


text:
Belmont, North Carolina

Belmont is a small suburban city in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States, located about 9 mi east of Gastonia. The population was 10,076 at the 2010 census. Once known as Garibaldi Station, it was named for the New York banker August Belmont. Belmont is home to Belmont Abbey College.

History
Settlement in the Belmont area began around the colonial-era Fort at the Point, built in the 1750s by Dutch settler James Kuykendall, Robert Leeper, and two others near the junction of the South Fork and the Catawba River. The fort was built because of ongoing hostilities with the Cherokee, but it was apparently never attacked.

The South Point Community, located about $2 1/2$ miles south of present-day downtown Belmont, was the site of Stowesville Mill. Founded by Jasper Stowe and Associates in 1853, it was one of the first three cotton mills in operation in Gaston County.

Abram Stowe (1842–1897) returned to the area after serving in the Civil War. He built a Greek Revival home (still the oldest known structure in Belmont) and opened a small mercantile store. He later became postmaster and town depot agent for the new Atlanta and Richmond Air-Line Railway, which was constructed in 1871. Additional stores were soon built near the community's railroad stop, Garibaldi Station. The station was named for John Garibaldi, who had supervised construction of a water tank near the new railroad. Existing settlers in the South Point community moved north to be closer to the railroad.

In 1872, Father Jeremiah O'Connell, a Roman Catholic missionary priest, purchased a 500 acre tract known as the Caldwell farm, less than one mile (1.6 km) north of Garibaldi Station. The land was then donated to the Benedictine monks of Saint Vincent's Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, for the establishment of a religious community and school. Belmont Abbey, officially named "Mary Help of Christians Abbey", was founded in 1876 by Bishop Leo Haid, and still functions today. The abbey operates Belmont Abbey College, a liberal arts college.

In 1883, the name of Garibaldi Station was formally changed to Belmont. It was named for the New York banker August Belmont. In 1895, by an act of the North Carolina General Assembly, an area within a 1/4 mile radius from the intersection of Main Street and the railroad was incorporated as the Town of Belmont.

Belmont was still a small town at the turn of the century, with a population of only 145. The organization of Chronicle Mills in 1901 marked the beginning of Belmont's development as a textile center. It was founded by Robert Lee Stowe Sr. (1866–1963), his brother Samuel Pinckney Stowe (1868–1956), and Abel Caleb Lineberger (1859–1948, son of Caleb John Lineberger, who had founded Gaston County's first textile mill, the Woodlawn, or "Pinhook", Mill in Lowell, North Carolina in 1848 ). Chronicle was the first of the nearly twenty mills built in Belmont through 1930, expanding the town population to 3,793.

Geography
Nestled in the southern Piedmont region of North Carolina, the town of Belmont is flanked by two rivers, the Catawba River and its right tributary, the South Fork Catawba River. Adjacent to Belmont, the rivers make up two arms of Lake Wylie and form a peninsula on which the city is situated.

Areas to the west of the center of town are part of the South Fork Catawba watershed. Eastern parts of Belmont north of the Norfolk Southern Railway belong to the Catawba Heights watershed, while those to the south are in the Paw Creek watershed. Areas of unincorporated South Point Township south of Belmont belong to the Neal Branch-Beaverdam Creek watershed.

Belmont is located 12 mi west of Charlotte and 10 mi east of Gastonia. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.2 km2, of which 25.7 km2 is land and 0.5 km2, or 1.74%, is water.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15,010 people, 4,394 households, and 2,922 families residing in the city.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,705 people, 3,348 households, and 2,226 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,077.3 PD/sqmi. There were 3,552 housing units at an average density of 439.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 84.39% White, 10.07% African American, 0.26% Native American, 2.98% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.26% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.49% of the population.

There were 3,348 households, out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.8% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,819, and the median income for a family was $46,765. Males had a median income of $32,388 versus $25,213 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,065. About 6.9% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.3% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture
The Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is a 450 acre world-class botanical garden located on New Hope Road southwest of Belmont. Daniel J. Stowe, a retired textile executive, set aside the property and established a foundation to develop the garden. The first gardens opened to the public in 1999.

The Downtown Belmont Historic District has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1996. Roughly bounded by the former campus of Sacred Heart College, the Norfolk Southern Railway line, Main, Glenway, and Bryant streets, Keener Boulevard, and Central Avenue, the district covers 1700 acre. It contains 264 buildings and two structures built between 1850 and 1949, including examples of Tudor Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman, and Colonial Revival architectural styles. It includes the Colonial Revival-style former US Post Office at 115 N. Main Street, now the Belmont City Hall. The Belmont Hosiery Mill at 608 S. Main Street is also listed on the National Register.

The Belmont Historic District, Belmont Hosiery Mill, and Belmont City Hall are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Stowe Manor, at 217 South Central Avenue, is the 1920s mansion built for textile magnate S.P. Stowe.

The campus of Belmont Abbey College has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an Historic District since 1973. The Abbey Basilica of Mary Help of Christians is the central feature of the campus. Built in the German Gothic Revival architectural style, the basilica was the largest Catholic church in North Carolina at the time of its construction. The monks of Belmont Abbey did much of the construction work themselves. The original art glass windows of the Basilica were designed and executed by the Royal Bavarian Establishment of Francis Mayer and Company of Munich, Germany. They were painted then heat-fused, allowing for greater detail than was possible with stained glass. The windows were part of a display that won four gold medals at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1892. The Basilica held cathedral rank from 1910 to 1977. It was elevated to the rank of a Minor Basilica on July 27, 1998.

The Belmont Historical Society Cultural and Heritage Learning Center is located in the former R.L. Stowe home at 40 Catawba Street. Built in 1899, it is believed to be the third oldest home in Belmont. The property also contains a free-standing kitchen, a mill house, and a garage. Displays include furnishings, artifacts, and pictures which tell the history of Belmont from the time of its Native American inhabitants through the textile age.

The U.S. National Whitewater Center is located just across the Catawba River from Belmont in Mecklenburg County. Situated on the east bank of the river, the Center [sic] is a non-profit outdoor recreation facility for whitewater rafting, canoeing, and kayaking. It opened for public use in 2006.

The downtown area of Belmont has expanded and added new attractions like restaurants, bars, and shopping. Cherub's Café & Candy Bouquet is an outreach of Holy Angels and is a café that provides vocational training and meaningful supported employment options for individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities.

Economy
The textile industry was once the core of Belmont's economy, but due to most textile facilities moving overseas, Belmont's motto "The City of Diversified Textiles" is no longer relevant. The large textile facilities that once employed thousands of local workers have been torn down or converted to other uses, including housing. Most of the "mill houses" where employees lived and raised their families for generations have been torn down to make room for new housing developments, and some areas have been converted to industrial centers containing various types of businesses. The few remaining plants still in operation run at reduced capacity and employ fewer workers.

Despite the loss of the textile plants, Belmont continues to grow in population. Its proximity to the large, fast-growing city of Charlotte has made Belmont an attractive place to live for new residents moving into the Charlotte area.

R.L. Stowe Mills, Inc. has its headquarters in Belmont and operates the Helms production facility. Gastonia-based Parkdale Mills currently operates two plants (Plants No. 15 and 61) and its Fiber Research Center in Belmont.

