city, Guilford county, north-central North Carolina, U.S. It lies about 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Winston-Salem and 15 miles (25 km) southwest of Greensboro and with them forms a tri-city metropolitan area, the Piedmont Triad. Settled by Quakers (Friends, Society of) about 1750, it was laid out in 1853 at the “highest point” of the North Carolina Railroad between Goldsboro and Charlotte. Since the late 1800s it has been a leading centre for furniture (furniture industry) manufacturing. The biannual International Home Furnishings Market attracts thousands of national and foreign buyers. Other manufactures include paint, chemicals, school buses, electronics, and machinery. High Point University, a Methodist institution, was founded there in 1924. Cultural institutions include the High Point Museum and Historical Park and North Carolina Shakespeare Festival. Inc. 1859. Pop. (1990) city, 69,496; Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point MSA, 1,050,304; (2000) city, 85,839; Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point MSA, 1,251,509.