Best DMV experience I've had. They have a lovely admin checking people in assuring they have all…read morenecessary documents, and appointments happen right on time. The clerk who helped me was very helpful and let me retake my photo to assure I liked it. Did not take long at all and ample parking! Will definitely come back.

I was in and out there in less than an hour. Friendly people to work with and easy to find on RT…read more321 just north of Granite Falls.

A few days of exploring Hickory and enjoying it. Hickory is located in Catawba County though…read moreneighboring Newton is the county seat. The origins of Hickory's name stems from a tavern made of logs beneath a hickory tree during the 1850s. The spot was known as "Hickory Tavern." In 1870, Hickory Tavern was established as a town. Three years later in 1873, the name was changed to the Town of Hickory, and in 1889 to the City of Hickory. Hickory is the home of Lenoir-Rhyne University, founded in 1891 by four Lutheran pastors. It remains a private Lutheran university with the motto "The truth shall set you free." The school has over 50 undergraduate majors and nearly 30 graduate programs. Hickory is home to one of the oldest furniture manufacturers in the United States that is still located and operated on the original site. Hickory White, formerly known as Hickory Manufacturing Company, was built in 1902 and has been in continuous operation ever since. During World War II, the factory made ammunition boxes for the U.S. military instead of furniture. Hickory was known in the years after World War II for the "Miracle of Hickory". In 1944 the area around Hickory (the Catawba Valley) became the center of one of the worst outbreaks of polio ever recorded. Residents who were then children recall summers of not being allowed to play outside or visit friends for fear of contracting the disease. Since local facilities were inadequate to treat the victims, the citizens of Hickory and the March of Dimes decided to build a hospital to care for the children of the region. From the time the decision was made until equipment, doctors, and patients were in a new facility, took less than 54 hours. Those events are memorialized at Miracle of Hickory park. And on that topic, many parks in Hickory. Lots of food. A dense downtown area with restaurants, shopping and coffee. Nice place! If you're looking for the mural I posted with my review of Hickory, it's on the side of 117 Government Avenue SW. [Review 15863 overall - 3081 in North Carolina - 1367 of 2021.]

From the owner: The City of Hickory's Planning and Development Division is responsible for overseeing the physical…read moredevelopment of the City of Hickory. The division's primary functions involve land use planning, development review, community development, brownfield redevelopment, and historic preservation.

Came here again to get the title work and tag for a 1997 Chevy Tahoe 4x4 I had bought…read more The line was not to long and moved quickly because they had 3 clerks working. The girl that did my title and tag was friendly and I was in and out in about 30 minutes. As long I receive this level of customer service here, even if they ever re-open the office in Lincolnton, I will never, ever go back there because of the rude clerks and horrible customer service. With our two visits here, my wife and I agree that this is one of the better tag offices we have ever used.

DO NOT EVER GO TO THIS AGENCY!!!! I literally called 120 times and they did not feel the need to…read moreanswer the phone. We bought a car in April and we still do not have the title over three months later because according to Raleigh the application to the title was never received even though we have the tags and registration and paid a hefty $400 for them.

The Patrick Beaver Memorial Library is a fantastic resource and a hub of activity to the community…read more There are always things to do for people of all ages. If you think libraries are obsolete in this digital age, do yourself a favor and stop by. I can mostly only speak to the activities for families with children, but we are always welcome and can always find something to do. There are weekly activities with music, story time, and sometimes magicians and other performers. There are often activities such as Lego builds and other special interest projects. There are things to do all summer long and the summer reading program includes awesome prizes for kids who fill out their reading chart (we have won something almost every year we have participated, but maybe we are just lucky! You also automatically get a goodie bag with tickets to the Crawdads and Science Center and free food at various restaurants). The children's room has a play house and computers with age-appropriate games. You can check out almost any children's movie you can think of and any book you can think of, obviously. The staff are great with kids, patient, and very knowledgeable. On the adult side, there are plenty of books, obviously, as well as audio books, TONS of digital books, TONS of movies (FREE as long as you return them on time!), and you get a free subscription to Hoopla which includes more Kindle books and more movies. I love the cookbook selection! The library is also a place to go for folks who are trying to make a better life for themselves. If you are unemployed, its hard to pay for a computer or internet service, so you have to go to the library to look for jobs. So it is a very diverse place. You will see everyone from wealthy families to college students to folks on the fringes, and you will hear different languages spoken. I have never felt threatened by anyone (and we spend a ton of time there) and usually I see people of all walks of life greeting each other, holding doors open, etc. The worst thing I have ever experienced is people smoking by the door, but unfortunately I encounter rude smokers everywhere in Hickory, including doctor's offices, and lately the folks at the library have been better about smoking farther away from the door.

I love how this library is right next to the Science Center and art museum. It is beautiful and has…read morea wonderful children's section. We came for a concert and had a great time.

This marker stands on the street and provides not a whole lot of information. It reads, "Site of…read moreHickory Graded School. First school established in Hickory Public School System 1903; North School 1914-1933 and Oakwood Elementary School 1933-present." I was able to find some information on line. The Hickory Graded School was the first public school in the Hickory system. Its construction was financed by nine local businessmen with a $10,000 personal loan. The school took three years to be built and 200 students attended the school at first. There were 9 teachers the first 6 years; D.K. McKrea was the first principal 6. In 1918 Dr. R.W. Carver was principal and later appointed Superintendent of Hickory Schools, a position he held for 30 years. The marker has the seal of the Hickory Public Schools on it. There is no installation date. [Review 15876 overall - 3094 in North Carolina - 1380 of 2021.]