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Light Oak is a tiny town of 277 people in Cleveland County, North Carolina. It's about 33 miles from Hickory, NC and 37 miles from Charlotte, NC, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 90°F and winter highs 52°F, with about 4 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $145k and rent runs about $914 a month.
277people
$145kTypical home
$914/moRent
90° / 52°Summer / winter
4"Snow
244Sunny days
112Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 277
- Its own small hub, not a suburb
- About 193 people per sq mi
- 37 mi to Charlotte, NC
- 33 mi to Hickory, NC
- 4 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $145k (≈$912/mo)
- Median rent $914/mo
- Median household income $63k
- Property tax about 0.9% of value
- 3.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 90°F
- Winter highs around 52°F
- Muggy summers (dew point 66°F)
- 244 sunny days a year (101 totally clear)
- 121 cloudy days a year
- 36 of 90 winter days are gray
- 112 days a year with rain or snow
- 4" of snow a year
- 1 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 2 nights a year below 10°F
- Usually calm
Safety
- About average violent crime (402 per 100k), county-wide
- Low property crime (1,341 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 58
- 23% of households have kids
- 27% are 65 or older
- 14% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 22 min
- 1% walk or take transit to work
- 31 mi to CLT airport
- 31 mi to CLT (major hub)
- 35 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 70% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1982
- 82% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Gently rolling terrain
- Elevation 866 ft
- 182 mi to the ocean
- 81 mi to a big lake
- 8 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 60 mi to the nearest ski area
- Campground in town
- 18 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 272 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 3 bars within 25 mi
- 37 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 17 museums within 25 mi
- 2 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 4 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 48% of North Carolina districts (reading)
- 2 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 7 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 14 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 19 mi to the nearest vet
- 9 mi to the nearest dog park
- 16 congregations per 10k people
- 11 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Cleveland County: R+35 in 2024
- North Carolina: R+3 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Low hurricane risk
- Moderate tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Low earthquake risk
- Low flood risk
- Moderate drought risk
- Low winter storm risk
- Very low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk
Limited data: this place is small enough that most of its Census numbers (rent, home value, income, age) are blended with county figures. Treat its match as a rough guide.