hickory

Tree belonging to the walnut family, native to North America and Asia. It provides a valuable timber, and all species produce nuts, though some are inedible. The pecan (C. illinoensis) is widely cultivated in the southern USA, and the shagbark (C. ovata) in the northern USA. (Genus Carya, family Juglandaceae.)

Hickory

Town in Catawba and Burke counties, west-central North Carolina, USA; population (2000) 37,200. It is situated in the Piedmont, near the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, 45 mi/73 km northwest of Charlotte. The town's main industry is hosiery manufacture; other products include rope, cotton, trucktrailers, and electronic components. Hickory is home to Lenoir-Rhyne College (1891) and to a community college.

The town was founded in 1874. It was industrialized in 1880, with the establishment of a wagon factory. In 1930 the town annexed West Hickory and Highland.