About Our Town

Accessed from US 321 north of Interstate 40, Granite Falls offers small town living near the larger market of Hickory. The Town's transportation network includes connections to I-40, I-85 and I-26. Home to nationally recognized Bank of Granite, the Town of Granite Falls' economy has been centered on manufacturing. Growth in tourism and the retirement industry are diversifying the economic base. Strong support of business with a commitment to small town quality of life is Granite Falls' recipe for economic success.

Population

	1990	2000	2006
Town of Granite Falls	3,253	4,611	4,845
Caldwell County	70,709	77,708	79,298
Hickory MSA	221,700	341,851	359,856
NC State Data Center

 

Caldwell County Labor Force: 38,212 (June 2008)

Caldwell County Unemployment Rate: 7.6% (June 2008)

Granite Falls' Largest Employers

Employer	Product/Service
NEPTCO	Electronics
Pregis, Inc.	Packaging
Jordon-Holman Lumber Co. & Associated Hardwoods, Inc	Kiln Dried Hardwoods
Caldwell Co. Schools	Education
Camelot Manor Nursing Facility	Skilled Nursing Care
Super Wal-Mart	Retail

Transportation
Granite Falls is located on US 321 near Interstate 40. The transportation network provides quick access to both the Hickory and Charlotte regions. The Hickory Regional Airport is 15 minutes away, the Lenoir-Morganton Airport is a 30-minute drive and Charlotte Douglas Int'l Airport is about one hour away.

Taxes (Per $100 Valuation)

	2007-08
Town of Granite Falls	$0.42
Caldwell County	$0.6599

 

Utilities

Service	Provider
Water/Wastewater	Town of Granite Falls
Electric	Town of Granite Falls Duke Power Blue Ridge EMC
Natural Gas	Piedmont Natural Gas
Telecommunications	Sprint/Embarq
Rail Service	Caldwell County Railroad

Education and Training
Granite Falls is served by the Caldwell County Public School System. SAT scores have consistently been above the state average and now surpass the national average.

Caldwell Community College, near Granite Falls, is part of the North Carolina Community College System, rated first in the nation for industry support and training. The New and Expanding Industry Training Program offers customized, free training to new and expanding industries. The Focused Industrial Training Program provides ongoing training to local companies at a very low cost.

Lenoir-Rhyne University, a co-educational, private liberal arts institution, is located in nearby Hickory. Lenoir-Rhyne offers a rich foundation in the arts, humanities, social sciences, language, religion, and natural sciences. Appalachian State University is near Granite Falls in Boone and is part of the University North Carolina System. ASU provides undergraduate and graduate degrees in a broad spectrum of disciplines.

The new Hickory Metro Higher Education Center is a progressive collaboration between Catawba Valley Community College, Lenoir-Rhyne University and Appalachian State University. The institution is located adjacent to the community college campus and provides undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Quality of Life
The Granite Falls area is served by several medical centers: Caldwell Memorial Hospital, Catawba Valley Medical Center, Valdese General Hospital and Frye Regional Medical Center.

Caldwell County has a wealth of outdoor recreation, arts and cultural opportunities. Cycling, hiking, boating, and golf are some of the activities in the immediate area. Caldwell Arts Council and Foothills Performing Arts are two of the local organizations involved in arts and cultural programs and the Hickory area has many more.