Catawba County, North Carolina: Overview and Discussion - Essay Example

The 2010 census noted that there were 154,356 people living within the county. Similarly, the 2000 census noted that 146,515 people inhabited the county; representing around a 5.1% increase in total population over a ten-year period (Basso 29). As opposed to the earlier representations of the economy which have been noted, the current economy of Catawba County relies heavily upon industrial manufacturing. This has partly been born out of the fact that the transportation hub of rail and highway as it developed helped the region to become highly competitive with skilled labor and ease of access to markets along the eastern seaboard as well as the rest of the United States.

As a function of a high number of skilled labor jobs, the economy of the region has fared relatively well in comparison to other less industrialized regions within the United States during the economic downtown which has been experienced (Employment and Earnings 216). One of the main bragging points that the county has is with regard to the high number of famous individuals that hail from Catawba. These include a grand total of 12 NASCAR drivers (one of these of course being Dale Jarett, a pair of actors (James Best and Matthew Settle), a litany of singers/songwriters (inclusive of a member of the Grateful Dead and Tori Amos), a beauty queen, and a host of well-renowned sportsmen in almost every discipline.

This wide variety of talent that the county itself has produced over the past few years helps to flavor its culture and underscore the fact that even though it could be understood as a solid core of manufacturing, mass transit, and industry, it nonetheless has a solid base of culture that it has developed and continues to export throughout the United States and the rest of the world. One of the main attractions that the county offers is that of Lake Norman, a man-made lake, created by Duke Energy in the late 1950s and early 1960s which provides public access to a range of water sports and other activities (O’Brien 38).

Its sheer size is impressive as it is the largest inland body of water in all of North Carolina. Although one cannot reduce a county’s importance down to a few statistics and/or figures, it is the hope of this student that based upon the information that has thus far been presented, a more complete and appropriate view of Catawba County has been able to be transmitted.