Editing Granite Falls, North Carolina

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Granite Falls, North Carolina
|settlement_type          = [[Town]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Granite Falls, North Carolina 02.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Downtown Granite Falls, as viewed facing southeast on Main Street
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               = Granite Falls, North Carolina seal.jpg

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = NCMap-doton-GraniteFalls.PNG
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Granite Falls, North Carolina
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             =

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = [[United States]]
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[North Carolina]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in North Carolina|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Caldwell County, North Carolina|Caldwell]]
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=September 20, 2022}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 12.90
|area_land_km2            = 12.79
|area_water_km2           = 0.11
|area_total_sq_mi         = 4.98
|area_land_sq_mi          = 4.94
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.04

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 4965
|population_density_km2   = 388.33
|population_density_sq_mi = 1005.67

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset               = -5
|timezone_DST             = EDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -4
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 1099
|coordinates              = {{coord|35|47|49|N|81|25|26|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 28630
|area_code                = [[Area code 828|828]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 37-27420<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2406601<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2406601}}</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|granitefallsnc.com}}
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
}}
'''Granite Falls''' is a town in [[Caldwell County, North Carolina|Caldwell County]], [[North Carolina]], United States. The population was 4,722 at the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]].<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US3727420| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212192258/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US3727420| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Granite Falls town, North Carolina| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=December 19, 2014}}</ref> It is part of the [[Hickory, North Carolina|Hickory]]&ndash;[[Lenoir, North Carolina|Lenoir]]&ndash;[[Morganton, North Carolina|Morganton]] [[The Unifour|Metropolitan Statistical Area]].

==History==
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.<ref>[https://www.granitefallsnc.com/history History - Town of Granite Falls].''Town of Granite Falls''. Retrieved 10 April 2019.</ref>

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.<ref>McCall, M. (1999). Etched in Granite: The History of Granite Falls, North Carolina.</ref>

==Geography==
Granite Falls is located near the southern border of Caldwell County. It is bordered to the south by the town of [[Rhodhiss, North Carolina|Rhodhiss]], to the southwest by Lake Rhodhiss on the [[Catawba River]] (Lake Hickory), and to the west by the town of [[Sawmills, North Carolina|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 in North Carolina|U.S. Route 321]] (Hickory Boulevard) is a four-lane highway that passes through the eastern side of town; it leads {{convert|6|mi|0}} southeast to the center of [[Hickory, North Carolina|Hickory]] and {{convert|10|mi|0}} northwest to [[Lenoir, North Carolina|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 {{convert|13.6|km2|disp=flip}}, of which {{convert|13.5|km2|disp=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.1|km2|disp=flip|2}}, or 0.84%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010"/>
[[File:Granite Falls Municipal Building, North Carolina.jpg|thumb|right|Granite Falls Municipal Building]]

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1900= 277
|1910= 381
|1920= 1101
|1930= 2147
|1940= 1873
|1950= 2286
|1960= 2644
|1970= 2388
|1980= 2580
|1990= 3253
|2000= 4612
|2010= 4722
|2020= 4965
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>[https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US3727420&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2 Census - Table Results]. ''data.census.gov''. Retrieved January 18, 2022.</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Granite Falls racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US3727420&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=2021-12-21|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| [[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
| 4,189
| 84.37%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 164
| 3.3%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 11
| 0.22%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 39
| 0.79%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
| 2
| 0.04%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 223
| 4.49%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|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===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 4,612 people, 1,758 households, and 1,211 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|1,080.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 1,849 housing units at an average density of {{convert|433.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 92.06% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 2.34% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.17% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.39% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.07% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 3.95% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.02% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|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 [[Marriage|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 thresholds (United States Census Bureau)|poverty line]], including 10.6% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
===High school===
*[[South Caldwell High School]] ([[Hudson, North Carolina|Hudson]] address)

===Middle school===
*Granite Falls Middle School

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

===Alternative school===
*Gateway School (grades 6–12)

==Media==
* [http://www.foothillsradio.com/ Kicks 103.3], Kicks 103.3, local radio station
* [http://www.foothillsradio.com/ WJRI], News Talk 1340 WJRI, local radio station
* [http://www.foothillsradio.com/ 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==
* [[Madison Bumgarner]], [[Major League Baseball|MLB]] pitcher, 4x [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] selection, 3x [[World Series]] champion and 2014 [[World Series Most Valuable Player Award|World Series MVP]]<ref>Verducci, Tom. (Dec 15, 2014). [https://www.si.com/vault/2014/12/15/106686321/madison-bumgarner Madison Bumgarner | Vault]. ''Sports Illustrated''. Retrieved Feb 12, 2020.</ref>
* [[Eric Church]], country music singer-songwriter
* [[Charlie Cozart]], former MLB player
* [[Jack Curtis (baseball)|Jack Curtis]], former MLB player<ref>The Baseball Cube. Retrieved July 23, 2018, from http://www.thebaseballcube.com/hs/profile.asp?ID=11961</ref>
* [[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]] [[Official (gridiron football)|referee]]
* [[Maxie Williams]], former NFL offensive lineman<ref>Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 23, 2018, from https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WillMa26.htm</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.granitefallsnc.com}}
* [https://repository.duke.edu/dc/hleewaters?utf8=%E2%9C%93&search_scope=https%3A%2F%2Frepository.duke.edu%2Fdc%2Fhleewaters&q=granite+falls&search_field=all_fields Films of Granite Falls, NC, by H. Lee Waters, 1938-1940.]

{{Caldwell County, North Carolina}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Caldwell County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:North Carolina populated places on the Catawba River]]
[[Category:Year of establishment missing]]