38 replies to this topic

[monsoon]

That Walmart looks just like the Super Target they built on Hwy 150 in Mooresville.  It just has more EFIS blown onto it to make it look like an old town.  It still fronts a huge parking lot.

[roundhere]

suburbangeorge,  thanks for the pictures.

Very nice.

Hickory looks to be a good place to live. Will be interesting to see where the city will be in two years or so, if it is able to tap into the massive growth taking place in other nearby cities, the city may grow by leaps and bounds...

[ScottCLT]

roundhere, on Mar 29 2007, 01:28 AM, said:

Hickory looks to be a good place to live. Will be interesting to see where the city will be in two years or so, if it is able to tap into the massive growth taking place in other nearby cities, the city may grow by leaps and bounds...

Hickory is a good place to live. I grew up and lived there for the first 18 years of my life. I now live in Charlotte, as I tend to gravitate towards more urban life. But, I have to say that every time I go back to Hickory (the whole 1 hour trek that it is!), I always have a good time and love seeing how the city has grown.

There are some *really* great spots to dine in Hickory. You might be thinking...who though there was a food scene in Hickory? Well, check out 242 and 1859. Seriously, those are the names. Two incredible restaurants only reffered to by their street numbers, and neither are related as far as I know. Also, the Vintage House is excellent. If you want more casual fare, go to The Tap Room or The Old Hickory Brewery. You can eat at a booth arranged inside a giant old keg at the brewery -- pretty cool. And Michael's on 4th is a good new spot too. And don't forget that the ORIGINAL location of the Hickory Tavern was in Hickory! I've heard that they have moved to a new location that is top notch. Let me recommend the "bucket of boat trash" there -- it's a lot of work for your food, but it's worth it. These are just places that I grew up around, but I know that there are more dining options now (at least outside the regular chains).

Hickory is a small town, but it will always hold a place in my heart...even though I would prefer to live on the 50th story of a condo building, which can't be accomplished there. I hope you enjoy it.

[suburban george3]

Hopefully everyone remembers the notorious sinkhole in Hickory that "swallowed" a Corvette and only gave up the bumper!  Well, the new owner has exposed the the hole in the parking lot and has pretty much left a pile of eroding dirt.  It's really an eyesore on a prime piece of commercial property.  I'll try to get a snapshot tomorrow while I'm at my office there.

Charlotte Observer Article about Hickory Sinkhole's continuing problems...

[suburban george3]

As promised, the great 'Vette' swallowing sink-hole in Hickory.  U can read my previous post about the uproar this is now causing as 'nothing' has been going on at the site for some time...

[ol' firefighter]

monsoon, on Mar 27 2007, 03:54 AM, said:

<br />That Walmart looks just like the Super Target they built on Hwy 150 in Mooresville.  It just has more EFIS blown onto it to make it look like an old town.  It still fronts a huge parking lot.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Yes, but wait for the outparcels to develop. I stopped by an saw the siteplan, w/ the Conover planning department. It has a very differnt appearance at buildout.

[Justadude]

I don't know how to soften this up, so I'll just say in advance that I don't mean any offense to residents of Hickory...

In my personal experience, Hickory is just about the redneck-iest of the towns in Charlotte's sphere of influence.  It's the kind of place where you find half the local high school hanging out in a McDonald's parking lot.  I dread driving the interstate past Hickory because of all the "The Fast and the Furious" wannabes zipping by at 105mph in their pimped-out '98 Civics with neon trim and extra-bright headlights.  I have more than once been stopped at a red light in Hickory next to trucks with wheels so big they are actually taller than the roof of my car.  And I've never even bothered to venture into the bad parts of town.  

I'm sure that Hickory has some redeeming qualities, but I've never seen them.  I avoid the place as much as possible.

[shane828]

Justadude, on May 26 2007, 09:06 PM, said:

I don't know how to soften this up, so I'll just say in advance that I don't mean any offense to residents of Hickory...

In my personal experience, Hickory is just about the redneck-iest of the towns in Charlotte's sphere of influence.  It's the kind of place where you find half the local high school hanging out in a McDonald's parking lot.  I dread driving the interstate past Hickory because of all the "The Fast and the Furious" wannabes zipping by at 105mph in their pimped-out '98 Civics with neon trim and extra-bright headlights.  I have more than once been stopped at a red light in Hickory next to trucks with wheels so big they are actually taller than the roof of my car.  And I've never even bothered to venture into the bad parts of town.  

