Recently, the Ivey Arboretum, right in the heart of Hickory, received some national attention in Pauline’s Fashionable Garden Blog spot.  Read the article here http://fashionablegardener.blogspot.com/

Check out the video from GigaHit Night.  Thanks to the Hickory Crawdads for their support with GigaHit Night on May 25 at LP Frans Stadium.  GigaHIT night spotlighted Hickory and Lenoir’s push to woo Google to our community to build a Fiber to the Home network (FTTH) at a gigabit per second connection, which is 100 times faster than the current speed.  Hickory and Lenoir were one of 1,100 communities across the nation to submit an application, www.googlehickorylenoir.com,  and Google will choose a community sometime this year.

GigHIT night featured an informational table about the project, giveaways, and YouTube videos designed to inform and excite the community about Google project.  The game started with Lenoir Mayor David Barlow throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.  One of the highlights of the Google celebration was in the third inning when Hickory City Manager Mick Berry and Lenoir City Manager Lane Bailey were on the field and gave a brief overview of the importance of building the Google network and inspired the crowd to get up and cheer, “Gotta Getta Gigabit!”  In addition Woo+Google = Woogle T-shirts and hats were given to baseball patrons who were enthusiastic and made YouTube videos or posed for photos.  Throughout the entire evening, Woo Google activists spoke with citizens and answered questions about Google project.

Many YouTube videos about the “Gotta Get a Gigabit” campaign were shown on the screen between innings, and one video included members of the Hickory Crawdad staff’s remaking Billy Joel’s “The Longest Time.”

Words were changed to convey the length of time dial-up fiber internet connections take to load webpages.  Baseball fans roared with laughter at this video as well as some of the others shown during the evening.

GigaHIT night ended with a Crawdad’s win, and an increased awareness of the Google project.  Participants also learned about how wooing Google to build the test high speed network would benefit the community in all arenas of life – work, education, medical, and leisure.

Background of GigaHIT Night

The communities of Lenoir and Hickory, counties of Catawba and Caldwell, and the towns and cities in between and close by were one of 1,100 communities to submit an application for the Google Fiber to the Home (FTTH) Request for Information (RFI) on March 26.  The experimental network that Google would build would provide a broadband connection that is more than 100 times faster than the current connection.

The momentum began while building the resume between mid-February to late March when community meetings were held, focus groups met, and government agencies worked together to put together the Google FTTH request.  The momentum continues as citizens read the online resume that includes the community’s story on how this project could transform the area, demographics, business opportunities, community organizations, and how the community has continued to persevere during extremely difficult economic times.

To stay up to date on the Hickory/Lenoir Google project, join the more than 6,500 fans on the Woogle Hickory Lenoir Facebook page or check the websites of the surrounding local governments.

According to the Google, a community will be chosen by the end of 2010.

The City of Lenoir, North Carolina has teamed up with the City of Hickory, NC, as well as Catawba County, NC and Caldwell County, NC to submit a substantial response to the Google Fiber-to-the-Community Request for Information (RFI). These local governments are connected via U.S. Highway 321, and are part of the North Carolina Data Center Corridor. Additional, local governments along U.S. HWY 321 joined in the efforts and include the City of Newton, NC, City of Conover, NC, Town of Granite Falls, NC, Town of Sawmills, NC and the Town of Hudson, NC.

» View Hickory-Lenoir’s Woogle Facebook Page
» View Hickory-Lenoir’s Woogle Twitter Page
» View Hickory-Lenoir’s Woogle Photo Gallery

Hickory, North Carolina
Hickory, North Carolina, a three-time All-America City on the Catawba River and just an hour south of the entrance of the Blue Ridge Parkway. More than 40,000 residents call Hickory their home and Hickory is the hub of a 350,000 metropolitan area.

» Hickory, NC Facts & Figures

Lenoir, North Carolina
Lenoir is at the heart of the growth in commercial investment in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton MSA. As our population grows and our economy diversifies, the commercial properties in our city offer excellent locations for retail and commercial development.

» Lenoir, NC Facts & Figures

The City of Lenoir, North Carolina has teamed up with the City of Hickory, NC, as well as Catawba County, NC and Caldwell County, NC to submit a substantial response to the Google Fiber-to-the-Community Request for Information (RFI). These local governments are connected via U.S. Highway 321, and are part of the North Carolina Data Center Corridor. Additional, local governments along U.S. HWY 321 joined in the efforts and include the City of Newton, NC, City of Conover, NC, Town of Granite Falls, NC, Town of Sawmills, NC and the Town of Hudson, NC.