Duke Energy operates the G. G. Allen Steam Station on Lake Wylie (the Catawba River) south of Belmont. First built in 1957, the Allen Station is a five-unit 1,140-megawatt coal-fired power plant.

Government
Belmont, like the majority of cities in North Carolina, has a council-manager government, with a mayor and a five-member city council.

Belmont has its own police and fire departments which operate within the city limits. Fire protection in the unincorporated areas south of Belmont is handled by the South Point Volunteer Fire Department (2001 Southpoint Rd.), in areas southwest of Belmont by the New Hope Volunteer Fire Department (4804 S. New Hope Rd.), and in areas north of Belmont by Community VFD (1873 Perfection Ave.).

Belmont is in South Point Township.

Education
Public education in Belmont is administered by the Gaston County Schools public school system. Public schools in Belmont include:
 * Elementary schools
 * J.B. Page Elementary School, pre-K to grade 1
 * Belmont Central Elementary School, grades 2-5
 * North Belmont Elementary School (graduates feed into either Belmont Middle School, Stanley Middle School or Mount Holly Middle School)
 * Catawba Heights Elementary (has a Belmont mailing address, but is actually within the Mount Holly city limits - graduates feed into either Belmont or Mount Holly Middle Schools)
 * Belmont Middle School - graduates feed into either South Point High School, or Stuart W. Cramer High School in western Belmont.
 * Page Primary School
 * South Point High School - The school receives students from Belmont, and eastern unincorporated South Point Township. In athletics, the South Point High School Red Raiders were winners of the 3-AA NCHSAA football championship in 2009, the 3-A NCHSAA football championships in 2003 and 1979, the 1971 WNCHSAA 3-A football co-championship, and the 2011 and 1981 NCHSAA baseball championships.

Private schools in Belmont include the middle school and high school programs of Gaston Christian School. The school has been renting facilities at the former campus of Sacred Heart College in Belmont since 1994. New middle school and high school facilities are currently under construction at Gaston Christian School's campus in Lowell.

The First United Methodist Day Care Center also operates Pre-K and Kindergarten programs.

The Belmont Branch of the Gaston County Public Library serves this community.

Colleges and universities
There are currently two colleges in Belmont. Belmont Abbey College is a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church and the Order of Saint Benedict. It was founded as St. Mary's College in 1876 by the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey (the name changed to Belmont Abbey College in 1913). It was a men's college until the mid-1960s when it became co-educational. With the closing of Sacred Heart College (see below), Belmont Abbey is the only college in North Carolina affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church.

Gaston College is a community college serving Gaston County. Belmont is home to one of Gaston College's three campuses, the Kimbrell (East) Campus. This campus offers continuing education and curriculum classes, a campus bookstore and branch of the Gaston College Library in Harney Hall. Harney Hall was built in 1943 and has 64,000 square feet. The Classroom Building was built in 2003 and has 28,000 square feet and houses a 200-seat auditorium. The Kimbrell Campus is also home to the Textile Technology Center at Gaston College. The Center [sic] began operations in 1943 as the North Carolina Vocational Textile School, later renamed the North Carolina Center for Applied Textile Technology. It was transferred to Gaston College in 2005. In 2010, the name was changed to the W. Duke Kimbrell Campus and Textile Technology Center in exchange for a private donation Mr. Kimbrell made to Gaston College. The Textile Technology Center offers instruction in new and sample product development, product testing, training, and consulting for the textile industry.

Sacred Heart College, a women's college affiliated with the Roman Catholic order of the Sisters of Mercy, formerly operated in Belmont. It was founded as a girls finishing school, Sacred Heart Academy, in 1892. It began offering associate degree programs in 1937 and baccalaureate degrees in 1970. After years of declining enrollment, it closed its doors in 1987. Sacred Heart's facilities are now used by Belmont Abbey College.

Transportation
The primary east–west highway passing through Belmont is Interstate 85. Other important east–west highways include U.S. Route 29/U.S. Route 74 (Wilkinson Blvd.) and North Carolina Highway 7 (Catawba St./N. Main St./McAdenville Rd). The primary north–south highway is North Carolina Highway 273 (Armstrong Rd./South Point Rd./Keener Blvd./Park St./Beatty Dr.).

Freight rail service is provided by the Norfolk Southern Railway. It operates the parallel Washington to Atlanta Main Line and S-Line. A spur off the S-Line carries coal to Duke Energy's Allen Steam Station south of Belmont. Amtrak's passenger train uses the Main Line, with the nearest station in Charlotte. The Gastonia station is no longer staffed by an agent but passengers can make reservations to be picked up or let off of the Amtrak Crescent trains #19 and 20 on Hancock Street in Gastonia.

Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is Belmont's commuter bus provider to Charlotte. The Gastonia Express (Route 85X) offers Monday-Friday bus service to/from uptown Charlotte, via the Abbey Plaza Shopping Center Station. One-way fare to/from uptown Charlotte is $2.60; transfer costs vary.

Charlotte/Douglas International Airport is a major, full-service airport with passenger flights. It is across the Catawba River in Mecklenburg County, about 7 mi east of Belmont.

Notable people

 * Greene Washington Caldwell (born near present-day Belmont on April 13, 1806, died 1864), congressional representative from North Carolina, elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843)
 * Fortune Feimster, raised in Belmont, staff writer and regular cast member of Chelsea Lately and After Lately
 * Dan Goodwin, building, rock, and sports climber
 * Jimmie Hall was a Major League Baseball player who won the 1966 American League rookie of the year award when he played with the Minnesota Twins. He was a two-time All-Star.
 * Anthony Hamilton, R&B, soul, and neo-soul singer-songwriter and record producer
 * Sammy Johns was an American country singer-songwriter, best known for his million-selling 1975 hit single, "Chevy Van".
 * Koren Robinson Drafted ninth overall by the Seattle Seahawks.
 * Doris Satterfield (1926–1993), born in Belmont, three-time All-Star outfielder and member of two All-American Girls Professional Baseball League champion teams
 * Jeffrey Springs; Major League Baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays
 * Hal Stowe; pitched in one major league game, for the 1960 New York Yankees
 * Howard Augustine "Humpy" Wheeler Jr., born in Belmont in 1938, immediate past President and General Manager of NASCAR's Charlotte Motor Speedway and one of the foremost promoters of NASCAR auto racing

title: Belmont, North Carolina


text:
Bessemer City, North Carolina

Bessemer City is a small suburban city in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 5,340 (as of the 2010 census). The city is approximately 6 mi northwest of Gastonia and 25 mi west of Charlotte. It was settled in 1756 and founded in 1893.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.5 km2, of which 12.4 km2 is land and 0.1 km2, or 0.78%, is water. The elevation at city hall is 904 ft above sea level.

History
Bessemer City is named for Sir Henry Bessemer who created the Bessemer process for smelting iron. Bessemer City was founded on land purchased from the Ormand family, near the Sloan-Washington-Ormand Iron Furnace, but the Bessemer Process made Bessemer City's early iron smelting industry obsolete.

