Factories still pay a lot of the bills here. Parkdale, described as the world's top maker of spun yarn, is based in Gastonia, alongside Wix Filtration, Freightliner, Stabilus, Curtiss-Wright Controls and Radici Group. City and county government, the schools, CaroMont Regional Medical Center and Advance Auto Parts round out the big payrolls. The last decade also brought closures and layoffs, and some production moved overseas. For trades, that mix means commercial contracts and repair calls from a huge stock of older houses, sometimes from the same customer.
The next wave is housing. Gaston County has about 30,000 new homes planned and more than 220 developments proposed or approved, not counting apartments. Off Camp Rotary Road near Crowders Mountain State Park, the Arcadia project alone has nearly 430 lots, with homes expected by mid-2027. A stretch of woods at New Hope Road and Hudson Boulevard is turning into streets as well. Downtown, the FUSE District and CaroMont Health Park have pulled new restaurants and lofts toward Loray Mill. Many of the newcomers came from Charlotte for lower housing costs, and they arrive with no local loyalties.