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%

Hudson$1,560/mo

Typical home $265K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.78% · or rent about $549/mo · Housing →

Mountain View$1,250/mo

Typical home $223K (Census) · tax rate 0.48% · or rent about $956/mo · Housing →

The difference: $310 a month, about $3,700 a year, between Hudson and Mountain 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

Mountain View places higher on 11 of 18 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

BHudsonSafer than 60% of U.S. towns –Mountain ViewNot graded

Schools

B−HudsonBetter than 50% of districts in the state –Mountain ViewNot graded

Health

C+HudsonHealthier than 40% of U.S. towns BMountain ViewHealthier than 59% of U.S. towns

6Hudson

11Mountain View

Lists won, of 18 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Lowest property taxCost of living · 297 towns #143#20 Cheapest rentCost of living · 284 towns #5#97 Fewest smokersHealth · 296 towns #216#125 Lowest obesityHealth · 296 towns #84#167 Most walkableOutdoors · 297 towns #169#248 Most remote workersWork · 285 towns #180#254 Most activeHealth · 296 towns #189#117 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 296 towns #150#90

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

HudsonMountain View

Snow a year0″0″

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)43rd 26th

Outdoors & history

HudsonMountain View

Trails1 mi —

Conserved land1.9%—

National Register places1 —

Famous people born here1 —

Community

HudsonMountain View

Library hours a week43 hrs —

Colleges in town1 —

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.

Where they are

13 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

HudsonMountain View

Hudson ↔ Mountain View13 miles apart

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

HudsonMountain View

People

Population 3,772Lowest 3,982Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +0.1%Lowest NC: +9.5% +1.1%Highest NC: +9.5%

Median age 45.1±7.7Highest 15% above NC 42.1±8.8Lowest 8% above NC

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

Kids under 18 14.6%±4.9Lowest NC: 21.8% 29.2%±5Highest NC: 21.8%

Age 65+ 25.4%±6.5Highest NC: 17.2% 20.5%±4.9Lowest NC: 17.2%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 22.4%Lowest NC: 35.7% 24.7%Highest NC: 35.7%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 9.2%±5.2Highest NC: 6.4% 4.8%±2.8Lowest NC: 6.4%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $65,268±$31kLowest 10% below NC $71,792±$14kHighest about the NC average

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $223,000±$27kHighest 23% below NC $222,500±$17kLowest 23% below NC

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $549±$319Lowest 55% below NC $956±$167Highest 22% below NC

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,747Highest 8% below NC $1,059Lowest 44% below NC

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 73.6%±38.6Highest NC: 48.9% 54%±30.6Lowest NC: 48.9%

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

Below poverty line 13.6%Lowest NC: 13% 20.4%Highest NC: 13%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 81% NC: 66.6% 81% NC: 66.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1978Lowest 13 yrs older than NC 1979Highest 12 yrs older than NC

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 22 minHighest 12% below NC 19 minLowest 24% below NC

Work from home 8.8%±6.3Highest NC: 16.3% 3.9%±3Lowest NC: 16.3%

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

Work in townworking residents 7.5%Highest 0.3%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.3 miHighest 10.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.09Highest 0.09Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Lenoir (19%)Hickory (29%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Mountain ViewFew work in Hudson

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 1.9%Highest 1.6%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 1.2 miHighest 0.5 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miHighest 0.1 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Highest 0Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 49.1Highest 28.6Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #59 of 252 in NC—

School district Caldwell County Schools—

High school in town Caldwell Early College—

Students per teacherat that high school 25.0 —

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.

Hudson neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Hudson’s Town Square.

Mountain View neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mountain View’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Hudson and Mountain View

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

Bordering Hudson

+ Compare

Lenoir18,299 people · $179K homes

+ Compare

Sawmills5,042 people · $220K homes

Towns like Hudson

+ Compare

Spencer3,349 people · $202K homes

+ Compare

Boiling Spring Lakes6,347 people · $292K homes

+ Compare

Carthage2,896 people · $208K homes

+ Compare

Landis3,765 people · $252K homes

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks North Carolina towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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.

Hudson vs Mountain View

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $310 more a month in Hudson

Mountain View places higher on 11 of 18 NC lists

What daily life feels like in each

13 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Hudson and Mountain View

Bordering Hudson

Towns like Hudson

Post to Hudson

Check your email