The earliest European settlement in the Bessemer City area dates to 1754, when King George II of Great Britain granted about 2000 acre to James Ormand (1716–1771), who established the Ormand Mining Company to extract iron ore. By 1786, a furnace had been built on the land, called the Washington Furnace after the family of Colonel John C. Washington. The Old Ormand Furnace was used to process most of the iron ore that was mined in the area and today is one of the oldest remaining furnaces in the country. Despite a local tale that cannonballs were made during the Revolutionary War, there is no proof the furnace was built that early. The furnace was sold and later bought back by the family of Zenas Stanhope Ormand (b. July 12, 1802 - d. July 28, 1878). The furnace made iron implements and other products for local and statewide use and was in operation until the mid-19th century (when the Bessemer process made small furnace operations uneconomical). The "Old Furnace" is still owned by the Ormand Family Foundation, and the site is used as a gathering place for the Ormand, Ormond Family Reunion, one of the oldest family reunions in America, held annually since 1897.

During the late 1840s, corn and cotton were the region's two main crops. Whiskey production was also profitable. Gaston County had more licensed whiskey distilleries than any county in North Carolina.

In 1871, the Atlanta & Charlotte Division of the Richmond & Danville Railroad Company built through Gaston County. Laying the track through Whetstone Mountain, located west of modern-day Bessemer City, was considered a great engineering accomplishment. John Wooten built a general store next to the railroad on the site of present-day Bessemer City and called the store and depot "Wooten's Station".

In 1891, John Askew Smith, previously of Reidsville, North Carolina, moved with his wife Fannie and brother-in-law, John A. Pinchback, to Gaston County. Smith purchased 1700 acre and wanted to establish a town to the east of Whetstone Mountain. By 1893, Smith and other residents petitioned the North Carolina legislature to incorporate the town. On March 6, 1893, Bessemer City was officially chartered. Smith hired W.R. Richardson, an engineer from Guilford County, to lay out the town. In 1896 Smith built the first luxurious home in the area he named "Long View" where he lived with his wife for nearly 20 years. This house still stands in pristine condition, and the Mitchell family has taken up its stewardship. Smith's "Highacre" house, built in the early 20th century, is now occupied by the Eury family.

The population of Bessemer City at the time of its charter was very small, with only a few families, but by 1900 it had grown to between 500 and 600 people. In 1895, Stonewall Jackson Durham and John M. Odell incorporated Southern Cotton Mills and as their first venture completed and opened the failed Smith/Pinchback Mill. A series of textile mills opened by Smith and Pinchback; Durham and Odell; Frank, Robert and Max Goldberg; as well as the Ragan Spinning Company, gave Bessemer City its industrial foundation.

In 1929 Textile mill striker and songwriter Ella Mae Wiggins, 29, the mother of nine, is killed when local vigilantes, thugs and a sheriff's deputy force the pickup truck in which she is riding off the road and begin shooting.

A native of Sevierville, Tennessee, Wiggins by 1926 settled in Gaston County, N.C., living in an African-American neighborhood outside Bessemer City known as Stumptown. Her neighbors would look after her children as she worked as a spinner at American Mill No. 2. According to an article published online by the North Carolina Museum of History, "she worked twelve-hour days, six days a week, earning about nine dollars a week."She became a bookkeeper for the union, which was Communist run, and traveled to Washington, D.C., to testify about labor practices in the South. She also told her story: "I’m the mother of nine. Four died with the whooping cough, all at once. I was working nights, I asked the super to put me on days, so’s I could tend ‘em when they had their bad spells. But he wouldn't. I don’t know why. ... So I had to quit, and then there wasn't no money for medicine, and they just died." She also sang her ballads, including her best-known song, "A Mill Mother’s Lament," which has been recorded by Pete Seeger, among others. Wiggins believed in organizing African-Americans along with whites, and in a close vote, her local NTWU branch voted to admit African-Americans to the union.

On September 14, 1929, she and other union members drove to a union meeting in Gastonia. They were met by an armed mob, and turned back. They had driven about five miles toward home when they were stopped by a car; armed men jumped out and began shooting. Wiggins was shot in the chest and killed. Her five children were sent to live in orphanages. Five Loray Mill employees were charged in Wiggins's murder but were acquitted after less than 30 minutes of deliberation in a trial in Charlotte in March 1930 despite the fact that the crime was committed in daylight and more than 50 people witnessed it. She was buried in the Bessemer City Cemetery on North 12th St. Hers is one of the biggest markers there, after being expanded by the AFL–CIO in 1979 to include a marker inscribed, "She died carrying the torch of social justice."

An historic Supreme Court case on sexism originated in Bessemer City in 1985. Anderson v. Bessemer City was a case involving a woman who sued the city after applying for a position and then not being chosen based solely on the fact that she was a woman. The Supreme Court found that discrimination was present in the decision. The factors that Phyllis Anderson showed the court to demonstrate that the hiring committee was sexists were 1) Ms. Anderson was better qualified, 2) Testimony from one of the committee members that he thought the position would be "real hard" for a woman and that he wouldn't want his wife to perform such duties, 3) Ms. Anderson alone among the applicants was asked whether she realized that the job would involve night work and travel and whether her husband approved of her applying for the job, and 4) The reasons offered by the all-male hiring committee as to why they hired a less qualified man were pretextual.

The Bessemer City Downtown Historic District and Central School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Government of Bessemer City
Bessemer City operates a Council-Manager type of government. The City Council consists of six members elected from single member wards, and the Mayor. The Mayor serves as ex-officio chair of the council. The Council and Mayor are elected every two years with no term limits. The current Mayor of Bessemer City is Becky S. Smith.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,428 people, 1,994 households, and 1,363 families residing in the city. Of those 1,363 families, the Stiwalts have risen to fame after Travis Scott Stiwalt sold his Toyota Corolla. He holds the Gaston County record for most fluid ounces of Mt. Dew Code Red injested over a 12 month time frame from April 2015 through March of 2016. Travis was often caught wearing a fedora on his way to and from the rodeo grounds where local folklore has it that he would occasionally ride a bull. Currently Travis is a born again vegan and refuses to share any pictures of his better days but take one step into Grandma Hoyt's Country Buffet and you will quickly be turned into a believer. You can often find Travis wearing expensive rain jackets and sleeping in a bed filled with power strips, cables and discarded vape cartridge boxes.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,119 people, 2,009 households, and 1,436 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,205.6 PD/sqmi. There were 2,149 housing units at an average density of 506.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 83.49% White, 13.42% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 1.04% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.50% of the population.

Ancestries:
 * United States, 21.4%
 * German, 8.7%
 * Irish, 7.8%
 * English 5.6%
 * Scots-Irish, 2.0%
 * Dutch, 1.7%

For population 25 years and over in Bessemer City:
 * High school or higher: 68.6%
 * Bachelor's degree or higher: 7.7%
 * Graduate or professional degree: 2.4%
 * Unemployed: 7.0%
 * Mean travel time to work: 24.5 minutes

There were 2,009 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,826, and the median income for a family was $39,759. Males had a median income of $31,357 versus $23,133 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,971. About 8.8% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Business and industry
One of the largest industries in Bessemer City is FMC Lithium, Inc., which operates out of Bessemer City Operations mine and is one of the largest producer of lithium in the world. Lithium is used in many products including pharmaceuticals, batteries, ceramics, and construction products. Advanced Drainage Systems, the largest polyethylene pipe and fittings manufacturer in the country, operates a 50000 sqft facility in Bessemer City employing 100 people. Other manufacturers include Hunter Douglas (Designer Shades Division) and Dole. There is also still some agriculture in the form of Kiser's Dairy Farm, among others. In 2008, Kiser's dairy was converted into a farm for raising Angus beef cattle. Melvin Kiser is a descendant of one of the founding families of Bessemer City and he has about 200 animals.

