Browse / United States / North Carolina / Valdese
Valdese
North Carolinatown
Valdese
Total population
4,704
Median home value
$209,800
Bachelor's+
Median income
$50,740
Demographic figures from US Census Bureau · ACS 5-year estimates. Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.
City facts
Facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Overview
Valdese is a town in Burke County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,689 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area. One of the largest Waldensian congregations in the United States was founded in the town in the late nineteenth century, now known as the Waldensian Presbyterian Church. The town was settled by immigrants from the Cottian Alps in the Piedmont region of Italy.
Read more on WikipediaHistory & geography
History
Settled in 1893 by a group of Waldensians from Northern Italy, the town was incorporated in 1920. The story of the town's founding is told in the outdoor drama From This Day Forward, which has been performed annually in Burke County since 1968. In addition to Waldensian Presbyterian Church, the Jean-Pierre Auguste Dalmas House and Valdese Elementary School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Valdese News, a newspaper serving Burke County, was published there from 1938 through 1950.
Geography
Valdese is located in eastern Burke County. It is bordered to the east by the town of Rutherford College. The Valdese town limits extend north to Rhodhiss Lake on the Catawba River, then follow the land along the southern side of the lake for to the west. U.S. Route 70 passes through the town as Main Street, leading west to the center of Morganton, the county seat, and east to Hickory. Interstate 40 runs along the southern border of the town, providing access from exits 111 and 112. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which , or 0.17%, is water.
Excerpted from the corresponding Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).
Demographics & economy
Race & ethnicity
Source: US Census Bureau — American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.
Geography
Coordinates & boundaries from the US Census TIGER/Line shapefiles.
Climate
Current forecast
Forecast for Valdese, NC from NOAA NWS API.
Air quality
Industrial & pollution facilities
Natural hazard risk
Health (adults)
Age-adjusted prevalence estimates from CDC PLACES (latest release).
Walkability
Amenities nearby
Wildlife & biodiversity
Most-observed species
- Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves2,206
- Tufted TitmouseBaeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves1,861
- Carolina WrenThryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves1,856
- Carolina ChickadeePoecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves1,790
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves1,589
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves1,376
- Blue JayCyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves1,366
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves1,193
Citizen-science & research observations from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).
Schools
Largest nearby schools
- Freedom HighHigh · Morganton · 1,414 students · 19.4:1 ratio
- East Burke HighHigh · Connelly Springs · 879 students · 17.9:1 ratio
- Robert L. Patton High SchoolHigh · Morganton · 752 students · 19.3:1 ratio
- Jimmy C Draughn High SchoolHigh · Valdese · 682 students · 18.9:1 ratio
- Mountain View ElementaryElementary · Morganton · 677 students · 15.7:1 ratio
- East Burke MiddleMiddle · Connelly Springs · 645 students · 19.5:1 ratio
- New DimensionsElementary · Morganton · 535 students · 14.9:1 ratio
- Valdese ElementaryElementary · Valdese · 521 students · 16.3:1 ratio
Public K–12 schools within ~10 mi from Urban Institute Education Data Portal (NCES Common Core of Data, 2022).
Earthquake history
Most recent
- M 2.73 — 2025-08-147 km N of Columbus, North Carolina
- M 2.69 — 2022-12-080 km S of Laurel Park, North Carolina
- M 2.65 — 2021-08-176 km N of Morganton, North Carolina
- M 2.79 — 2021-02-128 km SW of Banner Hill, Tennessee
- M 2.56 — 2021-02-041 km SSW of Sparta, North Carolina
- M 2.81 — 2020-10-253 km ENE of Sparta, North Carolina
Events from the USGS Earthquake Catalog (global) (FDSN Event Web Service).
Photos
Sights & places nearby
Notable people from here
People born within ~10 km, from Wikidata (CC0). Click any name for their Wikipedia article.
Nearby places in North Carolina
- Cajah's Mountain6.9 mi away
- Gamewell7.6 mi away
- Rhodhiss7.9 mi away
- Salem8.1 mi away · pop. 2,377
- Granite Falls8.8 mi away
- Long View10.7 mi away
- Lenoir10.8 mi away
- Mountain View12.5 mi away · pop. 3,982
- Bethlehem15.8 mi away
- St. Stephens16.8 mi away · pop. 9,457
- Marion24.6 mi away · pop. 7,579
- Glenwood25 mi away · pop. 226
Geography & sun
Elevation, sunrise/sunset and daylight from Open-Meteo. Solar climatology from NASA POWER.
Nearby airports
Public attention
Pageview totals from the Wikimedia Pageviews API.
Books about Valdese
Search results from Open Library.
Recent natural events nearby
Ground air-quality sensors
Recently spotted species
Research-grade observations from iNaturalist (within ~15 mi).
Nearest stream gauge
Events
Gallery
Sources
- • Wikipedia
- • US Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates)
- • NOAA National Weather Service
- • Wikidata
- • USGS Earthquake Catalog (global feed)
- • NCES via Urban Institute Education Data Portal
- • GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)
- • iNaturalist
- • CDC PLACES
- • Open-Meteo / sunrise-sunset.org
- • Wikipedia Pageviews API
- • Open Library