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Location
Gaston County is strategically located just west
of Charlotte (Mecklenburg County) in the
Southern Piedmont of North Carolina. We are
approximately halfway between Atlanta and
Washington DC and approximately halfway between
New York and Miami.
Statistics
County Seat: Gastonia
Elevation: 825 ft msl
Land Area: 365 square miles (357 not
including water area)
Population Density: 490.06 (1990 Census)
Date formed: December 21, 1846 from
Lincoln County
Named after William Gaston (1778-1844), a member
of Congress and NC Supreme Court Judge.
Municipalities:
15
Belmont
8.52 square miles
Bessemer City 4.42 square miles
Cherryville 5.39 square miles
Cramerton 3.83 square miles
Dallas 1.77 square miles
Dellview 0.11 square miles
Gastonia 48.15 square miles
High Shoals 2.19 square miles
Kings Mountain 2.17 square miles*
Lowell 2.69 square miles
McAdenville 1.49 square miles
Mount Holly 8.50 square miles
Ranlo 1.48 square miles
Spencer Mountain 0.56 square miles
Stanley 2.27 square miles
Total Municipal
93.54 square miles
Total County(excluding municipal
corporations) 271 square miles
*portion in Gaston
County
Note: These figures are current as of April
2002. Additional
incorporations will modify figures. Also,
calculations do not
include acreage for municipal extra-territorial
jurisdiction.
General History and Characteristics
Gaston County is located in the South-Central
Piedmont section of North Carolina . It is
bounded on the east by the Catawba River and
Mecklenburg County , on the west by Cleveland
County , on the north by Lincoln County and on
the south by York County , South Carolina .
Gaston was formed from a lower portion of
Lincoln County in 1846.
Gaston County is one of one hundred counties
created by the North Carolina State Legislature.
It ranks 74th in size consisting of
approximately 364.5 square miles, and is seventh
in population with approximately 190,000 people
recorded during the 2000 Census. The County has
fifteen incorporated towns.
The topography of the County is gently rolling
to hilly, with several pronounced ridges,
including Kings Mountain Pinnacle, Spencer
Mountain , Jackson 's Knob, Paysour Mountain and
Crowders Mountain . Elevations above sea level
in Gaston County range from 587 feet in the
southeast corner to 1,705 feet at the Pinnacle
of the Kings Mountain ridge in the southwest.
The average elevation is estimated at 825 feet.
The County has a temperate climate characterized
by moderate temperature variations and moderate
humidity. The average temperature is about 60
degrees Fahrenheit, ranging from an average
winter temperature of 43 degrees to a summer
average of 78 degrees. The average annual
precipitation is 44 inches, and the average
relative humidity is 54 percent. The primary
components of the drainage system in Gaston
County are the Catawba River with the South Fork
River as its major tributary.
The early settlers of Gaston County were
principally Scotch Irish, Pennsylvania Dutch,
and English. Upon their arrival, they found a
few Catawba Indians remaining, but this tribe
soon moved to South Carolina . In anticipation
of an attack by the Cherokees, who were then
engaged in border warfare, a fort was
constructed at the junction of the Catawba and
South Fork Rivers . Relations were maintained
with the few Indians in the area, and there is
no indication that the fort was ever necessary.
Early Gaston County never knew the agricultural
prosperity which some of the other counties of
the State enjoyed. Normally, the small farms
were self-sufficient, but the crop yield was
relatively low. Corn, one of the more abundant
and prosperous crops, was quickly converted into
whiskey by one of the forty-eight licensed
distilleries in the County. By 1870, Gaston was
known as the "Banner Corn Whiskey County of
Carolina." In addition to distilleries, mines in
various parts of the County yielded in varying
quantities--gold, lime, sulfur, tin, and iron.
Furnaces for smelting ore were founded early
around Mount Holly , Bessemer City , and High
Shoals.
Between 1845 and 1848, the industrial boom in
Gaston County had its origin. During this
three-year period, the first three cotton mills
in the County were established. Some authorities
say that the first one was established by Thomas
R. Tate on Mountain Island , the present site of
Duke Power Company's Mount Holly steam plant.
Other sources say that the first mill was
established by the Linebergers and others on the
South Fork River near McAdenville. Most sources
agree that among the first three mills in
operation in the County was the Stowesville
Mill, founded by Jasper Stowe and Associates in
the Point Section of Belmont . Gaston County
still leads all other counties in the country
both in the number of spindles in operation and
in the number of bales of cotton consumed.
Today Gaston County enjoys a diverse industrial
base with over 4,000 businesses employing nearly
95,000 workers. 33% of the employment is in the
service sector, 26% in manufacturing, 23% in
retail and wholesale trade, and 12% in
government.
Public utilities serving the Gaston County area
include Duke Power, Plantation Pipe Line
Company, Public Service Company of North
Carolina , and Bell South.
The Gaston County public school system is the
sixth largest in the State with an enrollment of
more than 32,000 students. It is a consolidated
system which assures the same quality education
for all students both urban and rural. The
school system includes special programs, which
are available for exceptional students as well
as for the handicapped and the learning
disabled.
Institutions of higher education in the County
include Gaston College , a county-supported
community college and Belmont Abbey College , a
private 4-year institution.
Gaston County supports one of the most modern
hospital facilities in the entire region, Gaston
Memorial Hospital, Inc., in Gastonia . This
479-bed facility has an excellent staff of
medical personnel and is equipped with the
latest technological equipment. All rooms are
private and are designed for maximum patient
comfort and convenience.
More info
http://www.co.gaston.nc.us/CountyProfile.htm
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