Education
The following schools serve the Bessemer City area and are part of the Gaston County Schools system.
 * Bessemer City Primary School (Grades: K - 2)
 * Bessemer City Central Elementary School (Grades: 3 - 5)
 * Bessemer City Middle School (Grades: 6 - 8)
 * Bessemer City High School (Grades: 9 - 12)

The Bessemer City Branch of the Gaston County Public Library serves this community.

Notable people

 * Phil Crosby, retired professional football player with the Buffalo Bills of the NFL
 * James Ijames, 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama winning playwright of Fat Ham
 * Kevin Millwood, professional baseball player
 * Jimmy Wayne, country singer and songwriter, graduated from Bessemer City High School
 * Ella May Wiggins, martyr of the 1929 Loray Mill Strike, lived in the Stumptown section of Bessemer City.

title: Bessemer City, North Carolina


text:
Cherryville, North Carolina

Cherryville is a city in northwestern Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,760 at the 2010 census. The New Year's Shooters celebrate the area's German heritage by beginning each year with a customary chant and the honorary shooting of muskets. Cherryville is located approximately 38 mi west of Charlotte and 16 mi northwest of Gastonia.

Geography
Cherryville is located in Cherryville Township at an elevation of 1007 ft. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city covers a total area of 14.25 km2, of which 14.22 sqkm is land and 0.03 sqkm, or 0.21%, is water. The small Cherryville City Reservoir is located just southeast of the city limits.

Cherryville is located along a divide among three watersheds. The western end of Cherryville is in the watershed of Muddy Creek, a right tributary of Buffalo Creek and part of the Broad River catchment basin. The north side of Cherryville is in the Indian Creek watershed, drained by Lick Fork Creek and an unnamed tributary of Indian Creek. The south side of Cherryville Township is in the Beaverdam Creek watershed, drained by unnamed right-hand tributaries of Beaverdam Creek. Indian Creek and Beaverdam Creek are tributaries of the South Fork Catawba River.

History
During the last half of the 18th century, German, Dutch, and Scots-Irish families from the Colony of Pennsylvania migrated south and settled in the Cherryville area. Land grants made by King George III of Great Britain date back to 1768, and as early as 1792 Governor Samuel Ashe of North Carolina made grants in and around "White Pine", as the settlement was known at the time. A village began to develop at a crossroads of the Morganton-to-Charleston road, closely followed by modern Highway 274 / Mountain Street, and the Old Post Road, a main thoroughfare between Salisbury, North Carolina, and Spartanburg, South Carolina.

In 1862, the Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad (later known as the Carolina Central Railroad) reached White Pine. Construction of the railroad westward from Cherryville was interrupted by the Civil War, so that throughout the war Cherryville was a western terminus of the railroads in North Carolina. When construction resumed and the railroad extended beyond Cherryville, the town served as a water and coal stop. Along the railroad, a local resident planted cherry trees, and the train engineers soon began calling the settlement "Cherryville". The town was incorporated under this name in 1881. Agriculture was Cherryville's main economic base for many years. However, during the late 19th century, the textile industry became established in the town. Cherryville's first cotton mill, the Cherryville Manufacturing Plant, was incorporated in 1891. It was soon followed by the opening of three other mills. By the start of the 20th century, the rural village had become an industrial community of a thousand people. Eventually, 13 mills would be opened in Cherryville, including Gaston Manufacturing Company (later operated as Dora Yarn Mills), Vivian Manufacturing Company ("Old Sardine", later operated as Nuway Spinning Company), Melville Manufacturing Company (later Burlington Industries' Pinnacle Plant), Howell Manufacturing Company, Rhyne Houser Manufacturing Company (later part of Burlington Industries' Madision Division), and Carlton Yarn Mills, Inc. All of these plants have since closed.

In 1932, a trucking company began operating in Cherryville with one truck hauling produce from Florida to Cherryville. This company would become one of the largest freight carriers in the nation, known as Carolina Freight Carriers Corporation. After operating for more than sixty years, Carolina Freight was bought by the Arkansas Best Trucking Company in October 1995, and operations moved from Cherryville.

On July 13, 1966, Trains #45 & #46 of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, hit head-on on the southeast side of the city, killing one and injuring three. GP-9's 1911–1927–1963–1971–1979 and F-3, 4027 of SAL, were destroyed and scrapped on site. J. W. Pait of Hamlet, North Carolina, was killed in the wreck.

The Beam's Shell Service Station and Office was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,078 people, 2,434 households, and 1,493 families residing in the city.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,361 people, 2,177 households, and 1,480 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,131.3 people per square mile (436.7 per km2). There were 2,356 housing units at an average density of 497.2 per square mile (191.9 per km2). The racial makeup of the city was 88.81% White, 9.57% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.52% from other races, and 0.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.29% of the population.

There were 2,177 households, out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 21.2% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,054, and the median income for a family was $45,607. Males had a median income of $38,667 versus $24,828 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,254. About 6.7% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government
The mayor of Cherryville is elected by popular vote for a two-year term. The City Council is made up of four members with staggered terms. Each member is elected from one of four wards for a four-year term. Candidates are required to reside in the ward they intend to represent; however, the vote is citywide. The council appoints a full-time city manager to serve as executive officer of the city.

Economy
Cherryville's largest employers include Keystone Powdered Metal Company, a manufacturer primarily of automotive parts, including bearings, valve seats, and small structural parts, employing 220 people, FleetNet America, a fleet maintenance company employing over 375 people, and Bradington-Young Furniture Company, a manufacturer of sofas, chairs, and recliners, employing 187 people. Other manufacturing companies include R-Anell Incorporated, manufacturing pre-fabricated modular homes, and Advanced Urethane Solutions, Inc., manufacturing an assortment of polyurethane products including rollers, bumpers, and

The largest among non-manufacturing employers are in the governmental, institutional, and construction sectors. The public school system employs 200 people locally, while the government offices of the City of Cherryville employ 90 people. Rutherford Electric Membership Cooperative employs 186 people. Beam Construction Company employs 150 people. Carolina Care Center and Century Care, convalescent facilities, employ 120 and 70 people, respectively.

Education
Public schools in Cherryville are part of the Gaston County Schools public school system. They include:
 * Cherryville Elementary School, grades K-3,
 * William Blaine Beam Intermediate School, grades 4–5, built in 2004 on the site of the former Cherryville High School and named for a former community leader and education advocate.
 * John Chavis Middle School, grades 6–8, named for John Chavis (c. 1763–1838), African-American educator and Presbyterian minister
 * Cherryville High School, grades 9-12.

Tryon Elementary School, grades K-5, in the unincorporated Tryon community of Cherryville Township also feeds into John Chavis Middle School.

The Cherryville Branch of the Gaston County Public Library serves this community.

Religious life
The first church organized in Cherryville was Saint John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, established in 1881, the same year in which the town was incorporated. The congregation had the first church building in Cherryville as well, erected soon after the church's organization. It was replaced by the current structure in 1963.

