Our Area

Welcome to 405 square-miles of rolling hills, smiling faces and sunshine. (In truth, we get a bit of refreshing rain and even snow during our four distinctly dazzling seasons!) Almost anything you desire is within reach: fine arts, quality schools, excellent shopping and dining, advanced health care facilities, and a myriad of recreational and business opportunities. Striving to remain business-friendly in a challenging market, our area has recently been selected twice by “Inc. Magazine” as one of top entrepreneurial areas for both traditional and high tech industries. Top employing fields include medical, fiber-optics, data-centers, furniture, and education.

The Hickory – Metro region is situated in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in the Piedmont section of North Carolina. The Blue Ridge range extends to the North, West, and South of Catawba County, protecting our area from extreme temperatures in winter and summer. The region enjoys a year-round climate that is unexcelled anywhere, free from the rigors of the northern winters and extreme heat of summers farther south, as well as being shielded from the fierce storms of the middle western plains.

The city of Hickory is located in the northwestern part of Catawba County at the point where Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba Counties meet, adjacent to the 4,100 acre Lake Hickory.

For those seeking a change of venue, this area offers an ideal, evenly balanced winter and summer climate, with temperatures averaging 58.6 degrees on a yearly basis. The summer nights are cooled by mountain breezes, frequently dropping to 20 degrees lower than midday highs.

Our moderate climate and ideal location attract many tourists to the area. To accommodate these tourists, as well as our 300,000+ area residents, the city has an exceptionally large number of recreational facilities for an area its size. Water skiing is a popular activity on three of the county’s large lakes, and snow skiing in the mountains is only a 45 minute drive away. Our moderate climate and ideal location attract many tourists to the area. To accommodate these tourists, as well as our 300,000+ area residents, the city has an exceptionally large number of recreational facilities for an area its size. Water skiing is a popular activity on three of the county’s large lakes, and snow skiing in the mountains is only a 45 minute drive away.