Hickory - what do you like about it?

[Carolina_native]

All I can say is Ive read posts from the Hickory area on this forum for over a year and Ive heard nothing but positive things from others about that area.
One person had a bad experience.

Just be careful before you pack up and move to Charlotte or Mecklenburg county where the county is preparing to raise property taxes by 4%. Not to mention the serious overgrowth and traffic there...but 'to each his own' I guess.

Ive been in Hickory working and almost living there for the past 2 years. It really is a nice area.

[Richie24]

I have been searching for homes on the internet in North Carolinas, Hickory, Morgonton, and Hudson Areas.

Homes range in price, but I never seen so many vacant homes, Can anyone answer why. I want to know what are the contributing factors other than what I believe to be the economy.

Can anyone tell me the factual reasons as to why there are so many vacant homes.

I have been predominantly looking at homes in the 100,000 to 150,000 price range.

In photos, the homes and outdoor surroundings look beautiful.

I know I have to see and research the areas, but I am looking for honest hands on insight.

Thank You

Richie

[sll3454]

Originally Posted by Richie24

I have been searching for homes on the internet in North Carolinas, Hickory, Morgonton, and Hudson Areas.

Homes range in price, but I never seen so many vacant homes, Can anyone answer why. I want to know what are the contributing factors other than what I believe to be the economy.

That's pretty much it. The employment situation and the housing market.
When our friends moved out of state, their house was vacant for two years before it finally sold. There are some vacant houses near us because of foreclosure - people didn't understand their loans and got into bad situations.

[bart23]

How is the job market for Carpenters/general laborers in the Hickory area?

[davidals]

I haven't lived there - I grew up in Charlotte and went to college in Boone, and worked in Boone for several years after college, so I do still know the area well - I've passed through more times than I could count.

I know the unemployment rate has chronically run higher than the rest of the state, and the economy has been weak for years. Those are the only major downsides, apart from the brain-hurting street naming/numbering system that is only slightly easier to suss out than quantum physics.*

It's a friendly small city, and it's location is dynamite - equidistant from Charlotte and Boone, so you have both a top 20 metro area, and some of the most scenic parts of Appalachia within less than an hour's drive. Interstate access is great - 40 is transcontinental (which I think the city should play up more as an economic development tool), and I-77 (direct access to the Great Lakes states) and I-85 (direct access to Atlanta) are 30-40 miles away. The international airport in Charlotte - again, under an hour's drive - gives you international flights to several destinations in Europe, Latin America, and (I think) one or two Canadian cities. It's just far enough from Charlotte to maintain it's own identity, but just close enough that enjoying some major city amenities is an easy trip.

And I'm a mountain boy at heart, so anywhere close to, if not in, the mountains is a place that has at least one very major asset all by itself.

*Streets don't have names, but are instead numbered. The city is divided into NE, NW, SE, SW quadrants, so the numbers repeat once in each quadrant. Each side street carries the number of the street it's directly off of, as does each secondary side street off of the primary side street, so you end up with things like 48th St. Ct. Ln. N.E. or 7th Av. Ln. Pl. N.W. The basic streets and avenues run in right angle directions - N-S, vs E-W. You MUST navigate by landmarks, because if you are relying on a map - whether GPS or a printed paper map, you'll just get intensely confused.

[brokensky]

Hickory is a great place to start a new small business -- a good spot for entrepreneurs and freelancers, as well.

Also, having the lake close by is a real plus.

I agree with others who mention the close proximity to Boone and Blowing Rock for day trips.

For education, there is Lenoir-Rhyne right in Hickory and CVCC and CCC-TI within easy commuting distance.

People are friendly and welcoming and there are many opportunites to volunteer and get involved in the community. For those who enjoy golf, there are several courses in town and others only a few miles outside the city limits.

With so many furniture and textile manufacturers having either scaled back or closed over the last decade or so, employment has taken a hit. So I would be careful about moving to any town in the region without a job, unless a person is planning to open a business.

[schil]

I am looking online at hickory in retirement. My daughter is in AVL, and i am more conservative. I would like to be near a y, and lakes, as well as a drive to a train station north of Charlotte to go east to see my family.
I

[hickoryfan]

Originally Posted by Back2NC

I am very well aware of Google, though the aerospace potential is new, and hopefully more promising. The truth about Google, as I understand it, is that it is a few hundred jobs, maybe not even, and some will possibly include transplants relocating to that area. Also, most of the jobs will most likely not be high paying. I believe they are getting all sorts of tax cuts to come in, which is the last thing that town needs, as 1,000's of furniture jobs have left, with nothing replacing them. Even KMart closed up shop in that town (not Hickory) a few years back.

Hopefully, Google will start a sort of revitalization, but I am wary. Add to this scores if illegal aliens in that town draining resources already strained.

I don't mean to sound like such a pessimist, but I am very, very familiar with that particular area, and things have not looked good for some time.

I really, truly hope I am wrong on this one.

Well, look at my name, that should say something. As much as a fan I am of this great city, particularly a low-crime rate, great place to raise a family, I have to agree with this quote (don't know about the transplant part though).

Hopefully, things will pick up in the future.