Other churches in Cherryville include First United Methodist Church (organized 1883), Fairview Baptist Church (1884), First Presbyterian Church (1893 ), First Baptist Church (1893 ), Rudisill Chapel AME Zion Church (1896 ), First Wesleyan Church (1907), Second Baptist Church (1940), First Church of the Nazarene (1950), Cherryville Church of God, North Gaston Church of God, Mount Zion Baptist Church, Cherryville Missionary Methodist Church, Iglesia Christian Integral, Victory Life Assembly of God, Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, Liberty United Glorious Church, Shady Grove Baptist Church, and Oak Grove Baptist Church.

Places of interest
The Cherryville Historical Museum preserves the history of the Cherryville area, and is open to the public each week during specified days. The C. Grier Beam Truck Museum, interpreting the history of freight trucking and Carolina Freight Carriers, is in the former Beam's Shell Service Station and Office, 117 N. Mountain St., and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The 1922 Noah Benjamin Kendrick House at 402 N. Mountain Street is a Designated Gaston County Historic Property. Recreational sites in Cherryville include the semi-private Cherryville Country Club, with a nine-hole golf course, on the northeast side of town.

Rudisill Stadium, completed in 1963 and located on the campus of Beam Intermediate School, is the largest sports venue in Cherryville and is used for several community events throughout the year.

Fire protection
Cherryville Fire Department (city limits of Cherryville), Hugh's Pond Volunteer Fire Department (unincorporated areas on the North/NorthWest side of town), Tryonota Volunteer Fire Department (unincorporated areas on the South/South East side of town).

Notable people

 * Debbie A. Clary (born 1959), North Carolina General Assembly member who served in both the House and Senate positions
 * Tony Cloninger (1940–2018), former Major League Baseball starting pitcher with the Milwaukee
 * Fred Durst (born 1970), American singer, rapper, songwriter, actor, and film director
 * Trentavis Friday (born 1995), track and field athlete specializing in sprinting events
 * Patrick McHenry (born 1975), member of the U.S. House of Representatives
 * Jack Tatum (1948–2010), former NFL player with the Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers
 * George Wilson (1925–1974), former Major League Baseball outfielder

title: Cherryville, North Carolina


text:
Cramerton, North Carolina

Cramerton is a small town in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of Charlotte and located east of Gastonia. The population was 4,165 at the 2010 census. A well-known feature is the Cramer Mountain gated development, featuring homes around an 18-hole golf course at Cramer Mountain Country Club.

Geography
Cramerton is located at an elevation of 620 ft. Two topographic high points, Berry Mountain, elevation 922 ft, and Cramer Mountain, approximate elevation 850 ft, are located in the southwestern part of town.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 10.3 km2, of which 9.5 km2 is land and 0.8 km2, or 7.51%, is water.

Cramerton is bisected by the South Fork Catawba River, which makes a sharp S-curve around the center of town. Just southwest of downtown, Duharts Creek flows into the South Fork Catawba. Duharts Creek is formed by the confluence of Armstrong Branch and New Hope Branch on the western edge of town.

Cramerton town limits include a portion of zip code 28012 that encompass the neighborhood of Lakewood and Stuart W. Cramer High School on the eastern shore of the South Fork River.

The town is located seven miles east of Gastonia and 16 miles west of  Charlotte.

History
Originally named Mayesworth, the town was founded in 1906 when J.H. Mayes built a spinning mill along the banks of the South Fork of the Catawba River, just east of Gastonia. In 1910, textile engineer and Thomasville native Stuart Warren Cramer became owner and president of the mill and property. He turned the mill and the surrounding community into a model mill village. In 1921, Cramer changed the name of the town to Cramerton, and the name of the mill to Cramerton Mills in 1922. In 1923, Cramer built the Mayflower Weave Mill.

Cramer is credited with designing and equipping "about one-third of the new cotton mills in the South" between 1895 and 1915, and simultaneously acquiring extensive holdings in textile mills. Among Cramer's numerous industrial engineering patents was one for the "Cramer System of Air Conditioning", which included the automatic regulation of temperature and humidity. These early innovations in air conditioning resulted more from the need to remove lint from the air (a persistent problem in the textile mills) than to cool the factory atmosphere. The term "air conditioning" is attributed to Cramer.

In 1946 the mills and homes were sold to Burlington Industries, who in turn sold the homes to residents. The Town of Cramerton incorporated in 1967 and began providing municipal services.

In 1997, a luxury home on Cramer Mountain was briefly the residence Steven Eugene Chambers, a participant in the October 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery. The Mayworth School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,296 people, 1,637 households, and 1,165 families residing in the town.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,976 people, 1,169 households, and 859 families residing in the town. The population density was 830.5 PD/sqmi. There were 1,229 housing units at an average density of 343.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 94.12% White, 2.35% African American, 0.50% Native American, 1.92% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.37% of the population.

There were 1,169 households, out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $47,610, and the median income for a family was $56,071. Males had a median income of $37,679 versus $27,330 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,503. About 3.3% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Cramerton operates under the council-manager form of government with a mayor and a five-member town board and a town manager. In 2011, after 50 years of service, the town ended its contract with the Cramerton Volunteer Fire Department. The town then worked to create a new town-managed department that provides fire protection for Cramerton as well as neighboring McAdenville. The new Town of Cramerton Fire Department has been in place since 2012.

Cramerton operates its own police department. Based on a contract signed in 2006 by both the McAdenville and Cramerton town councils, officers of the Cramerton Police Department also handle patrol duties within the McAdenville town limits between the hours of 6 PM and 6 AM daily. Cramerton police also assist McAdenville officers with felony criminal investigations.

Cramerton is in South Point Township.

Business and industry
The textile industry has long been central to Cramerton's economy, but globalization has caused many of the local plants to close and devastated the local economy. Burlington Industries, which had operated the former Cramerton Mills, went bankrupt in 2001. Employers like Eagle Mountain Finishers and Lakewood Dyed Yarns (both subsidiaries of Joan Fabrics Corp.) were closed in 2006 and 2007. Textile companies Brookline Inc. and Wagner Knitting, Inc., have also been affected by the economic downturn. Syncot Fibers and Plastics, Inc., operates a facility in Cramerton specializing in the recycling of nylon.

In the twenty-first century, like many nearby communities affected by the exit of many businesses in the textile industry, the town has seen some significant growth and revitalization in the years following the aftermath of the 2007–2008 financial crisis. As a suburb of the greater Gaston and Charlotte area, the town is within commuting distance for workers of businesses within other industries, such as financial and banking services, technology, travel and tourism, and retail.

Within Cramerton, especially in the Downtown district, there are a number of companies operating within the restaurant, coffee shop, retail, and recreational-related industries. The downtown area includes Cramerton's Centennial Park (which includes the Veteran's Memorial) and Goat Island Park (which is accessible by two foot bridges); these attractions are intended to bring visitors to the area that support the local businesses.

The Gaston Business Association and Montcross Area Chamber of Commerce are the major commerce associations of businesses representing Cramerton and other communities.

Transportation
The primary east–west highway passing through Cramerton is U.S. Route 29/U.S. Route 74 (Wilkinson Boulevard). North Carolina Highway 279 (New Hope Road) forms Cramerton's southwest border.

Freight rail service is provided by the Norfolk Southern Railway. While Amtrak's passenger train also follows the Norfolk Southern main line, the nearest station is in Charlotte. The Gastonia station is closed.

