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About Our Community
Welcome to River Bend on Lake Hickory – a quiet, premier lakefront community nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina.
We are located in the town of Granite Falls, who maintains our streets and underground utilities. Protective covenants ensure the quality, value, and stability of all homes in River Bend. All homes have public water. Natural gas is available to our residents, as is Spectrum high-speed internet.* The community has its own boat launch, and boat slips are available to rent.
River Bend sits on Gunpowder Creek, a tributary of Lake Hickory, affording a tranquil waterway for the canoe or kayak enthusiast. Easy access to the main channel of Lake Hickory provides unlimited water activities, as well as convenient marinas offering dry storage and quality boat maintenance services.
Arts & Leisure
There are many local activities in our area to enjoy. You will find outstanding local wineries and craft beer distilleries for tours and tasting, both in Granite Falls and the surrounding towns.
Our local arts community offers community theatre, symphony, a choral society, a science center, an art museum, and many other cultural events.
In nearby downtown Hickory, there are boutiques, shops, a seasonal local farmers’ market, as well as seasonal outdoor concerts with regional artists.
River Bend residents are just an hour from the mountains and a comfortable drive to the beach. Asheville, Blowing Rock, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem are all about an hour’s drive. Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the nation’s tenth busiest airport, is one hour away.
Sports, Entertainment & Outdoors
For the sports enthusiasts, the list is extensive! Hickory Motor Speedway is one of stock car racing’s most storied venues. The speedway is often referred to as the Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars and is located only thirteen miles from River Bend.
Hickory is also home to Texas Rangers’ farm team, the Crawdads baseball team. Charlotte, one hour away, is the home of the NFL Carolina Panthers, the NBA Hornets, and the Charlotte Knights, a triple A affiliate team of the Chicago White Sox. And, if you love to golf, there are nineteen golf courses within a twenty mile radius of River Bend. These are both public and private clubs, many offering amenities such as a fitness center, swimming pools, tennis courts, restaurants, and many other options.
Geitner Park is less than 5 miles away, with miles of walking and nature trails, mountain bike trails, a picnic shelter, boat dock and ramp, and more. It is also home to the Riverwalk. Currently under construction, the Riverwalk will offer on-land connections to existing and future amenities, including the Lake Hickory Trails, paved greenway at Geitner Park, future Deidra Lackey Memorial Park, and the future pedestrian bridge across Lake Hickory.
Also, less than two hours from your front door, you will find Pisgah National Forest and some 50,000 acres of camping, hiking, trout fishing, mountain climbing, and snow skiing.
Health & Medicine
River Bend is fortunate to be in close proximity to several outstanding health facilities.
Two major hospitals, Frye Regional Medical Center and Catawba Valley Medical Center are conveniently located less than fifteen minutes from River Bend. Both provide exceptional healthcare services to our community.
Adjacent to the River Bend community is RiverCrest Medical Park, offering specialized healthcare, diagnostic services, treatments for sick and well visits in addition to a surgery center and an urgent care facility.
Adding to River Bend’s prime location is Grace Village, a “continuing care community”. Plans concerning Grace Village are to have included an independent living facility, an assisted living facility, a full care facility, as well as a memory care unit upon completion of Grace Village Assisted Living Community.
Higher Education
For quality higher education, Lenoir-Rhyne University is a nationally recognized liberal arts university with 50+ undergraduate majors and 30+ graduate programs and is just fifteen minutes from River Bend in Hickory.
Appalachian State University, ranked #6 Regional Universities South by US News and World Report, is located in Boone, NC, less than an hour’s drive.
High school teens in North Carolina can also apply to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston Salem or the School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, both of which are public residential schools.
*Currently, Spectrum is not available to the eight homes in Phase VII.