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Hickory is a city located primarily in Catawba County, with formal boundaries extending into Burke and Caldwell counties. The city lies in the U.S. state of North Carolina. At the time of the 2020 census, Hickory's population was 43,490. Hickory is the principal city of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area, in which the metro population at the 2020 census was 365,276. Hickory is located approximately northwest of Charlotte, North Carolina. [edit] History
The origin of Hickory's name stems from a tavern made of logs beneath a hickory tree during the 1850s. The spot was known as "Hickory Tavern." In 1870, Hickory Tavern was established as a town. Three years later in 1873, the name was changed to the Town of Hickory, and in 1889 to the City of Hickory. The first train operated in the area of Hickory Tavern in 1859. The first lot was sold to Henry Link for $45.00 in 1858. His house is now known as "The 1859 Cafe", a restaurant (closed in 2011). The community of Hickory was the first for many things in North Carolina, including the council-manager form of government it adopted in 1913. Hickory was also one of the first towns to install electric lights in 1888 and a complete sewage system in 1904. In 1868, Dr. Jeremiah Ingold, pastor of Corinth Reformed Church (then German Reformed Grace Church), established Hickory's first school, the Free Academy. With Hickory's rapid population growth in the late 1800s, the need for a proper place for entertainment was needed. In 1889, the Elliott Opera House opened in the city. The auditorium could seat 750 and the parquet balcony could fit another 350. It was decorated in French renaissance style with mythology motifs. The opera house hosted shows from out of town as well as the "Hickory Amateurs," the city's first acting troupe. The first known musical organization performed there with the name Hickory Symphony Band. In 1902, a fire destroyed the entire building and it was never rebuilt. The current Hickory Community Theatre, housed in the old Municipal Auditorium (c. 1921), sits directly across the street from the site of the old opera house. In 1891, Lenoir–Rhyne University (then Highland Academy) was founded by four Lutheran pastors with 12 initial students. Hickory is home to one of the oldest furniture manufacturers in the United States that is still located and operated on the original site. Hickory White, formerly known as Hickory Manufacturing Company, was built in 1902 and has been in continuous operation ever since. During World War II, the factory made ammunition boxes for the U.S. military instead of furniture. Hickory was known in the years after World War II for the "Miracle of Hickory". In 1944 the area around Hickory (the Catawba Valley) became the center of one of the worst outbreaks of polio ever recorded. Residents who were then children recall summers of not being allowed to play outside or visit friends for fear of contracting the disease. Since local facilities were inadequate to treat the victims, the citizens of Hickory and the March of Dimes decided to build a hospital to care for the children of the region. From the time the decision was made until equipment, doctors, and patients were in a new facility, took less than 54 hours. Several more buildings were quickly added. A Red Cross official on the scene praised the project "as the most outstanding example of cooperative effort he has ever seen." The city also came to national attention when the remains of Zahra Baker were found leading to a police investigation where Zahra's stepmother, Elise Baker, was found guilty of second-degree murder. The Zahra Baker All Children's playground, located in Kiwanis Park, is named in her honor. The Hickory metro area has been named the 10th best place to live and raise a family in the United States by Reader's Digest and the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton MSA has been named the third best MSA in the country for business cost by Forbes. In 2014, Smart Growth America identified the Hickory MSA as being the country's most sprawling metro area. [edit] National Register of Historic PlacesThe Claremont High School Historic District, Elliott–Carnegie Library, First Presbyterian Church, Dr. Glenn R. Frye House, Clement Geitner House, Lee & Helen George House, Harris Arcade, Hickory Municipal Building, Hickory Southwest Downtown Historic District, Highland School, Hollar Hosiery Mills-Knit Sox Knitting Mills, Houck's Chapel, Kenworth Historic District, John A. Lentz House, Lyerly Full Fashioned Mill, John Alfred Moretz House, Oakwood Historic District, Piedmont Wagon Company, Propst House, Ridgeview Public Library, Shuford House, and Whisnant Hosiery Mills are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [edit] Research Tips
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