A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Conover$1,600/mo

Typical home $278K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.64% · or rent about $898/mo · Housing →

Newton$1,530/mo

Typical home $259K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.79% · or rent about $1,091/mo · Housing →

The difference: $70 a month, about $900 a year, between Conover and Newton.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Conover and Newton share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

ConoverNewton

Conover ↔ Newton3.8 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

486 Newton residents work in Conover (8.5% of its workers)

318 Conover residents work in Newton (8.5% of its workers)

Work & commute in Newton →

Report cards

Newton places higher on 13 of 19 NC lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every North Carolina ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

–ConoverNot graded C−NewtonSafer than 19% of U.S. towns

Schools

B+ConoverBetter than 65% of districts in the state B+NewtonBetter than 65% of districts in the state

Health

C+ConoverHealthier than 40% of U.S. towns B−NewtonHealthier than 45% of U.S. towns

5Conover

13Newton

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most conserved landOutdoors · 276 towns #245#96 Most trailsOutdoors · 177 towns #162#89 Most affordableCost of living · 297 towns #154#59 Lowest depressionHealth · 296 towns #214#139 Cheapest rentCost of living · 284 towns #84#146 Shortest commuteGetting around · 297 towns #23#80 Best schoolsSchools · 252 towns #132#84 Lowest property taxCost of living · 297 towns #135#85

Left end = #1 in North Carolina. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Conover’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

ConoverNewton

Snow a year4″6″

January low29°F 30°F

July high87°F 89°F

Growing season (days)217d 201d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)12th 12th

Outdoors & history

ConoverNewton

Trails2 mi 6 mi

Conserved land0.6%5.4%

Settled1876 1845

National Register places2 11

Archive photos4 12

Famous people born here2 17

Community

ConoverNewton

Library hours a week39 hrs 60 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs North Carolina average

ConoverNewton

People

Population 8,580Lowest 13,333Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +3.1%Highest NC: +9.5% +1.4%Lowest NC: +9.5%

Median age 36.8±9Lowest 6% below NC 38.2±2.9Highest about the NC average

Newton and Conover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 30.5%±5.5Highest NC: 21.8% 21%±3.8Lowest NC: 21.8%

Age 65+ 18%±4.4Lowest NC: 17.2% 20.5%±3.6Highest NC: 17.2%

Newton and Conover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 23.8%Highest NC: 35.7% 21%Lowest NC: 35.7%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.1%±1.2Lowest NC: 6.4% 2.8%±1Highest NC: 6.4%

Newton and Conover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $65,972±$10kHighest 9% below NC $62,015±$6kLowest 14% below NC

Conover and Newton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $271,300±$30kHighest 6% below NC $186,300±$33kLowest 36% below NC

Rentmedian gross, monthly $898±$100Lowest 27% below NC $1,091±$128Highest 11% below NC

Newton and Conover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,723Highest 9% below NC $1,473Lowest 22% below NC

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 55.5%±16.3Highest NC: 48.9% 45.3%±12.8Lowest NC: 48.9%

Conover and Newton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 15.7%Highest NC: 13% 12%Lowest NC: 13%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 69%Lowest NC: 66.6% 72.6%Highest NC: 66.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1991Highest same as NC 1977Lowest 14 yrs older than NC

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 19 minLowest 25% below NC 22 minHighest 14% below NC

Work from home 4.1%±2.4Lowest NC: 16.3% 5.6%±2.7Highest NC: 16.3%

Newton and Conover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 11.2%Lowest 12.4%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.3 miLowest 8.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.76Highest 1.69Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Hickory (22%)Hickory (20%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 9% work in Newton8% work in Conover

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.6%Lowest 5.4%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 1.8 miLowest 5.6 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miLowest 0.4 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Lowest 8Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 38.1Lowest 45.5Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #132 of 252 in NC #84 of 252 in NC

School district Catawba County Schools · Newton Conover City SchoolsCatawba County Schools · Newton Conover City Schools

High school in town None in townNewton-Conover High

Students per teacherat that high school — 16.5

North Carolina average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Conover neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Conover’s Town Square.

Newton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Newton’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Conover and Newton

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Conover

+ Compare

St. Stephens9,457 people · $213K homes

+ Compare

Hickory44,258 people · $278K homes

Towns like Conover

+ Compare

Cherryville6,226 people · $232K homes

+ Compare

Butner8,065 people · $231K homes

+ Compare

Zebulon8,711 people · $321K homes

+ Compare

Dallas6,104 people · $254K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Conover vs Newton

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs about the same each month

Conover and Newton share a border

Newton places higher on 13 of 19 NC lists

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Conover and Newton

Bordering Conover

Towns like Conover

Post to Conover

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