Maiden is a town in Catawba and Lincoln counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 3,845 at the 2023 census.

Maiden High School was the first public high school in the state with an observatory and is currently home to an Apple iCloud Data Center, covering . In May 2012, Apple announced it would generate 60 percent of the Maiden facility's power itself, through a large deployment of fuel cells at the site and a solar farm, with an additional site away.

The Catawba County portion of Maiden is part of the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Lincoln County portion is part of the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Maiden was incorporated on March 7, 1883, as a cotton mill site and trading center. The town is named from a creek north of the area called "Maiden Creek". The name of the creek is thought to be of Native American origin. Historians claim that the name "Maiden" stems from the native-grown "Maidencane" grass, which is found throughout the town to this day.

The town also calls itself "The Biggest Little Football Town in the World", because of the strong community support for its local high school football team.

The David F. Propst House, Memorial Reformed Church, Miller–Cansler House, Franklin D. Reinhardt and Harren–Hood Farms, William Pinckney Reinhardt House, and Salem Union Church and Cemetery are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Maiden is located in southern Catawba County, with a small portion extending south into Lincoln County. U.S. Route 321 Business passes through the center of town as Main Street, while current U.S. Route 321, a four-lane expressway, runs southwest of the town, with access from Exit 33 west of the town and from Exit 28 in Lincoln County. Via US 321 it is northwest to Hickory and south to Gastonia.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Maiden has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.22%, is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Maiden had a population of 3,736. The median age was 39.8 years. 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.9% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 111.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.6 males.

94.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 5.3% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,392 households in Maiden, of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.0% were married-couple households, 17.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. This district operates Maiden High School.

The small portion in Lincoln County is in the Lincoln County Schools school district.

Notable people

  • Cherie Berry, former North Carolina Commissioner of Labor
  • Dennis Hargrove Cooke, former president of what is now East Carolina University
  • Caleb Farley, NFL cornerback
  • Hank Parker, professional bass fisherman
  • Kevin Wilson, college football coach

References

  • Town website