Hickory is a city in western North Carolina primarily located in Catawba County. The 25th most populous city in the state, it is located approximately 60 miles 97 km northwest of Charlotte. Hickory's population in the United States Census Bureau estimate was 44, Hickory is the main city of the Hickory—Lenoir—Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area , which had a population of , in the census , and is included in the larger Charlotte-Concord, NC Combined Statistical Area with a population of 3,, in In , Reader's Digest named the Hickory metro area as the 10th best place to live and raise a family in the United States.
Hickory owes its name to the Hickory Tavern, a log structure built in the s underneath a hickory tree. The house he built was later adapted as The Cafe, a restaurant which closed in The first train operated near Hickory Tavern in In , Dr.
Three years later, its name was officially changed to Hickory. In , it became the City of Hickory. Hickory grew rapidly in the s. Electric lights were installed in A year later, the Elliott Opera House opened.
Decorated in French renaissance style with mythological motifs, the opera house auditorium had seating for ; the parquet balcony fit another The opera house hosted touring out of town shows, the Hickory Amateurs the city's first acting troupe , and The Hickory Symphony Band. A fire destroyed the entire building in , and it was never rebuilt. A municipal auditorium was constructed across the street in , and now houses the Hickory Community Theatre.
In , four Lutheran pastors founded Highland Academy with 12 students. It has developed through the decades as Lenoir—Rhyne University. Hickory built a sewage system in The city adopted the council-manager form of government in Hickory is home to one of the oldest furniture manufacturers in the United States that is still located and operated on the original site.
