The Dirt Is Moving—But What Are We Really Building?
Across Hickory, rooftops are multiplying. The dirt is turning faster than it has in decades, and everywhere you look—on the outskirts, in tight city parcels, and even on old forgotten lots—new homes are appearing.
For a town with a history steeped in industrial factories, this level of residential development might look like a long-awaited rebound. But anyone paying attention can’t help but ask: What exactly is driving all this construction? And who is it really for?
These houses aren’t rising from a surge in local wages or an influx of new residents in the present tense. They aren’t being built because our younger residents are returning home in droves. I haven’t seen any specific long-term plans that would lead to dynamic population growth.
What we’re seeing feels like pure speculation.
The lots are tight. The homes are nearly identical. The build times are rapid. With the issues we’ve seen over the past 25 years, I’m wondering if our current infrastructure can even sustain what’s being built—water and sewer lines, the electrical grid, road access. All of it.
You don’t have to be an engineer to see it. These builds aren’t rooted in community. They’re drawn from playbooks written elsewhere. Smaller yards. Faster flips. Units, not neighborhoods. Modern-day tract houses.
There seems to be an assumption that people are coming. From where? For what? We’ve been growing at less than 1% per year since 2000.
If there’s a reason for this, then I’m all for it. I’m just asking. And I’ve heard murmurs from others—so it isn’t just me.
Why are so many of these homes clustered so tightly—when this region was never known for density? Why do so few seem integrated with transit, parks, schools, or the broader economic direction of the community?
I see these things going up so fast. Are they quality builds? How long will these homes last before repair costs exceed the mortgage—especially with what people are paying these days?
We’ve seen what happens when development chases short-term gains. The structures go up fast, but the costs come due later—in road repairs, failing utilities, and stagnant neighborhoods that never became what they were promised to be.
I’m all in favor of growth. I’m just asking questions.
Is the construction money and sales benefiting our local construction and real estate industry? Is this a Hickory-centric development engine?
These new subdivisions seem prefabricated—rushed. Slap ‘em up and sell ‘em. Or maybe rent them? I’m thinking ten years from now. Will these areas be fully integrated into the community?
Like I said, I’m in favor of growth. I’m just curious about what’s really going on. We’ve been told growth needs a plan—but maybe that only applies to certain parts of the city.
The dirt is moving. The places are rising fast.
The
question remains:
What
are we building—and why?
Ground Level Report – May 17, 2025 - (Link to Deep Dive)
Quiet Stories. Real Impact. Underreported Truth.
This month’s Ground Level Report highlights several significant developments in Hickory and surrounding areas that have slipped past the mainstream media but reveal critical cracks in infrastructure, accountability, and community trust.
1. Pedestrian Bridge Arch Collapse – Accountability Without Answers
The City of Hickory received a $1.325 million settlement in October 2023 following the collapse of the wooden arches over the City Walk pedestrian bridge on Highway 127. Originally installed in 2021 as part of a $14.7 million project, the arches collapsed in early 2022 under relatively mild wind conditions. The settlement resolved legal claims but left deeper questions unanswered. No independent investigation was conducted, and no public safeguards have been clearly outlined to prevent similar failures. The incident highlights the need for stronger infrastructure oversight and public accountability.
2. Catawba County Humane Society – Trust Erodes Amid Investigation
In April 2025, the Humane Society placed its executive director on leave following allegations of animal abuse and toxic management. Though briefly covered by local news, the story has seen no follow-up. As a cornerstone nonprofit in the community, its silence is breeding mistrust. In an era when transparency is essential, the lack of clear communication and resolution is damaging public faith.
3. Whataburger Comes to Hickory – Growth or Creep?
The announcement that Texas-based Whataburger will open a 24/7 location in Hickory is framed as economic growth—but the story is more complex. While national press has covered the chain’s broader North Carolina expansion, little attention has been paid to how it will affect Hickory’s local businesses, traffic flow, and commercial zoning. The company’s sponsorship of a Hurricane Helene benefit concert shows effort to integrate—but long-term community impact remains uncertain.
4. FEMA Trailer Delays – A Quiet Crisis
After Hurricane Helene, Hickory served as a regional staging point for FEMA resources. By November 2024, whistleblowers reported that aid trailers were sitting unused—while displaced residents faced winter in tents. Six months later, no detailed timeline has been released, and the issue remains largely invisible in public discourse. The delay reveals deeper flaws in federal-local coordination and highlights gaps in disaster response logistics.
Bigger Picture: What It All Tells Us
- Hickory faces a crisis of oversight—in infrastructure, disaster relief, and nonprofit governance.
- National brand expansions test the region’s local identity and economic self-determination.
- Media silence and public indifference allow these trends to fester without accountability.
