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Newcomer’s Resource Guide

Burke County Seat

Morganton — 18.36 Square miles
County Area — 514.9 Square miles
Land Area — 506.7 Square miles
Water Area — 8.2 Square miles
County Elevation — Ranges from 900 to 4,350 feet above sea level

Population
(July 2006 Estimated N.C. Office of State Planning: www.demog.state.nc.us)

Burke County* — 88,663

MUNICIPALITIES*

Connelly Springs — 1,837
Drexel — 1,918
Glen Alpine — 1,251
Hildebran — 1,754
Morganton — 17,066
Rutherford College — 1,300
Valdese — 4,572
Hickory (Part) — 81
Long View (Part) — 690
Rhodhiss (Part) — 184

Projected Population Growth

BURKE COUNTY
2009 — 90,169
2008 — 89,634
2007 — 89,088

Important Telephone Numbers
Emergency — 911
Burke County Sheriff — (828) 438-5500
Federal Bureau of Investigation — (704) 377-9200
NC Highway Patrol — (828) 438-6291
Poison Control Center — (800) 848-6946
State Bureau of Investigation — (919) 662-4500
U.S. Marshall (Charlotte) — (704) 344-6234
Police Departments (non-emergency)
Drexel — (828) 437-7421
Glen Alpine — (828) 584-2113
Morganton — (828) 432-2676
Valdese — (828) 879-2104

Fire Departments (non-emergency)
Morganton (Public Safety) — (828) 432-2676
Valdese — (828) 879-2110

Municipalities Administrative Offices
Connelly Springs — (828) 879-2321
Drexel — (828) 437-7421
Glen Alpine — (828) 584-2622
Hildebran — (828) 397-5801
Morganton — (828) 438-5228
Rhodhiss — (828) 396-8400
Rutherford College — (828) 874-0333
Valdese — (828) 879-2116

Recreation Departments
Burke County Recreation — (828) 439-4370
City of Morganton Recreation — (828) 438-5350
Valdese Recreation — (828) 879-2132

Government

BURKE COUNTY
Board of Elections — (828) 433-1703
Building Inspections — (828) 438-5420
Economic Development — (828) 439-4359
Health Department — (828) 439-4400
Planning and Zoning — (828) 439-4362
Tax Office — (828) 438-5400
License Plates/Tag Agency — (828) 437-4505
N.C. Driver’s License Bureau — (828) 438-6294

Post Offices
Morganton — (828) 437-3484
Valdese — (828) 874-2812
Glen Alpine — (828) 584-0628
Connelly Springs — (828) 874-0784
Hildebran — (828) 397-6573
Icard — (828) 397-5071
Rutherford College — (828) 874-0048

School Board
Burke County Public Schools — (828) 439-4312

Social Security
Social Security Commission — (828) 328-3609

Communications

NEWSPAPERS
The Morganton News Herald — (828) 437-2161
Valley Neighbors — (828) 324-0055
Hickory Daily Record — (828) 322-4510

Libraries
Morganton Public Library — (828) 437-5638
Valdese Public Library — (828) 874-2421
C.B. Hildebran Public Library — (828) 397-3600

Utilities

CABLE TELEVISION
CoMPAS (City of Morganton) — (828) 438-5353
Charter Communications — (866) 472-2200
or “Connect My Cable” Service — (888) 922-2539

ELECTRICITY
Duke Power Company — (828) 437-4611
Rutherford EMC — (828) 584-1410
City of Morganton Electric Dept. — (828) 438-5277
Town of Drexel — (828) 437-7421

GAS
Piedmont Natural Gas Company — (800) 752-7504

WATER, SEWER & GARBAGE (Municipality service)
City of Morganton — (828) 437-8863
Burke County Public Works — (828) 439-4391
Town of Valdese — (828) 879-2120
Town of Drexel — (828) 437-7421

SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL
GDS, Inc. (Res., Comm., Ind.) — (828) 437-7940
Blue Ridge Disposal (Comm. & Ind.) — (828) 438-1799

TELEPHONE
AT&T (Residential) — (888) 757-6500
AT&T (Business) — (866) 620-6000
Morganton; western part of county
Embarq — (828) 328-0200
Valdese, Hildebran; eastern part of county

Burke County Employment
(January 2007)
County Labor Force — 42,045
Unemployment Rate — 4.6%

