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Long idle, the Imperial is among the few mills still standing in Belmont, but the mill village where it's workers lived has been replaced by estate homes and townhomes in the Hawthorne community.
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About
Our Area
The Catawba River flows south from Mountain Island Lake to Lake Wylie, forming the eastern boundary of Gaston County and western boundary of Mecklenburg. Along its banks and that of its nearby sister the South Fork River lie a series of small towns linked forever to the rich heritage of the textile industry.
When the industrial revolution made it possible for people to earn a living from work other than farming, mills were built along the rivers and towns grew around the mills. Belmont, Cramerton, Lowell, McAdenville, Mount Holly and Stanley all trace their origins to textiles, and the industry was good for the towns for many decades.
A few textile companies, such as Pharr Yarns, R.L. Stowe Mills, American & Efird and Parkdale Mills, continue to thrive, providing jobs for workers and supporting the communities where their plants still run. But the Information Age and the booming Charlotte metropolitan market are ushering in a new revolution, once again bringing change to the communities of eastern Gaston County.
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Most of the formerly bustling textile mills are closed and many have been demolished. Mill villages that grew up around the plants also are disappearing. In their place upscale subdivisions are springing up, often with single homes costing nearly as much to build as an entire mill cost a century ago.
Once a barrier fending off the rampant growth of the Charlotte metropolitan area, the Catawba River now is an attraction luring visitors to enjoy the waterway, permanent residents to live along its shoreline and businesses to serve the growing population. New attractions such as the U.S. National Whitewater Center will bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the region each year.
The River Bend and South Point townships of eastern Gaston are the county's fastest growing. This is the primary service area of the Belmont Chamber, connecting the best of Gaston County to the rapidly growing Charlotte, NC, metropolitan region.
In this climate of change, it's vital for the Chamber to maintain a leadership role in helping the communities cope with growth while protecting and preserving an outstanding quality of life.
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