About Our Town

 

Established in 1791 and incorporated in 1899, the Town of Granite Falls is the southernmost municipality in Caldwell County. Granite Falls borders Lake Hickory on the southern end of town and borders Lake Rhodhiss on the western side of town. The Town is five miles from Hickory, seven miles from the Hickory Airport and 50 miles from the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Over 29,000 members of the workforce live within fifteen minutes drive time from the Town and over 80,000 members of the workforce live within twenty-five minutes drive time from the Town. Granite Falls has benefited from residential spillover from Hickory and nearby Catawba County and in recent years has enjoyed a boom in commercial growth along US Highway 321.

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.

 

 

 

 

Housing discrimination is prohibited by Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act) and the North Carolina Fair Housing Act. In an effort to promote fair housing and that the rights of housing discrimination victims are protected, the Town of Granite Falls has adopted  procedures for receiving housing discrimination complaints.