city, Catawba county, west-central North Carolina, U.S. It lies near the Catawba River (there dammed to form Lake Hickory) just east of the Appalachian (Appalachian Mountains) foothills and about 60 miles (100 km) northwest of Charlotte. A store was established on the site in 1846 at the junction of two stagecoach trails. In the 1850s a tavern was built there under a large hickory tree. The railway arrived at the end of the decade, facilitating settlement, and the town of Hickory Tavern was established in 1863 (the name was changed to Hickory in 1873). Industrial development began when a small wagon-manufacturing plant opened in 1880. In 1913 Hickory became one of the first cities in the country to adopt the council-manager form of government.

The city's manufactures now include furniture, textiles, fibre-optic cable, hosiery, foam, springs, and mattresses. It is the seat of Lenoir Rhyne College (1891; Lutheran) and Catawba Valley Community College (1958). Hickory Museum of Art has a collection of American art since the 19th century. Lake Hickory, created by Oxford Dam (a source of hydroelectric power), is a popular recreation area. Inc. town, 1863; city, 1889. Pop. (1990) city, 28,301; Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir MSA, 292,409; (2000) city, 37,222; Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir MSA, 341,851.