About Our Town
The Town is named for the falls and giant granite boulders on Gunpowder Creek where Andrew Baird established a profitable iron works after acquiring extensive land holdings (12,260 acres) around the falls in the early 1790’s. The “Baird House” is the second oldest home in Caldwell County and houses the Granite Falls History and Transportation Museum. Visitors to the downtown area will find a large slab of granite rock next to the Town clock on the Town square which is flanked by locally-owned businesses and buildings with unique architectural features. Granite Falls is proud to be known as the hometown of country music superstar Eric Church. The Town is also home to the world’s largest collection of soda pop memorabilia housed in Antique Vending Company’s showroom.
The Town of Granite Falls’ responsibility to its citizens is to furnish essential quality-of-life public services that focus primarily on public health and safety. Granite Falls is Caldwell County’s only full service municipality providing police, fire and rescue services, parks and recreation facilities and programs, water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, electric distribution, waste and recycling collection, street and sidewalk maintenance, planning and zoning, and other administrative services.
In addition to administering a full range of services, the Town provides or assists other organizations in offering family oriented activities throughout the year. Events and activities include the annual “Art in the Park” concert the third Monday in May, the annual Granite Falls Merchants’ Association Festival on Main the third Saturday in September, the annual Veterans Day celebration, the annual Festival on the Square annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony the Monday before Thanksgiving and the annual Granite Falls Rotary Club Christmas Parade the first Saturday in December. Additionally, the Granite Falls Parks and Recreation department offers youth team sports such as baseball, softball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, indoor soccer and swim team and other activities including arts and crafts, baton, children’s playgrounds, swimming, walking path and trails, tennis, exercise classes, fitness training, youth camps, and senior card games.
TOWN OF GRANITE FALLS IMPLEMENTS STAGE 2 MANDATORY WATER REDUCTIONS TO PROTECT LOCAL WATER SUPPLY
GRANITE FALLS, NORTH CAROLINA – Due to continued dry conditions across the region and declining water supply indicators, the Town of Granite Falls has implemented Stage 2: Mandatory Water Reductions under its Water Shortage Response Plan.
This action follows regional drought conditions identified within the Catawba-Wateree River Basin, where Stage 2 drought conditions require immediate conservation efforts to protect shared water resources and preserve drinking water availability.
Stage 2 conditions indicate that water supply levels are significantly below seasonal norms and that prolonged shortages are possible without immediate reductions in water use.
Town officials are urging all residents, businesses, and institutions to take immediate action to reduce nonessential water use.
Under Stage 2, the following restrictions are required for all Granite Falls water customers:
· No lawn watering or irrigation is permitted
· Watering of shrubs, trees, and flowers is limited to:
o 7:00–9:00 a.m. and 7:00–9:00 p.m.
o Hand-held hoses with automatic shutoff nozzles only
· Washing of driveways, sidewalks, and exterior surfaces is prohibited, except when necessary and approved
· Restaurants may only serve water upon customer request
· Filling of swimming pools is restricted to Wednesdays and Saturdays and requires a permit
· All customers must eliminate unnecessary water use, including commercial and industrial operations
These restrictions build upon previously encouraged conservation measures, which are now mandatory and enforceable.