Cleveland County

Cleveland County is nestled in the rolling piedmont of the southwestern portion of North Carolina situated in the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

Our county is the gateway between Asheville and Charlotte. Cleveland County is centered between two of the largest metropolitan areas of the Carolinas-- Charlotte and Greenville/Spartanburg.

In addition to providing us with the spectacular changing seasons, our favorable geographic setting also offers wonderful nearby attractions -- steep mountains in one direction, wide beaches in the other, and topped-off with a surrounding array of bustling metropolitan centers, all close enough to be forever tempting day-trippers.  

With our family-oriented lifestyle, small-town charm, and Southern, festival atmosphere, Cleveland County is a great place to live, work, play, and just enjoy life.  

Business Climate

Cleveland County is home to numerous ISO 9000 certified companies, and over 40 percent of the work force is involved in manufacturing.  The county has a broad diversity of manufacturing firms, over forty of which employ 100 or more persons.

The local economy is also diverse, with no dependence on any one industry.  Truck cabs, compact discs, transmissions, aircraft parts, ceramic capacitor material, electric motors and production equipment are just a few of the items fabricated in Cleveland County.  The presence of Reliance Electric and Curtiss-Wright are a testament to the quality of our business environment.

Geography is one of Cleveland County's biggest advantages.  Easy access to Interstate Highways 85, 40, 26 & 77 assures that goods and services flow freely to their destination from one of 250 trucking firms located throughout the area.  More than half of the nation can be reached within 24 hours.

The labor force is drawn from a wide area which includes the surrounding counties of Lincoln, Gaston, Rutherford and Burke.  Within a 35-mile radius it numbers in excess of 600,000.  Within a 25-mile radius of Shelby there are frequently 12,000 active job applications on file with the North Carolina Employment Security office, which also maintains a statewide data bank and provides screening and testing of applicants for local industry. 

Want To Know More Details About Cleveland County? 

Click here for information about Cleveland County posted by the North Carolina Department of Commerce

Click here for the 2010 Census Detailed Profile in PDF format.