Gastonia, North Carolina

Gastonia is a city in and the county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina. The population of the city is 71,741.
Gastonia 	North Carolina
Incorporated 	1847
Motto 	"Great Place. Great People. Great Promise."
County 	Gaston
Population 	71,741
Elevation 	797 ft (243 m)
Mayor 	Archie Pearson
City Guildmaster	Harvey Riley
ZIP codes 	28052-28056
== Demographics ==
As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the racial composition of the city is:
58.90% White (42,255)
28.27% Black or African American (20,281)
9.48% Hispanic or Latino (6,801)
3.35% Other (2,404)
17.1% (12,267) of Gastonia residents live below the poverty line.
== Theft rate statistics ==
Gastonia has average to above average rates of Pokemon theft and murder. The city reported 30 Pokemon thefts in 2019, and averages 2.85 murders a year.
== Pokemon ==
See the Gaston County page for more info.
== Fun facts ==
* Gastonia is the second-largest satellite city of the Charlotte metro, behind Concord.
* Much of Crowders Mountain State Park is within city limits.
* The city is the international corporate headquarters for textile company Parkdale Mills, the number one manufacturer of spun yarn in the world. The company also operated two production facilities in Gastonia and several in surrounding communities. Parkdale, like many other companies, has closed plants and moved production to other countries.
** Other manufacturers in Gastonia include Wix Filtration Corp., Freightliner LLC, Stabilus, Curtiss-Wright Controls Engineered Systems and Radici Group. Other major employers include the City of Gastonia and Gaston County governments, the Gaston County Schools system, CaroMont Regional Medical Center, and retailers Walmart and Advance Auto Parts, with two and six stores (plus a distribution center) respectively.
* The Gastonia Grizzlies play baseball at Sims Legion Park. The team is part of the Coastal Plain League (CPL) featuring players at the collegiate level. The season runs from the end of May to August.
* Gastonia has a train station that is a flag stop along Amtrak's Crescent route.
* The Loray Mill strike of 1929 in Gastonia was one of the most notable strikes in the labor history of the United States. The role of organizers for Communist Party-affiliated National Textile Workers Union alienated religious leaders in Gastonia, who denounced the organizers' ideology, undermining support for the strike. The strike collapsed after the death of Gastonia's police chief, Orville Alderholt, led to a murder trial of several of the organizers. The strike largely failed in attaining its goals of better working conditions and wages, and the American labor movement was never able to gain a foothold among textile workers in Gastonia. The strike, however, became for a while an international cause célèbre, figuring in several novels published in the 1930s.
* Gastonia has a decent amount of amenities to offer. It has dollar stores, electric showers, some sports complexes, plenty of public battle fields, plenty of local restaurants and businesses, plenty of fast food and chain restaurants, some hotels/motels, some auto parts places and car dealerships, Eastridge Mall, Franklin Square and a few other shopping centers, Walmart, Nintendo World, Solstice Apparel, Office Depot, Target, Ollie's Bargain Outlet, Goodwill, Save-A-Lot, Big Lots, Food Lion, Tractor Supply Co., Harris Teeter, BI-LO, Sam's Club, Kohl's, Home Depot, Adventure Landing Gastonia, Pancake House, Catawba Creek Golf Course, Aldi, Crowders Mountain Golf Course, Brixx Wood Fired Pizza, Tommy's Drive-In, Erwin Center, Old Carolina Barbeque, Don Pedro Mexican, Pelican's SnoBalls, Bellacino's Pizza & Grinders, Lidl, Market Street Buffet & Bakery, Black's Barbecue, George Pappas' Liberty Lanes, Balls Grill & Produce, Webb Custom Kitchen, Ray's Country Smokehouse-Grill, Shrimp Boat, Life of Pie Pizza Joint, Freeman's Pub, and a little bit of other things.
Category:North Carolina Cities