Granite Falls, North Carolina

Town in North Carolina, United States

Granite Falls, North Carolina

Town

Downtown Granite Falls, as viewed facing southeast on Main Street

Seal

Location of Granite Falls, North Carolina

Coordinates: 35°47′49″N 81°25′26″W﻿ / ﻿35.79694°N 81.42389°W﻿ / 35.79694; -81.42389
Country| United States
State| North Carolina
County| Caldwell
Area

[1]

• Total

| 4.98 sq mi (12.90 km2)
• Land| 4.94 sq mi (12.79 km2)
• Water| 0.04 sq mi (0.11 km2)
Elevation

[2]

| 1,099 ft (335 m)
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 4,965
• Density| 1,005.67/sq mi (388.33/km2)
Time zone| UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)| UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code|

28630

Area code| 828
FIPS code| 37-27420[3]
GNIS feature ID| 2406601[2]
Website| granitefallsnc.com

Granite Falls is a town in Caldwell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,722 at the 2010 census.[4] It is part of the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area.

## History

[edit]

The name Granite Falls comes from the waters that splash over the granite boulders spanning Gunpowder Creek. In 1791, pioneer Andrew Baird began operating an iron works beside Gunpowder Creek, and in doing so, became owner of all the land now occupied by the Town of Granite Falls. The community would start to form from that point.

Granite Falls was incorporated as a town in 1899. Before its incorporation, Granite Falls went by other names such as Baird's Forge, Catawba View, Lovelady, and Granite.[5]

In 1952, Evelyn Kent was elected Mayor of Granite Falls, NC, serving from 1952-1954. She was one of the first women to be elected as a Mayor in the state of North Carolina.[6]

## Geography

[edit]

Granite Falls is located near the southern border of Caldwell County. It is bordered to the south by the town of Rhodhiss, to the southwest by Lake Rhodhiss on the Catawba River (Lake Hickory), and to the west by the town of Sawmills. The center of town is located on a ridge between the Catawba River to the west and Gunpowder Creek, a tributary of the Catawba, to the east.

U.S. Route 321 (Hickory Boulevard) is a four-lane highway that passes through the eastern side of town; it leads 6 miles (10 km) southeast to the center of Hickory and 10 miles (16 km) northwest to Lenoir, the Caldwell County seat. US 321 Alternate runs through the center of Granite Falls as North and South Main Street.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 5.3 square miles (13.6 km2), of which 5.2 square miles (13.5 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2), or 0.84%, is water.[4]

Granite Falls Municipal Building

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1900| 277| | —
1910| 381| | 37.5%
1920| 1,101| | 189.0%
1930| 2,147| | 95.0%
1940| 1,873| | −12.8%
1950| 2,286| | 22.1%
1960| 2,644| | 15.7%
1970| 2,388| | −9.7%
1980| 2,580| | 8.0%
1990| 3,253| | 26.1%
2000| 4,612| | 41.8%
2010| 4,722| | 2.4%
2020| 4,965| | 5.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

### 2020 census

[edit]

Granite Falls racial composition[8] Race  | Number  | Percentage

|
|

White (non-Hispanic)  | 4,189  | 84.37%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)  | 164  | 3.3%
Native American | 11  | 0.22%
Asian | 39  | 0.79%
Pacific Islander | 2  | 0.04%
Other/Mixed | 223  | 4.49%
Hispanic or Latino | 337  | 6.79%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,965 people, 1,799 households, and 1,344 families residing in the town.

### 2000 census

[edit]

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 4,612 people, 1,758 households, and 1,211 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,080.4 inhabitants per square mile (417.1/km2). There were 1,849 housing units at an average density of 433.1 per square mile (167.2/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 92.06% White, 2.34% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 3.95% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.07% of the population.

There were 1,758 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $38,596, and the median income for a family was $47,064. Males had a median income of $28,309 versus $21,374 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,750. About 5.7% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.6% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

## Education

[edit]

### High school

[edit]

* South Caldwell High School (Hudson address)

### Middle school

[edit]

* Granite Falls Middle School

### Elementary schools

[edit]

* Baton Elementary School
* Dudley Shoals Elementary School
* Granite Falls Elementary School
* Sawmills Elementary School

### Alternative school

[edit]

* Gateway School (grades 6–12)

## Media

[edit]

* Kicks 103.3, Kicks 103.3, local radio station
* WJRI, News Talk 1340 WJRI, local radio station
* WKGX, AM 1080 WKGX, local radio station
* WYCV AM 900, local radio station
* WAIZ, "63 Big Ways", AM 630, local radio station featuring 1950s and 1960s oldies

## Notable people

[edit]

* Madison Bumgarner – MLB pitcher, 3x World Series Champion and 2014 World Series MVP[9]
* Eric Church – country music singer-songwriter
* Charlie Cozart – former MLB player
* Jack Curtis – former MLB player[10]
* Sara Payne Hayden – Women Airforce Service Pilots member
* Donnie Kirkpatrick – college football coach
* Cyndee Peters – American-Swedish gospel singer and author
* Edgar V. Starnes – politician and real estate investor
* Amy H. Sturgis – author, speaker, and scholar of science fiction/fantasy studies and Native American studies
* Jeff Triplette – former NFL referee
* Maxie Williams – former NFL offensive lineman[11]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Granite Falls, North Carolina
3. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
4. ^ a b "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Granite Falls town, North Carolina". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
5. ^ History - Town of Granite Falls.Town of Granite Falls. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
6. ^ McCall, M. (1999). Etched in Granite: The History of Granite Falls, North Carolina.
7. ^ Census - Table Results. data.census.gov. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
8. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
9. ^ Verducci, Tom. (Dec 15, 2014). Madison Bumgarner | Vault. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved Feb 12, 2020.
10. ^ The Baseball Cube. Retrieved July 23, 2018, from http://www.thebaseballcube.com/hs/profile.asp?ID=11961
11. ^ Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 23, 2018, from https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WillMa26.htm

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Films of Granite Falls, NC, by H. Lee Waters, 1938-1940.

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Caldwell County, North Carolina, United States

County seat: Lenoir

Cities|

* Hickory‡
* Lenoir

Caldwell County map

Towns|

* Blowing Rock‡
* Cajah's Mountain
* Gamewell
* Granite Falls
* Hudson
* Rhodhiss‡
* Sawmills

Village|

* Cedar Rock

CDP|

* Northlakes

Unincorporated
communities|

* Collettsville
* Grandin
* Legerwood
* Patterson
* Yadkin Valley

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* North Carolina portal
* United States portal

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States
* Israel

Geographic|

* MusicBrainz area

*[Pop.]: Population
*[%±]: Percent change
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