Photo of Gastonia, NC
( 24 Ratings )

Living in Gastonia, NC

Gastonia Area Facts

  • Gastonia has a Livability Score of 60/100, which is considered average
  • Gastonia crime rates are 88% higher than the North Carolina average
  • Cost of living in Gastonia is 3% higher than the North Carolina average
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Gastonia Reviews

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What Gastonia Is Like User Rating 5 rating By NCFellow54 ( Jul 27, 2017) Gastonia like any US suburb has lots to offer. Our family loves the *wide* array of all kinds of restaurants, from fine dining to casual, there's date night places. Some restaurants like Shrimp Boat, Old Carolina BBQ, and Fletchers are classics. Pretty much every decent chain ...Read More restaurant can also be found in Gastonia. There are activities like bowling, mini-golf, tons of league and non-profit sports teams (baseball, basketball, soccer, football). There are a bunch of quality golf courses as well. Some of the best schools in the greater Charlotte NC area are in Gastonia. Obviously, you have to in *any* city know which neighborhoods are good. Generally downtown Gastonia is like downtown in any city, rougher. However, the outer ring of Gastonia has excellent amenities, homes, and schools. There are also a large array of elaborate parks (pirate parks, splash parks, dog parks, walking trails, kayaking parks). Then nearby cities also add a few more into that mix, though nearby cities do not offer as much as Gastonia as they are smaller. There's a bunch of good family entertainment options. The local 4th of July event is a big deal locally/regionally. Gastonia fire and police have new equipment and are very level headed. Important historical sites are nearby, including Kings/Crowders Mountains, etc. There's also a great deal of downtown renewal going on. It's a quick drive into Charlotte. Gastonia has several hardware stores. There's also plenty of barbers and salons/spas locally. As for drawbacks, Gastonia is very popular, so there can be a lot of traffic at popular shopping venues, like the Franklin Blvd area. And if you live in the heart of downtown, especially West downtown, it can be rough. But that is only about 20% of the whole city, the other 80% is really above average, or great. Read Less
Horrible Government will take advantage of residents. User Rating 0.5 rating By danielj99 ( Jan 12, 2015) I recently moved my home and business to Gastonia because of its low cost of living and because our kids had moved out so we could move to a smaller house. A month later someone tried to steal our electric meter and broke it. The city charged us to have it fixed and put in a fa ...Read More ulty meter. Our power bill went from 120$ to 300$. We contacted them and they refused to listen and said it wasnt wrong...the next month the bill was higher....please realize this is a 700 square foot house with a brand new Central HVAC unit. Finally my landlord got involved and checked and proved that THE CITY put it in wrong and it was feeding power into the ground. We proved it without a doubt with an electrician and all the other houses on our street and by showing that what our power pull was ....is totally different than what they charged. They didnt care...said it was our responsibility and that if we dont pay they will shut our power off in the dead of winter. As soon as our lease is up WE will move both our ourselves and our business out of this city. Their biggest income comes from buying power from duke energy and selling it to residents at a higher price with a higher deposit than Duke would charge. Read Less
What to See and Do in Gastonia, NC User Rating 4.5 rating By Anonymous ( Aug 05, 2010) It is often said that the city of Gastonia, North Carolina lives within the shadows of its big sister, Charlotte, which is located just 20 miles away and is one of the largest cities in the southeastern United States.

I, however, have lived within the shadows of Gastonia my enti
...Read More re life, and know firsthand what this smaller and low-key city has to offer.

The city of Gastonia has plenty of places to shop, including major chain stores, such as Kohl's, Target, Old Navy and JC Penney, to name a few. If shopping makes you hungry, fare of all kinds await, including seafood, barbeque, Chinese, burgers and pizza.

To really experience Gastonia, though, pay a visit to Tony's Ice Cream Company, a family-owned restaurant, dating back to 1915. Just look for the iconic yellow building on Franklin Boulevard with its own ice cream plant next door. Talk about fresh--even the vanilla milkshakes defy vanilla description.

Gastonia's Schiele Museum of Natural History, a Smithsonian Institution affiliate, is a popular attraction for all, and features outdoor recreations of an Indian Village and an 18th Century farm.

Gastonia is not without its traffic woes, especially on the weekends and during rush hour; however, navigating the streets is not a major problem and is worth it to get where you're going in Gastonia. Read Less
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What to See and Do in Gastonia, NC User Rating 4.5 rating By Anonymous ( Aug 05, 2010) It is often said that the city of Gastonia, North Carolina lives within the shadows of its big sister, Charlotte, which is located just 20 miles away and is one of the largest cities in the southeastern United States.

I, however, have lived within the shadows of Gastonia my enti
...Read More re life, and know firsthand what this smaller and low-key city has to offer.

The city of Gastonia has plenty of places to shop, including major chain stores, such as Kohl's, Target, Old Navy and JC Penney, to name a few. If shopping makes you hungry, fare of all kinds await, including seafood, barbeque, Chinese, burgers and pizza.

To really experience Gastonia, though, pay a visit to Tony's Ice Cream Company, a family-owned restaurant, dating back to 1915. Just look for the iconic yellow building on Franklin Boulevard with its own ice cream plant next door. Talk about fresh--even the vanilla milkshakes defy vanilla description.

Gastonia's Schiele Museum of Natural History, a Smithsonian Institution affiliate, is a popular attraction for all, and features outdoor recreations of an Indian Village and an 18th Century farm.

Gastonia is not without its traffic woes, especially on the weekends and during rush hour; however, navigating the streets is not a major problem and is worth it to get where you're going in Gastonia. Read Less

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      F Amenities

      Are there many local amenities in Gastonia? Well, there are not many amenities close to this location.

      Parks

      Ferguson Park
      Firestone Field
      Lineburger Park
      Rotary Centennial Pavilion
      Optimist Club Park
      North Park
      Erwin Park
      Linwood Park

      Entertainment

      American Military Museum
      First United Methodist Church Theater
      CaroMont Health Park
      Schiele Museum
      Sims Legion Park (stadium)

      Food & Drink

      Arby's
      Bojangles'
      Remedies
      Gaston Pourhouse
      Tony's Ice Cream
      Dairy Queen
      McDonald's
      Burger King

      F Commute

      Is public transit available in Gastonia? Of all people who commute, 0.8% take public transportation in Gastonia.
      Drive to Work
      85%

      8% higher than the US average

      Take Public Transit
      1%

      4% lower than the US average

      Walk to Work
      1%

      2% lower than the US average

      F Health & Safety

      Is Gastonia a healthy and safe place to live? No, there are not many hospitals, police and fire stations,

      Hospitals

      CaroMont Regional Medical Center

      Pharmacies

      CVS Pharmacy
      Walgreens
      DSD Pharmacy
      Akers Pharmacy
      Walgreens
      CVS Pharmacy
      Moss Drugs

      Doctors