Gastonia Gastonia is located in Gaston County in the South-Central Piedmont section of North Carolina. The county is bounded on the east by the Catawba River and Mecklenburg County, on the west by Cleveland County, on the north by Lincoln County and on the south by York County, South Carolina. Gaston County was formed from a portion of Lincoln County in 1846.
Gaston County ranks 74th in size consisting of approximately 356 square miles, and is seventh in population with the 2000 population recorded at 190,365. The population has increased 8.9% since 1990. The County has fifteen incorporated towns.
The topography of the County is gently rolling to hilly, with several pronounced ridges, including Kings Mountain Pinnacle, Spencer Mountain, Jackson's Knob, Paysour Mountain and Crowders Mountain. Elevations above sea level in Gaston County range from 587 feet in the southeast corner to 1,705 feet at the Pinnacle of the Kings Mountain ridge in the southwest. The average elevation is estimated at 825 feet.
The County has a temperate climate characterized by moderate temperature variations and moderate humidity. The average temperature is about 60 degrees Fahrenheit, ranging from an average January high and low temperatures of 50 and 29 degrees respectively to July high and low temperature of 89 and 69 degrees. The average annual precipitation is 44 inches, and the average relative humidity is 54 percent. The primary components of the drainage system in Gaston County are the Catawba River with the South Fork River as its major tributary.
