Granite Falls, North Carolina

Granite Falls is a town in Caldwell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,722 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton 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 many other names such as Baird's Forge, Catawba View, Lovelady, and Granite.

Geography
Granite Falls is located near the southern border of Caldwell County. It is bordered to the south by the town of Rhodhiss, to the southwest by Lake Rhodhiss on the Catawba River (Lake Hickory), and to the west by the town of 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 (Hickory Boulevard) is a four-lane highway that passes through the eastern side of town; it leads 6 mi southeast to the center of Hickory and 10 mi northwest to 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 13.6 km2, of which 13.5 km2 is land and 0.1 km2, or 0.84%, is water.

2020 census
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 of 2000, there were 4,612 people, 1,758 households, and 1,211 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,080.4 PD/sqmi. There were 1,849 housing units at an average density of 433.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 92.06% White, 2.34% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 3.95% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or 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 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 line, including 10.6% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

92% of larceny calls to police in Granite Falls are related to the local Walmart.

High school

 * South Caldwell High School (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

 * Kicks 103.3, Kicks 103.3, local radio station
 * WJRI, News Talk 1340 WJRI, local radio station
 * WKGX, AM 1080 WKGX, local radio station
 * WYCV AM 900, local radio station

Notable people

 * Madison Bumgarner – MLB pitcher, 3x World Series Champion and 2014 World Series MVP
 * Eric Church – country music singer-songwriter
 * Jack Curtis – former MLB player
 * 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
 * Maxie Williams – former NFL player