Economic Indicators
Median Household Income (2005) — $32,963.00
Per Capita Income (2003) — $17,722.00
Gross Retail Sales (FY 2005-06) — $888 Million

Economic Data/Statistics
www.ers.usda.gov/data
www.census.gov
www.wpcog.org

Cost of Living Information
www.datamasters.com

(Comparison between cities)
www.bls.gov

Taxes
(Effective July 1, 2006)

PROPERTY TAX
County — 59 cents per $100.00
Morganton — 50 cents per $100.00
Valdese — 40 cents per $100.00

If inside city/town limits, Burke County taxes and city/town taxes must be paid. For persons living outside city/town limits, only county taxes are paid.

VEHICLE TAX
(Highway Usage Tax upon purchase or initial State Registration) 3% of wholesale value

STATE TAXES
Corporate Income Tax — 6.9%
Personal Income Tax (marginal rates based on filing status and income) — 6%

RETAIL SALES TAX
Retail Sales General Rate (includes state and local) — 7%
Food for Home Consumption Sales Tax (local rate) — 2%

Healthcare
Dentists (General) — 25
(Specialty) — 5
Hospitals (General) — 2
Total Hospital Beds — 376
Mental Health Treatment Facilities — 3
(Private) — 8
Nursing Homes/Long-Term Care Facilities — 7
Physicians — 247
Substance Treatment Facilities — 7

Transportation

AIR
Charlotte Douglas International Airport — (704) 359-4027
Hickory Regional Airport — (828) 323-7408
Foothills Regional Airport — (828) 757-0099
(5500 ft. runway/all services)

BUS
Burke County Transit Authority — (828) 438-0867
Greyhound (Gastonia) — (704) 865-1661

MAJOR THOROUGHFARES
Interstate 40 East/West
Interstates 26, 77, and 85
Access within 50 miles
US Highway 70 East/West
NC Highway 18 North/South
NC Highway 64 East/West
NC Highway 181 North/South

Climate
Mean Temperature — 57.83¼ F
Winter temperatures averaging — 40-50¼ F Summer temperatures in the — 70¼’s and 80¼’s
Average annual precipitation — 50.4”
(approximately 8” snow)

LIVE WEB CAM...for an up-to-the-minute weather view visit www.burkecounty.org.

For an up-to-the-minute weather view, go to our website and see the live web-cam of Morganton.

Recreation
Bowling Alleys — 1
Minor League Baseball Teams — 1
(Hickory)
Country Clubs — 2
Golf Courses — 4
Marinas — 3
Movie Theater Screens — 9
Marquee Cinemas — (828) 437-8084
JJ’s Movies, Munches and More — (828) 437-6006
Parks — 21
State Parks — 2
Lake James State Park — (828) 652-5047
South Mountains State Park — (828) 433-4772

Tourism
Burke County Visitors Center — (828) 433-6793
Valdese Tourism Department — (828) 879-2126

Community Facilities
Churches — 230
(For a complete list of churches, visit our website at www.burkecounty.org)
Motels/Inns/B&B’s — 12
Number of Rooms — 753
Libraries — 3

Register to Vote
To register to vote, a person must sign a voter declaration affirming that:
— He/she is a U. S. Citizen.
— He/she will have been a citizen of Burke County and North Carolina for 30 days before the election.
— He/she will be at least 18 years old by the next general election.
— He/she is not registered nor will vote in any other county or state.
— If he/she is a convicted felon and the citizenship has been restored.

The Burke County Board of Elections Office is located at 201 W. Meeting Street — (828) 433-1703

North Carolina Driver’s License
A new resident who intends to operate a motor vehicle in North Carolina must obtain a North Carolina driver’s license within 60 days of establishing a permanent residence. Applications are taken in Burke County at the NCDMV Driver’s License Bureau located at 260 Enola Road. Tel: (828) 438-6294.

Tags and Registration for Vehicles
Residents have 30 days to apply for new tags. Applicant must show proof of liability insurance, title (if paid for) and current out of state registration card. If the vehicle title is held by a lien holder (bank) the applicant must furnish the lien holder’s name/address and current out of state registration card. In Burke County, the Morganton License Plate Agency is located at 603 S. College Street. Tel: (828) 437-4505.