To view a map of North Carolina's 10th District, click here.
North Carolina’s Tenth Congressional District encompasses some of the most breathtaking scenery America has to offer. The Tenth District stretches from the bustling suburbs of Charlotte all the way to the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The district is comprised of seven counties in Western North Carolina. U.S. Highway 321 is one of the main thoroughfares through the district, starting in Catawba County, home of the Greater Hickory Classic PGA Champions Series Golf Tournament. Catawba County stretches from the pristine shores of Lake Norman in the east, through the county seat of Newton to the county’s largest city, Hickory, in the west.
From there one would travel south to historic Lincoln County which produced four Civil War generals and is home to the annual Apple Festival. Lincoln County is very diverse geographically and economically; from fast-growing East Lincoln County and beautiful Lake Norman; to the City of Lincolnton, the county seat; to West Lincoln, with its beautiful settings of rich farm lands and rolling hills.
Further south, the Tenth District takes in its most populous county, Gaston County. Gaston was once the home to more textile industries than anywhere else in the world but the economy is now more diverse with automotive products and healthcare providing thousands of jobs. Gaston County is home to Crowder’s Mountain State Park, Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden and the Schiele Museum of Natural History.
To the west of Gaston is Cleveland County. Two North Carolina governors have come from here and so have country music legends Earl Scruggs and Don Gibson. Both Cleveland County and its county seat, Shelby, are named after heroes of the Revolutionary War Battle of Kings Mountain, which occurred just to the south of the present day City of Kings Mountain. Shelby is the home of the American Legion Baseball World Series.
Further west is Rutherford County. The textile industry built most of the small towns that dot this scenic county. However, most people do not know that Rutherford was also the location of America’s very first gold mint, run by the Bechtler family in the early 1800s. Rutherford is also home to Chimney Rock and Lake Lure, two of North Carolina’s most visited tourist towns.
Polk County is next to Rutherford and is home to a thriving equestrian culture and hosts the annual Block House Steeplechase. Some of the country’s finest show and competition horses are trained and boarded in Polk County.
The most western point in the Tenth District is Buncombe County and the City of Asheville, one of America’s top tourist destinations. Asheville is home to the Biltmore Estate, The Grove Park Inn, world class restaurants and a thriving arts community. Buncombe County’s most famous resident, the Rev. Billy Graham, has been ranked as one of the most admired men in the world and lives in Montreat. His preaching is estimated to have reached 2.2 billion people.
The Tenth District is home to six four-year colleges: The University of North Carolina at Asheville, Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, Lenoir Rhyne University in Hickory, Gardner-Webb in Boiling Springs, Montreat College in Montreat and Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa. The district is also blessed to have several of North Carolina’s fine community colleges.