I'm sure that Hickory has some redeeming qualities, but I've never seen them.  I avoid the place as much as possible.

XD no offense to you either..but I just find that hilarious.

[Charlotteman]

My first time discovering this thread!

I was born and raised in Hickory, and left in 1979.  The main reason I left is because I wanted to live in a large city with plentiful urban life.  I haven't been to Hickory since 1995, and I was there just to buy furniture one day, so I didn't get to see the city at all.  Thanks for all the great pics!

The new Wal Mart looks great, and downtown looks awesome.  I was a teenager when downtown was re done, and the new car-free elements introduced.  Lookin' better and better.

However one thing, one of my funniest memories about downtown Hickory was the old Catawba Theatre.  It was as small as a theatre could possibly be, and by the early 1970s was showing only X-rated fare.  It was very very shabby and derelict, and was a joke around town.  They tore it down to build a downtown parking lot.  If anyone has any, I would absolutely love to see some old pics of downtown Hickory, especially the sleazy Catawba Theatre!

[suburban george3]

There is a Carmax being built in Hickory, above the Convention Center.  There is also construction in front of the Convention Center as well.

The Holiday Inn has now become a Crowne Plaza.

[jasoniman24]

The only thing that bugs me about Hickory is the layout of the roads, like 16th ST NW, 16th ST Place SE, etc. And having streets with the same name broken up in so many pieces.    I guess that's why the people I know native to the area just ignore the street names and go by landmarks when giving directions to visitors. Thank goodness for portable navigation units.

Edited by jasoniman24, 28 September 2008 - 08:18 PM.

[suburban george3]

jasoniman24, on Sep 28 2008, 10:10 PM, said:

The only thing that bugs me about Hickory is the layout of the roads, like 16th ST NW, 16th ST Place SE, etc. And having streets with the same name broken up in so many pieces. I guess that's why the people I know native to the area just ignore the street names and go by landmarks when giving directions to visitors. Thank goodness for portable navigation units.

Most of the cities in the Unifour started out with a grid pattern to their streets, however they came up with a crazy naming pattern.  Everything is centered on the train stations, and the roads repeat names, numbers on all 4 sides..  Streets are perpendicular to the station and Avenues Parallel.  Center St. in Hickory 'demarks' the line for the repeat (closest to the station.)  Look at a roadmap and you'll see the pattern.  When the road is broken up, thanks to a building or otherwise, the name changes to 4th St Dr NW or 9th Ave Dr SE or 20th Ave Ct NE.  If you know where the train station is, it's not as hard to figure out where to go.  (My office is in Hickory and the same thing drove me crazy until it was finally explained to me.  I would like to know what the folks were smokin' when they came up with this idea!!  lol)

[suburban george3]

MDI, one of the area's largest employers, has announced a $50million + expansion which will also increase total employment by 200.  

The company currently employs more than 1,500 workers at the Hickory distribution center. The additional 200 jobs will pay an average annual salary of $51,123, not including benefits, which is greater than the Caldwell County average of $28,184.

Good news in an area that has taken it on the chin with furniture and textiles.

[suburban george3]

The Economic downturn has claimed victim to a Hickory automotive dealership group.  Hickory Auto Group closed 12/23 with only a day's notice to employees.  The dealerships in Hickory were the Volvo, Porsche, Volkswagen, Caddilac, Lincoln, and Mercury dealerships.  There was also a Used car dealership.  Customers who had cars in the service bays were directed to call a special number.  Liquidation companies have been on site making inventory of the vehicles on hand.

Hickory Record article about Hickory Auto Group Closure.

[suburban george3]

Lowes Foods has announced construction of a new store in Hickory.  The store will be off Hwy 127 between 13th and 14th street in the Viewmont area next to the Lowes Hardware store.  It will be 55,000 sf and should open in the spring of 2010.

[nova72asu]

Bojangles has opened in Hildebran and Dollar General in under construction and should be open in the near future.

[rancenc]

Kudos to the Catawba County/Hickory area for landing Covation LLC and its promise of over 900 employees in the next 2 years.  

http://www.charlotte...ory/443761.html

[suburban george3]

Hickory just made one of Forbes.com worst list, as one of the 10 worst cities in the U.S. to find a job at the moment...  all the other locales were in the rustbelt..

[suburban george3]

Mellow Mushroom is going to be moving into the old Rock-Ola Cafe location on Lenoir-Rhyne Blvd.  Biscuitville just recently opened a location on L-R as well.