Hickory, North Carolina

HI CKORY , NORTH CAROL INA we’ve had,” says Wood. Catawba Valley Community College, one of the top five community colleges in the U.S., has built an 80,000 square foot workforce development complex, offering training programs in the areas of computer engineering, electrical engineering, computer integrated machining, electronics engineering technology, automotive systems technology, welding, mechanical engineering, mechatronics and robotics, and heating/ ventilation. Wood reports, “They are set up to train the workforce. They even work with individual industries to train workers on specific equipment within that business. They do a tremendous job at that facility, and they are a vital piece of our economic development efforts. The beauty of it is they are about a mile down the road from the Trivium Corporate Center. And that’s one of the reasons we’ve been so successful landing businesses out there.” Hickory is also home to Lenoir-Rhyne University, a private Lutheran university offering a range of undergraduate, graduate, and continuing study options with a focus on liberal arts and sciences. Starting with only 12 students, in a one room school in 1891, the university has grown to an enrollment of more than 1800 students, and a campus spanning 100 acres. They are also a valuable contributor to community development. Along with Hickory’s determination to build a skilled workforce comes a rising demand for housing, especially single-family homes. With several developments in the works, home values are going up and houses are moving quickly. Currently the average for home sales is 30 days City Manager Warren Wood