North Carolina’s Hickory Metro area is conveniently located in the Foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains by Interstate 40 and Hwy 321. It is an easy drive to the cool mountains or the warm beaches of North Carolina and only an hour commute to Charlotte.

We are very fortunate to have different climates within hours and here you get a milder, moderate version of all four seasons. Bordered on the north by the Catawba River, residents and visitors can enjoy a variety of water sports on Lake Hickory.

Hickory has the charm of a small town while offering the amenities of a much larger city. Our area offers diverse opportunities for all ages to enjoy, from education to shopping and dining. Lenoir Rhyne University and Catawba Valley Community College both have programs to suit any one of any age and lifestyle. If you are in the market for furniture, we are known as the “Furniture Capitol of the World”. Hickory Furniture Mart is home to over 100 factory outlets, stores, shops and galleries representing over 1,000 premier furniture manufacturers and Catawba Furniture Mall has 16 outlets, stores and galleries. There is also 20 Miles of Furniture located along the stretch of U. S. Hwy 321 between Hickory and Blowing Rock.

The Hickory Metro Convention Center has 76,000 square feet of space to accommodate many conferences, meetings and expos. The SALT BLOCK is home to the Catawba Science Center, featuring the Millholland Planetarium, Hickory Museum of Art, Hickory Arts Council, Western Piedmont Symphony, Patrick Beaver Memorial Library and the Hickory Choral Society.

We are also very proud to have the Hickory Crawdads Minor League Baseball Team, a Class “A” affiliate of the Texas Rangers and Hickory Motor Speedway for great short track racing. Among the seven beautiful golf courses located across the county, Rock Barn Golf & Spa brings the Greater Hickory Classic Golf Tournament on the PGA Championship Tour.

Recognized three times as an All American City, chosen “America’s Best Small City” in 1987 and again in 2007 and has also been named by Reader’s Digest as the 10th best place to live and raise a family in the United States, Hickory has it all!