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Long View vs Hickory

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

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Long View, NCHomes around $187KNorth Carolina · 5,011 people
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Hickory, NCA history townNorth Carolina · 44,258 people
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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.

Long ViewHomes around $187K
Housing$187K typical home44% below the NC typical home Outdoors#56 most walkable in NC0.4 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves SchoolsBetter than 50%of NC districts All about Long View →
HickoryA history town
HistorySettled in 187024 places on the National Register Work44,453 jobsbased in Hickory, a regional job hub College town2 collegesLenoir-Rhyne University All about Hickory →
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.

Trails20.3×
Hickory has more miles of trail
Hickory 8.1 miLong View 0.4 mi
Size8.8×
Hickory is the bigger place
Hickory 44,258Long View 5,011
Home values+77%
Homes cost more in Hickory
Hickory $278,400Long View $157,300
Property tax bill+64%
Tax bills are bigger in Hickory
Hickory $2,066Long View $1,259
Work in town+29.7 pts
More of Hickory’s workers stay in town
Hickory 32.9%Long View 3.2%
Bachelor’s degree++29.2 pts
More adults in Hickory have a degree
Hickory 37.1%Long View 7.9%
★ 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.

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

Safety
–Long ViewNot graded DHickorySafer than 11% of U.S. towns
Schools
B−Long ViewBetter than 50% of districts in the state BHickoryBetter than 62% of districts in the state
Health
CLong ViewHealthier than 30% of U.S. towns B−HickoryHealthier than 50% of U.S. towns
5Long View
11Hickory

Lists won, of 17 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most educatedPeople · 297 towns #292#111 Most remote workersWork · 285 towns #259#116 Lowest property taxCost of living · 297 towns #41#180 Most affordableCost of living · 297 towns #32#160 Most conserved landOutdoors · 276 towns #209#94 Cheapest rentCost of living · 284 towns #42#132 Fewest smokersHealth · 296 towns #216#125 Highest incomeIncome · 297 towns #249#163

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

Where they are

Long View and Hickory share a border

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

Long ViewHickoryLong ViewHickory
Long View ↔ Hickory3.6 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
Long ViewHickory
Snow a year0″0″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)7th31st
Outdoors & history
Long ViewHickory
Trails0 mi8 mi
Conserved land1.4%5.4%
Settled—1870
National Register places124
Archive photos—12
Famous people born here—46
Community
Long ViewHickory
Library hours a week—58 hrs
Colleges in town—2
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.

Long ViewHickory
People
Population 5,011Lowest 44,258Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +4.5%Lowest NC: +9.5% +8.7%Highest NC: +9.5%
Median age 43.5±7.6Highest 11% above NC 37.5±2.4Lowest 4% below 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 15.9%±4.7Lowest NC: 21.8% 21.3%±1.9Highest 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+ 17.6%±5Highest NC: 17.2% 17.1%±1.4Lowest 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+ 7.9%Lowest NC: 35.7% 37.1%Highest NC: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1%±0.9Lowest NC: 6.4% 7.9%±1.2Highest NC: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $46,739±$2kLowest 35% below NC $64,576±$5kHighest 11% below NC
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $157,300±$21kLowest 46% below NC $278,400±$19kHighest 4% below NC
Rentmedian gross, monthly $794±$158Lowest 35% below NC $1,063±$63Highest 13% below NC
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,259Lowest 34% below NC $2,066Highest 9% above NC
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 37.7%±16.2Lowest NC: 48.9% 40.3%±5.6Highest 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 11.3%Lowest NC: 13% 17.1%Highest NC: 13%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 53.1%Lowest NC: 66.6% 55%Highest NC: 66.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1970Lowest 21 yrs older than NC 1982Highest 9 yrs older than NC
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minHighest 5% below NC 21 minLowest 16% below NC
Work from home 3.4%±3.7Lowest NC: 16.3% 12.9%±2.7Highest NC: 16.3%
Work in townworking residents 3.2%Lowest 32.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.3 miHighest 8.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.39Lowest 2.33Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Hickory (31%)Charlotte (8%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 31% work in Hickory2% work in Long View
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.4%Lowest 5.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.4 miLowest 8.1 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 16Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 68.6Highest 57.1Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#116 of 252 in NC
School district Hickory City SchoolsCatawba County Schools · Hickory City Schools
High school in town None in townHickory High
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.

Long View neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Long View’s Town Square.

Hickory neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Hickory’s Town Square.

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Set another town beside Long View and Hickory

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Bordering Long View

+ Compare
Hildebran2,207 people · $194K homes
M
+ Compare
Mountain View3,982 people · $223K homes

Towns like Long View

W
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Wallace3,457 people · $178K homes
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Williamston5,112 people · $107K homes
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Roxboro8,182 people · $158K homes
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Tabor City3,777 people · $116K 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.

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