Why You Haven’t Heard About This
These issues lack flash but carry weight. They don’t make headlines because they demand follow-through—not just attention. Most newsrooms aren’t equipped to track them, and many readers scroll past until it’s too late.
Early Signal Report – May 16, 2025 - (Link to Deep Dive)
Emerging Trends in the Foothills Corridor
Beneath the surface of headlines and institutional noise, early signals are forming that suggest deeper shifts across the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton-Marion MSA. These aren't front-page stories yet, but they point to changing dynamics in commerce, labor, culture, and resilience.
1. Micro-Retail Models Are Gaining Ground
Downtowns in Hickory and Morganton are seeing an increase in short-term vendor spaces, pop-up shops, and collaborative storefronts. These low-overhead ventures allow entrepreneurs to test concepts without long leases and are activating underused retail footprints. It signals a pivot away from traditional retail permanence toward a more flexible, adaptive economy.
2. Apprenticeship Programs Expand Quietly
Major employers are introducing or expanding apprenticeships in healthcare and manufacturing. These programs are a direct response to automation risk and workforce shortages. They provide structured, skill-based pathways for both young workers and adults seeking career changes. This may be the foundation of a modern regional workforce model.
3. Home Gardening Networks Are Strengthening
Seed exchanges, backyard gardening, and informal produce trading are growing in popularity. While not centralized, the activity—visible on social media and neighborhood circles—suggests a desire for food security, self-reliance, and shared knowledge after recent supply chain disruptions and climate events.
4. Grassroots Wellness Businesses Are Appearing
Outdoor yoga classes, herbal remedy vendors, and non-traditional health offerings are spreading across the region. These efforts are often part-time or informal, but reflect shifting values toward preventive, locally-based health solutions—particularly among younger demographics.
5. Volunteer Environmental Cleanup Is Quietly Increasing
In Burke and McDowell Counties, residents are organizing small-scale cleanups along trails and rivers affected by storm damage and neglect. These efforts aren’t tied to large nonprofits or public grants. They're organic responses to real conditions—and a signal of rising environmental stewardship.
The Hound’s Signal: Built on the Backbone of the Hound
Late last week, I created and implemented The Hound’s Signal Substack page.
I can’t change the perception of what The Hickory Hound is. You can’t take the Hickory out of the Hickory Hound—and I wouldn’t want to. That name carries a certain meaning to the people who have visited here over the past 17 years. The Hound was born out of frustration—but it endures because it’s rooted in truth.
But The Hound’s Signal is a new dimension to the overall mission. It carries the same message and mindset—but it steps outside the local footprint to speak to a broader audience. It’s about how everything we’ve faced here—economic decline, institutional failure, cultural erosion—connects to what’s happening across the state, the region, and the country.
We’re scaling the mindset, not changing the mission.
The issue I’ve faced in growing this platform relates to people’s comfort zones. Older folks are used to the old forms of media—physical newspapers they can hold, televisions with remotes, radios with dials. They don’t want to give that up.
The generations behind me? They’re hooked on their phones. For many, the phone is their computer. But that device limits how deeply they can engage—especially with iPhone’s app-specific constraints. Depth gets sacrificed for convenience.
What am I saying?
The public has a limited attention span. They want it simple. Quick.
Entertaining. If it doesn’t land in a soundbite, they swipe past. That’s the
noise.
I need to get those people’s attention sometimes—but they’re not the difference-makers. We’re after the ones who care. The ones who are engaged in the world around them. The ones whose pineal gland still works. They see the big picture. They’re not locked into Normieville.
They are the builders. The connectors. The can-doers.
And that’s who The Hound’s Signal is for.
The Hickory Hound
is my journal—of the land where I was born and raised.
The Hound’s Signal is where we break free. It’s about growth.
Same voice. Same foundation. Wider field.
If you’ve followed The Hound, you’ll feel The Signal.
That’s all for this week. We’ll
see you soon.
If you’ve got feedback, questions, or want to engage with the work
directly:
📬 hickoryhoundfeedback@gmail.com
Let’s keep pushing the signal forward.
— James Thomas Shell
Publisher, The Hickory Hound / The Hound’s Signal
The Index of Hickory Hound Stories from 2025 onward
Faces of the Shrinking Center, Vol. 5 - The Quiet Collapse of America’s Middle Class - Fri May 16, 2025
Faces of the Shrinking Center, Vol. 3 - The Quiet Collapse of America’s Middle Class - Thu, May 8, 2025
Faces of the Shrinking Center, Vol. 2 - The Quiet Collapse of America’s Middle Class - Tue, May 6, 2025
Hickory, NC News & Views | Hickory Hound | May 4, 2025 - Includes Vol. 1 of this series
