Editing Hickory, North Carolina (section)

==Economy==
[[File:127 northbound.jpg|thumb|Intersection of 1st Avenue NE and NC 127 near Downtown Hickory]]

Early industries such as wagon-making, as well as proximity to expansive forests and excellent transportation via two intersecting railroads, provided fertile ground for the emergence of the furniture industry.<ref name="ui.uncc.edu">{{Cite web |title=Catawba County: An Introduction &#124; UNC Charlotte Urban Institute |url=http://ui.uncc.edu/content/catawba-county-introduction |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720092851/http://ui.uncc.edu/content/catawba-county-introduction |archive-date=July 20, 2011 |access-date=January 10, 2011}}</ref> Likewise experience with textile manufacturing and easy access to power drove new industries in both fiber-optic cable<ref name="ui.uncc.edu" /> and pressure-sensitive tape.<ref name="Shurtape history">{{Cite web |title=Company History |url=http://www.shurtape.com/ABOUTUS/CompanyHistory/tabid/29/Default.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112202351/http://www.shurtape.com/ABOUTUS/CompanyHistory/tabid/29/Default.aspx |archive-date=January 12, 2014 |access-date=June 19, 2017 |website=www.shurtape.com}}</ref> Forty percent of the world's fiber optic cable is made in the Hickory area.<ref>[http://www.hickorygov.com/history/hickoryregional.html Hickory's Regional Role As Leader] from hickorygov.com</ref>

Adhesive tape manufacturer [[Shurtape Technologies]] is based in Hickory and Fortune 500 network infrastructure provider [[CommScope]], is based in nearby [[Claremont, North Carolina|Claremont]].<ref>[https://fortune.com/company/commscope-holding/fortune500/ CommScope Holding Company Profile]. ''Fortune''. Retrieved May 17, 2021.</ref><ref>Gilbert, C. Richard. (November 13, 2023). [https://860wacb.com/commscope-move-corporate-headquarters/ CommScope Moves Corporate Headquarters]. ''860wacb.com''. Retrieved August 14, 2024.</ref>

The furniture industry in Hickory is not as strong as in previous decades, but is still a primary component in the area economy. [[HSM (company)]] (formerly Hickory Springs, founded 1944) is a leading manufacturer of [[mattress coil]]s.  It is estimated 60% of the nation's furniture used to be produced within a {{convert|200|mi|km|adj=on}} radius of Hickory.

The Hickory area is marketed as a data-center corridor<ref>{{Cite web |title=datacentersites |url=http://www.datacentersites.com/ |access-date=June 19, 2017 |website=datacentersites}}</ref> and is home to large data centers operated by [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] and [[Google]]. Apple's billion-dollar data center campus just south of Hickory is one of the world's largest.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 17, 2010 |title=North Carolina Emerges as Data Center Hub – Data Center Knowledge |url=http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2010/11/17/north-carolina-emerges-as-data-center-hub/ |access-date=June 19, 2017}}</ref>

Hickory is home to the corporate headquarters of third-party logistics provider Transportation Insight, a member of North Carolina's top revenue tier of privately held businesses.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Article |url=https://www.grantthornton.com/~/media/content-page-files/offices/pdfs/NC/2016-NC-100-BNC-article.ashx |website=grantthornton.com}}</ref> In 2015, the company relocated its headquarters to the historic [[Lyerly Full Fashioned Mill]] in downtown Hickory.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Paul Thompson « Hickory Well Crafted-Work |url=http://www.hickorywellcrafted.com/work/news/paul-thompson/ |access-date=June 19, 2017 |website=www.hickorywellcrafted.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Landmark info |url=http://www.hickorylandmarks.org/pdf/Presawrd%20Winners.pdf |website=hickorylandmarks.org}}</ref>

=== Major Industries ===
* Manufacturing
* Education
* Healthcare
* Retail Trade
* Professional, scientific, and management
* Public Administration
* Transportation
* Construction

=== Major employers ===
* Catawba Valley Medical Center 
* Frye Regional Medical Center/Duke LifePoint
* MDI
* Hickory Springs Manufacturing
* [[Corning Inc.]]
* [[CommScope]] 
* [[Convergys]] 
* Century Furniture 
* City of Hickory
* Catawba Valley Community College
* Performance Food Group
* Hickory Public Schools
* Sherrill Furniture Company
* Fiserv
* Transportation Insight
* Catawba County
* Catawba County Schools
* ITM
* Cataler North America