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Hickory vs Long View

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (20.3× in Hickory) and size (8.8× in Hickory).

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Hickory, NCA history townNorth Carolina · 44,258 people
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Long View, NCHomes around $187KNorth Carolina · 5,011 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $630 more a month in Hickory

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.

Hickory$1,730/mo
Typical home $295K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.74% · or rent about $1,063/mo · Housing →
Long View$1,100/mo
Typical home $187K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.80% · or rent about $794/mo · Housing →

The difference: $630 a month, about $7,500 a year, between Hickory and Long View.

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.

Report cards

Hickory places higher on 11 of 17 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.

Where they are

Hickory and Long View share a border

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

HickoryLong ViewHickoryLong View
Hickory ↔ Long View3.6 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
691 Long View residents work in Hickory (31.4% of its workers)
404 Hickory residents work in Long View (2.1% of its workers)
Work & commute in Long View →
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
HickoryLong View
Snow a year0″0″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)31st7th
Outdoors & history
HickoryLong View
Trails8 mi0 mi
Conserved land5.4%1.4%
Settled1870—
National Register places241
Archive photos12—
Famous people born here46—
Community
HickoryLong View
Library hours a week58 hrs—
Colleges in town2—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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.

HickoryLong View
People
Population 44,258Highest 5,011Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +8.7%Highest NC: +9.5% +4.5%Lowest NC: +9.5%
Median age 37.5±2.4Lowest 4% below NC 43.5±7.6Highest 11% above NC
Long View and Hickory are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 21.3%±1.9Highest NC: 21.8% 15.9%±4.7Lowest NC: 21.8%
Hickory and Long View are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 17.1%±1.4Lowest NC: 17.2% 17.6%±5Highest NC: 17.2%
Long View and Hickory are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 37.1%Highest NC: 35.7% 7.9%Lowest NC: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.9%±1.2Highest NC: 6.4% 1%±0.9Lowest NC: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $64,576±$5kHighest 11% below NC $46,739±$2kLowest 35% below NC
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $278,400±$19kHighest 4% below NC $157,300±$21kLowest 46% below NC
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,063±$63Highest 13% below NC $794±$158Lowest 35% below NC
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,066Highest 9% above NC $1,259Lowest 34% below NC
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 40.3%±5.6Highest NC: 48.9% 37.7%±16.2Lowest NC: 48.9%
Hickory and Long View are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 17.1%Highest NC: 13% 11.3%Lowest NC: 13%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 55%Highest NC: 66.6% 53.1%Lowest NC: 66.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1982Highest 9 yrs older than NC 1970Lowest 21 yrs older than NC
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 21 minLowest 16% below NC 24 minHighest 5% below NC
Work from home 12.9%±2.7Highest NC: 16.3% 3.4%±3.7Lowest NC: 16.3%
Work in townworking residents 32.9%Highest 3.2%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.8 miLowest 10.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.33Highest 1.39Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Charlotte (8%)Hickory (31%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in Long View31% work in Hickory
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5.4%Highest 1.4%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 8.1 miHighest 0.4 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 16Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 57.1Lowest 68.6Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #116 of 252 in NC—
School district Catawba County Schools · Hickory City SchoolsHickory City Schools
High school in town Hickory HighNone in town
Students per teacherat that high school 26.7 —
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.

Hickory neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Hickory’s Town Square.

Long View neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Long View’s Town Square.

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Bordering Hickory

Towns like Hickory

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.

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