Charlotte Area Transit System's (CATS) Gastonia Express (Route 85X) offers Monday thru Friday express bus service to/from uptown Charlotte, via the Abbey Plaza Shopping Center Station in Belmont, about 3 mi east of Cramerton.

The nearest airport is Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in Mecklenburg County, about 9.5 mi east of Cramerton.

Education
Public education in Cramerton is administered by the Gaston County Schools public school system.

Elementary school-age children in Cramerton attend either New Hope Elementary School (south of Cramerton in unincorporated South Point Township), J.B. Page Elementary School (pre-K to grade 1) or Belmont Central Elementary School (grades 2–5) in Belmont, McAdenville Elementary School in McAdenville, or Gardner Park Elementary School in Gastonia.

Most middle school students attend Cramerton Middle School. Portions of the town are zoned to Holbrook Middle School in Lowell or Belmont Middle School in Belmont.

Current high school-age students attend Stuart W. Cramer High School. While the school is located in Cramerton, it has a Belmont mailing address because it is in zip code 28012, which is split between Cramerton and Belmont.

Private schools in Cramerton include Cramerton Christian Academy, with programs for Pre-K through Grade 12. It is operated by Cramerton Freewill Baptist Church.

Recreation
The town has a history of golfing as a recreational activity, which was supported by the town's founder Stuart W. Cramer. Historically, the town has had three golfing courses, with the fourth golfing course being built by Cramer on Cramer Mountain. The Cramer Mountain golf course is still in active operation, and is operated by the private member club "Cramer Mountain Club". The Cramer Mountain golf course was designed by renown golfing course architect Dan Maples, a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects.

Since the town is situated along the South Fork Catawba River, it also has an active recreational culture of waterspouts, such as kayaking and canoeing. The Goat Island Park in Cramerton also features an 18-hole Disc Golf course.

Points of interest
Mayworth School at 236 Eighth Avenue in Cramerton is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Notable people

 * Stuart W. Cramer (1868–1940), the founder of Cramerton who was an American engineer, inventor, and contractor.
 * Perry Fewell, a football coach in the National Football League.
 * Rube Melton (1917–1971), a pitcher in Major League Baseball.
 * George Tinkham (1870–1956), longtime Congressman known as "the conscience of the House"; resided here.

title: Cramerton, North Carolina


text:
Dallas, North Carolina

Dallas is a town in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States, and a suburb of Charlotte, located north of Gastonia. The population was 4,488 at the 2010 census. It was named for George M. Dallas, Vice President of the United States under James K. Polk.

Geography
Dallas is located approximately four miles north of the city of Gastonia and about 24 mi west of Charlotte. Lincolnton is 13 mi north and Hickory is 34 mi north of Dallas along US 321.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 7.5 km2, all of it land.

Dallas lies within the Long Creek watershed. Long Creek is a right tributary of the South Fork Catawba River. Dallas is drained by Long Creek tributaries Dallas Branch and Little Long Creek.

History
Dallas was officially incorporated in 1863 and is the oldest incorporated town in Gaston County. It served as the original county seat for Gaston County from 1846 until 1911. The old Gaston County courthouse, renovated in 1868 after a fire, still stands in the main square of the town and formerly served as the headquarters of the Dallas Police Department. The town government has renovated the courthouse.

Dallas began to decline in importance when the town commissioners refused to appropriate money for construction of bridges over several creeks for the Atlanta and Richmond Air-Line Railway in the 1872. The commissioners said the reason was because residents thought that trains would wake them during the night and frighten their livestock. In 1890, White Caps attacked the town "'Kuklux' style", destroying entire portions of the town. After this the county seat was relocated to Gastonia in 1911.

The Dallas Graded and High School, Dallas Historic District, Hoyle House, and Eli Hoyle House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,927 people, 1,833 households, and 1,158 families residing in the town.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 4,488 people, 1,792 households, and 1,195 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,543 PD/sqmi. There were 2,003 housing units at an average density of 690.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 76.4% White, 15.9% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 4.9% some other race, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.0% of the population.

There were 1,792 households, out of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 19.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.9 years. The male population was 47.7% and the female population was 52.3%.

For the period 2007–11, the estimated median annual income for a household in the town was $35,625, and the median income for a family was $48,239. Male full-time workers had a median income of $32,203 versus $27,154 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,570. About 11.1% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.8% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Dallas is the site of the main campus of Gaston College, a community college offering associate degree, Certificate, and Diploma programs. It is located on U.S. Highway 321 west of the city's business district.

Dallas is home to Costner Elementary, Carr Elementary, W.C. Friday Middle School, and North Gaston High School.

The Dallas Branch of the Gaston County Public Library serves this community.

Places of interest

 * The Hoyle Historic Homestead is an example of German-American architecture from the mid-late 18th century and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
 * The Dallas Historic District, bounded by Holland, Main, Gaston and Trade streets, is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The district consists of eight buildings, including the former Gaston County Courthouse (built in 1848), former Gaston County Jail (1848), the Smyre-Pasour House (1850), Rhyne Store (1850), and the Hoffman Hotel (1852). The Hoffman Hotel is now home to the Gaston County Museum.
 * Biggerstaff Park in Dallas is the venue of the "Shelby Hamfest", a gathering of amateur radio operators. This is one of the oldest and largest such festivals in the country.

Television
Dallas is in the Charlotte-Gastonia viewing area. This is the list of the Television stations available in Dallas:

Radio
This is the list of the radio stations available in Dallas:

Notable residents and natives

 * Alfred L. Bulwinkle (1883–1950), 14-term Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives
 * William C. Friday (1920–2012), president of the University of North Carolina system from 1956 to 1986
 * David W. Hoyle, former mayor of Dallas and nine-term Democratic member of the North Carolina State Senate

title: Dallas, North Carolina


text:
Gastonia, North Carolina

Gastonia is the most populous city in and the county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest satellite city of the Charlotte area, behind Concord. The population was 80,411 in the 2020 census, up from 71,741 in 2010. Gastonia is the 13th-most populous city in North Carolina. It is part of the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC Combined Statistical Area.

The city is a historic center for textile manufacturing and was the site of the Loray Mill Strike of 1929, which became a key event in the labor movement. While manufacturing remains important to the local economy, the city also has well-developed healthcare, education, and government sectors.

History
Gastonia is named for William Gaston, a jurist and United States Representative from North Carolina.

The Loray Mill strike occurred in Gastonia in 1929. The role of organizers for Communist Party-affiliated National Textile Workers Union (NTWU) alienated religious leaders in Gastonia, who denounced the organizers' ideology, undermining support for the strike. The strike collapsed after the death of Gastonia's police chief, Orville Alderholt, led to a murder trial of several militants including NTWU chief organizer Fred Beal. Beal was convicted in the killing but fled to the Soviet Union. The strike largely failed in attaining its goals of better working conditions and wages, and the American labor movement was never able to gain a foothold among textile workers in Gastonia. The strike, however, became for a while an international cause célèbre, figuring in several novels published in the 1930s.

National Register of Historic Places
The City Hospital-Gaston Memorial Hospital, Craig Farmstead, Downtown Gastonia Historic District, First National Bank Building, Gaston County Courthouse, Gastonia High School, David Jenkins House, Loray Mill Historic District, Robinson-Gardner Building, Third National Bank Building, and William J. Wilson House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 52.22 sqmi, of which 51.99 sqmi is land and 0.23 sqmi (0.44%) is water. Gastonia occupies 14% of the total area of Gaston County. Gastonia is approximately 21 mi west of Charlotte, 22 mi east of Shelby, and 37 mi south of Hickory.

