If you live in Gastonia, NC and need health insurance, WNC Health Insurance can help. Our agents are well versed in the health insurance changes under the Affordable Care Act, and we are here to help residents of Gastonia, NC find the health insurance plan that best fits their lifestyle.
If you need health insurance in Gastonia, NC, give us a call at: 828-348-2583 a no obligation health insurance quote.
Gastonia is a medium sized city with over seventy thousand people at the last count in 2010. It is the county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, and the thirteenth largest city in the entire state. Gastonia is located right in the center of Gaston County, and actually occupies almost 15% of the entirety of Gaston County! It is a metropolitan and cosmopolitan city, full of vibrancy and culture. Gastonia has two sister cities: in 1994, it gained Gotha from Thuringia, Germany, and in 2007 another sibling was gained – Santiago de Surco, in Lima, Peru. These gorgeous cities are a brilliant mirror image of this American city, so it is not a surprise at all to see that many people are flocking to live and work in Gastonia.
Like many other towns and cities within the United States of America, Gastonia is named after a person. In this case, it has been named after William Gaston, who was a member of the North Carolina Supreme Court and lived from 1778 to 1844. William Gaston has many things named after him – the county itself, the city of Gastonia, Lake Gaston, and Gaston Hall at Georgetown University. He also wrote the official state song of North Carolina in his spare time when he wasn’t busy being a United States Representative. Although he won office through elections several times throughout his illustrious career, before 1835 he was not permitted to take up the position that he had won because he was a committed Roman Catholic. Once he was allowed to represent the people that voted for him, he joined with others that agreed with his views, and removed much of the official discrimination that existed against Roman Catholics that was in North Carolina law. William Gaston has become incredibly influential for those that fight lawful injustice. The people of Gastonia are very proud to be named after such a political pioneer of justice within the law.
Although Gastonia, NC is the center of much business and enterprise throughout the County of Gaston, since the economic downturn in the early twenty-first century, it has struggled to maintain a buoyant economy. In its heyday, in the early twentieth century, there were many textile mills throughout Gastonia, NC, and that was where much of its prosperity originated from. In fact, there are even photographs taken in a Gastonian mill called Loray Mill in 1908 of two people working the machines there – and shockingly, one of them is a child, who can be no more than ten years old.
Obviously, child labor no longer occurs within Gastonia! Over the last ten years, more and more people have been made redundant within the previously secure area of manufacturing. For example, the international headquarters of the textile business Parkdale Mills is still within Gastonia, NC. It also had two manufacturing facilities within the area of Gastonia itself, as well as several in outlying towns and cities, but since the economic downturn, those production plants have been closed down and moved to other areas. This has led many people to be without work, and this excess of unemployed workers within the Gastonia economy has still not been balanced.
Thankfully, there are many other corporations that are still going strong within the city of Gastonia, and many of them are big name brands that many people will recognize. For example, there can be found within Gastonia: Freightliner LLC, Stabilus, and the Danaher Tool Group. Despite these large employers, however, the major employer within the city of Gastonia is the City of Gastonia itself. Many residents are working within the schools and government offices that are within the town, and it should not be forgotten that many people that work in administrative roles for the County of Gaston are also based in Gastonia, NC. Of course Gastonians hope that there will not be any more closures or large scale layoffs.
Luckily, many citizens of Gastonia are employees of Caromont Healthcare, otherwise known as Gaston Memorial Hospital. A large number of people support the health insurance industry in Gastonia, NC, making sure that they and their families will be protected should the worst befall them. WNC Health Insurance is a large healthcare insurance agency that offers health insurance assistance to everyone in Gastonia and all of Western North Carolina.
There are many people that call or have called Gastonia, NC home, but have ventured out into the world to put their mark on it. Some of the American sports personalities that we all know and love are Gastonians at heart: Darrell Armstrong, the NBA star; Rufus Crawford, the NFL player; Wes Helms, the Major League Baseball player; and father and son duo Harold and Glenn Dunaway, who were both amazing NASCAR drivers. Other great people that have at some time called Gastonia their home include Ernest Angley, the televangelist, and Billy James, the host of the radio talk show The John Boy and Billy Show. The political commentator and economist Thomas Sowell was born in Gastonia, and so was Evan Karagias, the wrestler and actor. These famous names and faces have inspired many tourists and admirers to visit Gastonia, NC, so that they can see the area in which their heroes and heroines spent their formative years.
For those people who wish to come and visit the wonderful city of Gastonia, there are many things to do and see within the city itself, and in the area around it. For example, there is the Schiele Museum of Natural History, which includes the Hall of North Carolina Natural History, and the Henry Hall of the American Indian. There is also the James H. Lynn Planetarium, which is the only planetarium that can be found within the Charlotte area. For the sports fans, there is usually something going on every weekend – whether it is watching the Gastonia Grizzles, a baseball team, or the Gastonia Gargoyles that play rugby.
If retail therapy is more your style, there are many different malls and squares surrounded by the best shops. For those of us who are happy to venture slightly outside of the Gastonia city limits, there is the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, a gorgeous area of natural beauty that is a particular favorite of many people looking for some greenery. The Catawba River, just east of Gastonia, is perfect for the U. S. National Whitewater Center, offering the more adventurous traveler the chance of a lifetime – to journey down this ancient river faced only with the elements. And if nature and the elements are what you love, you simply cannot miss trekking out through the Kings Mountain.
So if you are considering whether or not to take a trip to the beautiful city of Gastonia NC, do not even think for one more second about it. Load up the car, and drive on over to a beautiful city with a rich history, and much hope for the future.