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Compare towns

Mountain View vs Long View

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (15.4× in Long View) and household income (+54% in Mountain View).

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Mountain View, NCOne of the healthiest townsNorth Carolina · 3,982 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 $150 more a month in Mountain View

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.

Mountain View$1,250/mo
Typical home $223K (Census) · tax rate 0.48% · or rent about $956/mo · Housing →
Long View$1,100/mo
Typical home $187K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.80% · or rent about $794/mo · Housing →

The difference: $150 a month, about $1,800 a year, between Mountain View 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

Mountain View places higher on 12 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.

Where they are

Mountain View and Long View share a border

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

Mountain ViewLong ViewMountain ViewLong View
Mountain View ↔ Long View2.9 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
39 Mountain View residents work in Long View (2.4% of its workers)
Work & commute in Mountain 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
Mountain ViewLong View
Snow a year0″0″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)26th7th
Outdoors & history
Mountain ViewLong View
Trails—0 mi
Conserved land—1.4%
National Register places—1
Community
Mountain ViewLong View
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.

Mountain ViewLong View
People
Population 3,982Lowest 5,011Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1.1%Lowest NC: +9.5% +4.5%Highest NC: +9.5%
Median age 42.1±8.8Lowest 8% above NC 43.5±7.6Highest 11% above NC
Long View and Mountain View are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 29.2%±5Highest NC: 21.8% 15.9%±4.7Lowest NC: 21.8%
Age 65+ 20.5%±4.9Highest NC: 17.2% 17.6%±5Lowest NC: 17.2%
Mountain View and Long View are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 24.7%Highest NC: 35.7% 7.9%Lowest NC: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.8%±2.8Highest NC: 6.4% 1%±0.9Lowest NC: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $71,792±$14kHighest about the NC average $46,739±$2kLowest 35% below NC
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $222,500±$17kHighest 23% below NC $157,300±$21kLowest 46% below NC
Rentmedian gross, monthly $956±$167Highest 22% below NC $794±$158Lowest 35% below NC
Mountain View and Long View are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,059Lowest 44% below NC $1,259Highest 34% below NC
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 54%±30.6Highest NC: 48.9% 37.7%±16.2Lowest NC: 48.9%
Mountain View and Long View are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 20.4%Highest NC: 13% 11.3%Lowest NC: 13%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 81%Highest NC: 66.6% 53.1%Lowest NC: 66.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1979Highest 12 yrs older than NC 1970Lowest 21 yrs older than NC
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 19 minLowest 24% below NC 24 minHighest 5% below NC
Work from home 3.9%±3Highest NC: 16.3% 3.4%±3.7Lowest NC: 16.3%
Mountain View and Long View are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0.3%Lowest 3.2%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.3 mi 10.3 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.09Lowest 1.39Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Hickory (29%)Hickory (31%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in Long ViewFew work in Mountain View
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.6%Highest 1.4%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.5 miHighest 0.4 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 mi 0.1 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 1Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 28.6Lowest 68.6Highest
Schools
School district —Hickory City Schools
High school in town —None in town
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.

Mountain View neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mountain View’s Town Square.

Long View neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Long View’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Mountain View and Long View

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

Bordering Mountain View

Towns like Mountain View

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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