2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 80,411 people, 27,796 households, and 18,361 families residing in the city.

2010 census
At the 2010 census, there were 71,741 people, 27,770 households, and 18,599 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,420.6 PD/sqmi. There were 31,238 housing units at an average density of 618.6 /sqmi. The racial composition of the city was 62.8% White, 27.5% Black or African American, 2.0% Asian, 0.4% Native American, 5.2% some other race, and 3.0% two or more races. 9.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino American of any race.

As of the 2010 census, there were 27,770 households, out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were headed by married couples living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52, and the average family size was 3.05.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.

In 2011 the estimated median income for a household in the city was $36,881, and the median income for a family was $44,576. Male full-time workers had a median income of $38,151 versus $29,590 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,277. 20.9% of the population and 18.3% of families were below the poverty line. 32.5% of those under the age of 18 and 6.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Economy
Many shutdowns and job losses have plagued Gastonia over the past decade. Gastonia maintains a relatively strong manufacturing workforce, but many workers are laid off and many more are facing job losses. The city had an unemployment rate of 7.9% as of 2010; 12,536 of the 71,341 residents lived and worked in the city, with a daytime population change of +10,610. The city is the international corporate headquarters for textile company Parkdale Mills, the number one manufacturer of spun yarn in the world. The company also operated two production facilities in Gastonia and several in surrounding communities. Parkdale, like many other companies, has closed plants and moved production to other countries.

Other manufacturers in Gastonia include Wix Filtration Corp., Freightliner Trucks, Stabilus, Curtiss-Wright Controls Engineered Systems and Radici Group. Other major employers include the City of Gastonia and Gaston County governments, the Gaston County Schools system, CaroMont Regional Medical Center, and retailers Walmart and Advance Auto Parts, with two and six stores (plus a distribution center) respectively.

Arts and culture
Gastonia and the surrounding areas feature several notable attractions.

The Schiele Museum of Natural History features a number of permanent exhibits, including the Hall of North Carolina Natural History and the Henry Hall of the American Indian. The museum is also home to the James H. Lynn Planetarium, the only planetarium in the Charlotte area.

The Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is located just southeast of the city in Belmont on NC 279.

The U.S. National Whitewater Center (on the Catawba River) is located east of the city in neighboring Mecklenburg County.

Crowders Mountain State Park is located west of the city, near Kings Mountain. The park offers a number of hiking trails, as well as campgrounds, picnic areas, rock climbing, and fishing.

Retail
Eastridge Mall, located at exit 20 on North New Hope Road, is the only indoor regional mall in the area. The mall is home to two anchors and over 80 specialty stores, a full-service food court and other services.

Downtown Gastonia Historic District has undergone a revitalization with many locally owned businesses. This has created a unique atmosphere of local shopping experiences with events centered around the community.

There are also a few more shopping centers across the city with other well-known national and local retailers.

Sports
The Gastonia Baseball Club of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a partner of Major League Baseball, began to play in 2024 at CaroMont Health Park, which is part of the Franklin Urban Sports and Entertainment (FUSE) District. The Gastonia Honey Hunters, also in the Atlantic League, played there from 2021 to 2023. Before the Honey Hunters' arrival, the Gastonia Grizzlies, a Coastal Plain League summer collegiate wood-bat team, played at Sims Legion Park from 2002 to 2020.

Gastonia was home to minor league baseball, hosting the Gastonia Cardinals. The Cardinals played as members of the Class D level 1938 North Carolina State League and the Tar Heel League in 1939 and 1940, winning the 1939 league championship. Decades later, a second Cardinals team played from 1977 to 1982 as members of the Class A level Western Carolinas League and South Atlantic League, winning the 1977 league championship. The Cardinals teams hosted home games from 1938 to 1940 at the Gastonia High School Stadium and Sims Legion Park.

The Gastonia Gargoyles play rugby at Gaston County's North Belmont Park. The team is part of the Carolinas Geographical Union (CGU) and plays Division IV men's social rugby. The club plays in the fall (August - November) and spring (Feb - May) seasons. The club also hosts an annual rugby 7's tournament in Clover, South Carolina, during the Clover Scottish Games on the first or second Saturday in June.

Gastonia's two roller derby teams are the G*Force (senior team) and Mini*Gs (junior team). Bouts take place at Kate's Skating Rink on Hudson Blvd.

Law enforcement
The city is served by the Gastonia Police Department, the Gaston County Police Department, and the Gaston County Sheriff's Office.

Fire and rescue
The Gastonia Fire Department consists of eight fire house spread throughout the communities within the City limits. The Gastonia Fire Department maintains 130 full-time firefighters working 3- to 24-hour shifts. The Life Safety division has a Fire Marshal and four inspectors, the Administration consists of the Fire Chief, Deputy Chief, Assistant Chief, Training Chief, and two Administrative assistants. Gaston County EMS (GEMS) is the county ambulance service.

K–12
All public K–12 schools in Gaston County, including the city of Gastonia, are part of the Gaston County Schools (GCS). GCS operates schools at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

There are four public high schools in Gastonia: Ashbrook High School, Forestview High School, Hunter Huss High School, and Highland School of Technology. Students from outlying parts of Gastonia also attend Stuart W. Cramer High School, North Gaston High School, and Bessemer City High School.

Private schools are also available in the city. Gaston Day School, Gaston Christian School are among various private schools offered in the Gastonia area.

Gastonia also has a charter school, Piedmont Community Charter School, that serves K–12 grade students. Currently the school has an Elementary campus along with a Secondary campus. A new High School campus is presently under construction. The new campus is set to open for the 2020–2021 school year.

College and university
Although there are no colleges or universities within the city limits of Gastonia, higher education is well represented in the greater Gastonia area. Gaston County is home to Belmont Abbey College (Belmont; four-year) and Gaston College (Dallas, Lincolnton (Lincoln County), and Belmont; two-year).

Library
The Gaston County Public Library has three locations in the city.

Newspaper
The Gaston Gazette is Gastonia's main newspaper. It is published daily, and covers Gastonia city, Gaston County, and surrounding areas. The Charlotte Observer (North Carolina's largest newspaper) is also available, citywide.

Radio
Gastonia is served by numerous FM and AM radio stations, mainly based in nearby Charlotte. The city has one licensed AM station: WGNC 1450 AM; it has two licensed FM stations: WGNC 101.1FM and WBAV 101.9 FM.

Highways and major city thoroughfares
Interstate 85 (I-85) links Gastonia directly with Charlotte, Greensboro, Durham, and Petersburg/Richmond (to the northeast) and Spartanburg, Greenville, Atlanta and Montgomery (to the southwest). Gastonia's transportation network is supplemented by one additional freeway (US 321), the freeway portion of which directly connects Gastonia with transcontinental I-40 and the city of Hickory, 35 mi north of Gastonia.

Gastonia is also served by three federal highways: US 29, US 74 (US 29 and US 74 follow the same route through the city), and US 321. US 29 parallels I-85 through the Carolinas, while US 74 provides direct east–west links to Charlotte and Wilmington (east), and Asheville and Cherokee (to the west). US 321 links Gastonia to central South Carolina and the Blue Ridge Mountains in northwest North Carolina. State highways include: NC 7, NC 274, NC 275 and NC 279.

