Together We Create. OUR STORY.

amrev-militiaWalk around the block Downtown and you’ll find yourself walking in the footsteps of American patriots on the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail that winds its way through Downtown. In 1775, Fort Grider was established on land owned by Frederick Grider. It stood on the site of the former Lenoir High School campus. Encampment occurred here on Sept 29, 1780 during the pivotal Kings Mountain campaign of 1780. In fact, Thomas Jefferson said the battle at Kings Mountain was the “turning of the tide” in the American Revolution. Revolutionary War hero General William Lenoir, for whom the county seat of Lenoir is named, would later build his home in nearby Happy Valley at the site of Fort Defiance.

Together We Create. PROSPERITY.

lenoir-drug-dad-1950-webLenoir is home to some of manufacturing’s entrepreneurial legends. Our past as an innovative manufacturing hub put us on the map. The natural beauty that embraces our Downtown – our community – yields an inspired way of life and simultaneously provides the materials necessary to express such creativity. The plentiful timber woods have inspired highly skilled wood craftsmen since the 1800’s. In 1889, the Harper Furniture Company became the first furniture factory built, leading the county into an industry that would supply thousands of jobs to people and send furniture to 30 different countries. From raw material, inspired design, grit and hard work they created some of the most elegant works of wooden art our country has ever seen and continue to do so today. As the furniture industry grew, naturally, so did Downtown Lenoir. The Courtney Warehouse, circa 1888, still stands today and, along with almost 70% of our historic buildings, remains listed with ‘contributing status ‘ on the National Register of Historic Places.

Generation after generation has carried on the creativity to dream up one-of-a-kind projects and the resiliency to put these dreams into action. Our rich history as a world-class furniture and manufacturing hub gave us our hard-working ethic in craftsmanship and the arts. This spirit is what drives us today to continue revitalizing out town and our community for the future.

Together We Create. OPPORTUNITIES.

History surrounds us. Art and Music surround us. Industry surrounds us – working together like gears going about the production of some place special. A place powered by enterprising people genuinely dedicated 100% to their community. Present here for over a century, members of the creative class continue to be drawn to this inspiring place now bringing with them new technologies, imagination and ideas that fill data centers, biotech labs, kitchens at local eateries, distilleries, bike shops, music halls and art studios. The arrival of Google, pharmaceuticals, and the expansion of the “NC data corridor” in our region makes Lenoir an ideal location for another entrepreneurial boom. Today, Lenoir celebrates new identity as not only a manufacturing hub, but a growing intersection of industries and innovation. Now, thanks in part to this growth, Lenoir’s historic, homegrown, hard-working culture of craftsmanship and innovation is gaining momentum and inspiring a new class of entrepreneurs, tech-savvy millennials, and active retirees looking for an upbeat, small-town community to call home.

Nestled amidst the Appalachian Mountains, our Downtown buildings still house the creative entrepreneurial spirit of this talented community. The environment is ripe for investors and creatives wanting to join a movement to reclaim the history and reinvent the future of this WNC downtown of makers and innovators. Our historic roots as the furniture capital of the world give rise to our authentic heritage of craftsmanship, innovation, and the arts. Now home to craft breweries, a distillery, local eateries, entrepreneurs, and artists, our downtown supports a thriving scene of small-town innovators who are hard-at-work reclaiming our history and creating the future of Lenoir.

Together We Create. JOIN US.