Franklin Boulevard, Garrison Boulevard, Hudson Boulevard and Ozark/Long/Airline/Gaston Avenues are major east–west city thoroughfares. New Hope Road, Chester Street/York Road, and Marietta Street/Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, are major north–south city thoroughfares.

Bus (local)
Gastonia Transit (GT) is Gastonia's city transit provider. The bus service operates on a fixed-route system covering most of the city and stops are clearly visible around town. Buses run Monday-Saturday, and transfer downtown Gastonia at the Bradley Station. Regular fare is $1.00, transfers are free.

Bus (regional)
Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is Gastonia's commuter provider to Charlotte. The Gastonia Express (Route 85X) offers Monday-Friday bus service to/from uptown Charlotte, via the Bradley Station. One-way fare to/from uptown Charlotte is $4.40; transfer is free when transferring to any other CATS services.

Bus (national)
Greyhound Lines serves the city. Alongside Gastonia Transit, Greyhound utilizes downtown's Bradley Station.

Rail (Amtrak)
Amtrak's Crescent (trains 19, 20) connects Gastonia (GAS) with the cities of (to the north) New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, and Charlotte, and (to the south) Atlanta, Birmingham, and New Orleans. The unmanned Amtrak station is situated at 350 Hancock Street.

Airports
General service: Gastonia Municipal Airport (AKH) handles most of the city's private air service needs. It is located in the southeast part of the city on Gaston Day School Road, off NC 274 (Union Road).

Commercial service: Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) provides the city with a major domestic/international gateway and is located 18 mi east, in Charlotte. American Airlines has the airline's second largest hub operation at Charlotte.

Notable people

 * Ernest Angley, televangelist
 * Darrell Armstrong, NBA player
 * R. B. Babington, businessman, telecommunications pioneer, banker, and alderman of Gastonia
 * John T. Biggers, African-American muralist
 * Wally Bryson, Lead guitarist of the pop group The Raspberries, born in Gastonia
 * Cliff Cash, stand-up comedian
 * Wiley Cash, author
 * Clyde Caldwell, fantasy artist
 * R. Gregg Cherry, 61st Governor of the state of North Carolina from 1945 to 1949
 * Rufus Crawford, NFL and CFL player
 * Crash Davis, Major League Baseball player who graduated from Gastonia HS
 * Glenn Dunaway, NASCAR driver
 * Harold Dunaway, NASCAR driver
 * Fred Durst, frontman and lyricist of the nu metal group Limp Bizkit
 * Eric "Sleepy" Floyd, NBA player
 * Jamie Fraley, missing woman
 * Gary M. Green, musician, author, television host, gaming consultant and entrepreneur
 * Leonard Hamilton, Florida State University men's basketball head coach; born in Gastonia
 * Sylvia Hatchell, women's basketball coach (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
 * Wesley Ray "Wes" Helms, Major League Baseball player
 * Lamar Holmes, NFL player
 * Charlie Hughes, inventor and audio engineer
 * Billy James, radio talk show host of The John Boy and Billy Show
 * Evan Karagias, wrestler and actor
 * Buddy Lewis, Major League Baseball player
 * Lillian M. Lowery, Superintendent of the Maryland State Department of Education, born in Gastonia
 * Mel Melton, musician and chef
 * Kevin Millwood, Major League Baseball pitcher
 * Joe Pacheco, MMA fighter
 * Buddy Parrott, NASCAR crew chief
 * Ricky Rainey, UFC fighter
 * Marshall Rauch, longest-serving Jewish state Senator in North Carolina history
 * Diane Ray, singer of the early 1960s
 * Mary Reynolds, baseball player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
 * Dave Robbins, college basketball coach and NCAA Hall of Fame member
 * Koren Robinson, professional football player
 * Lionel Shriver, author of We Need to Talk About Kevin
 * Michal Smolen, slalom canoeist and Olympian
 * Thomas Sowell, political commentator and economist; born in Gastonia, raised in New York City
 * Melvin Stewart, former world record-holder in swimming who won two Olympic gold medals and one bronze
 * Harold Varner III, professional golfer
 * Hassan Whiteside, NBA player
 * James Worthy, NBA player and member of Basketball Hall of Fame

Sister cities
Gastonia has two sister cities:
 * 🇩🇪 Gotha, Thuringia, Germany
 * 🇵🇪 Santiago de Surco, Lima, Peru

Gotha was Gastonia's first sister city in 1994. Santiago de Surco became an official partner in March 2004. Mayor Jennie Stultz visited Gotha in 2007. In December 2007, the mayor of Santiago de Surco visited for the annual lighting of the Christmas tree in the Rotary Pavilion. He was invited to light the tree along with one of the city's councilmen.

title: Gastonia, North Carolina


text:
High Shoals, North Carolina

High Shoals is a city in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States, named for the high rocky shoal across the Catawba River. The population was 696 at the 2010 census.

History
High Shoals was the location of the High Shoals Iron Works, founded by Swiss-born John Fulenwider in about 1795. Fulenwider developed one of the earliest methods of making pig iron with the charcoal process. During the War of 1812, his High Shoals ironworks produced cannonballs for use by the United States Army. Fulenwider died in 1826 and is buried at High Shoals cemetery. The ironworks he developed remained in operation until 1875.

In the last decade of the 19th century, the community of High Shoals became totally owned by High Shoals Mills, a textile company founded by Charlotte industrialist Daniel A. Tompkins.

Eventually, the mill homes were sold to private owners. High Shoals was incorporated on November 6, 1973, the most-recently incorporated municipality in Gaston County.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.9 km2, of which 6.7 km2 is land and 0.1 km2, or 2.10%, is water.

The South Fork Catawba River flows through High Shoals. Areas northeast of the river are assigned to the Hoyle Creek watershed, while those southwest of the river are in the Beaverdam Creek watershed. Sulfur Branch flows through western High Shoals (including Briarcreek Golf Course) and enters the South Fork at the south end of town.

Most of High Shoals is located in Dallas Township, except for a western portion of the town which is in Cherryville Township.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 729 people, 284 households, and 214 families residing in the town. The population density was 407.5 PD/sqmi. There were 315 housing units at an average density of 176.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 88.07% White, 9.33% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.14% from other races, and 2.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.33% of the population.

There were 284 households, out of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.6% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.2% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 34.6% from 25 to 44, 17.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $33,906, and the median income for a family was $36,429. Males had a median income of $31,711 versus $20,833 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,881. About 15.5% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.5% of those under age 18 and 18.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Public education in High Shoals is administered by the Gaston County Schools public school system. There had been one elementary school in the town. However, High Shoals Elementary was closed in 1998 for financial reasons and consolidated with Costner Elementary School near Dallas, North Carolina.

Today, most of High Shoals is within the attendance district for Costner Elementary, except for a section on the eastern edge of town which belongs to the attendance district of Springfield Elementary School (grades K-2) and Kiser Elementary School (grades 3-5), both in Stanley. All elementary school graduates from High Shoals feed into W.C. Friday Middle School and North Gaston High School, both in Dallas.

Religious life
Churches in High Shoals include First Baptist Church, New Heights Baptist Church, High Shoals Church of God, and Riverview True Holiness Church of God.

title: High Shoals, North Carolina