in battery demand to support electric vehicle and other uses. education public education in gaston county is administered by the gaston county schools public school system. the system is governed by the nine-member gaston county board of education which sets policy and establishes guidelines for school operations. board members are elected on a nonpartisan, county wide basis, with seven representatives chosen from the six townships and two members selected at-large. gaston county schools has 54 public schools, including 9 high schools, 11 middle schools, 32 elementary schools, one alternative school (middle and high school age), and one separate school (webb street school in gastonia) serving students ages 3 to 22 with moderate to severe disabilities. gaston county has four charter schools: community public charter school (k-7) in stanley, ridgeview charter school (k–4) in gastonia, piedmont community charter school (k–12) in gastonia, and mountain island charter school (k–8) in mount holly. there are two colleges in gaston county. gaston college is a community college located in dallas offering associate degree, certificate, and diploma programs. belmont abbey college is a roman catholic liberal arts college located in belmont. the gaston county public library has 10 branches spread throughout the county. natural heritage gaston county's most significant natural heritage sites are distributed across the county. they range from crowders mountain in the southwest corner to sites east of stanley and at the mouth of the south fork catawba river. gaston county has twelve natural heritage sites listed as being of state or regional significance. six of these are listed because of the presence of the bigleaf magnolia (magnolia macrophylla). this magnificent plant has the largest simple leaf of any species in the temperate world, and one of the largest flowers. of the 34 known sites containing bigleaf magnolias in north carolina, 29 are in gaston county. two sites are important because they provide habitat for the bog turtle (glyptemys muhlenbergii). the bog turtle is the single most significant rare animal species surviving in gaston county. crowders mountain state park is the largest natural heritage site in the county. it covers over 3,000 acres (12 km2) of topographically, botanically, and zoologically diverse land. six natural plant communities are found in the park, and the area supports a diversity of wildlife species. some animals documented in the park have not been documented elsewhere in the county. a second natural heritage site, pinnacle road, has recently been incorporated into the park. this site is most significant for the occurrence of dwarf juniper (juniperus communis) along its ridgeline. the stagecoach road site is the largest and best preserved granitic outcrop in the county. its thin soils are dominated by hickory species and it is also home to several smaller species such as talinum teretifolium (fame flower), diamorpha smallii (small's sedum), and hypericum gentianoides (pineweed) that are found only in this type of habitat. a farm site contains an old growth forest dominated by beech, yellow poplar, oaks, and maples - some trees with diameters of nearly 3 feet (0.91 m). another 25 sites are listed as being of local significance. two of these are home to extremely rare plants. catawba cove, near the daniel stowe botanical garden, supports a stand of schweinitz's sunflower (helianthus schweinizii), a federally endangered species. the armstrong ford site near belmont is the only place in western north carolina (and one of only two sites in the state) where magnolia vine (schisandra glabra) has been found. points of interest the hoyle historic homestead, with notable german-american construction features, is the oldest extant structure in gaston county. located on the dallas-stanley highway above the south fork catawba river, it was built around 1760 and is listed on the national register of historic places. the daniel stowe botanical garden covers 110 acres (0.45 km2) in the south point area of gaston county, on south new hope road. the gaston county museum is located in the town of dallas, north carolina. the schiele museum of natural history is a science museum and planetarium located in gastonia that features both permanent and touring exhibits. crowder's mountain state park is noted for its resident raptors and sheer vertical cliffs which drop 150 feet (46 m). from crowders mountain, the highest point in gaston county, views stretch for more than 20 miles (32 km). the u.s. national whitewater center is a recreation and training facility. set among 1,300 acres (5.3 km2) of wooded land along the catawba river, the multiuse facility has a climbing center, mountain-biking trails and running trails. christmas town usa - mcadenville, north carolina - each december, hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights turn this small mill town into a spectacular holiday display. visitors stroll down main street surrounded by the sights and sounds of christmas. spencer mountain, which is located in central gaston county, is the site of the old wbtv television transmitter. it was from this site that the first commercial television signal in north carolina was broadcast, when wbtv signed on the air in 1949. the tower remains on the mountain today, but is no longer in use as wbtv's primary transmitter. it is used by nws for its noaa weather radio transmission signal. communities map of gaston county with municipal and township labels cities belmont bessemer city cherryville gastonia (county seat and largest city) kings mountain (mostly in cleveland county) lowell mount holly towns cramerton dallas dellview (inactive) high shoals mcadenville ranlo spencer mountain stanley townships cherryville crowders mountain dallas gastonia riverbend south point unincorporated communities alexis ashebrook park boogertown brown town crowders hardins lucia mountain island south gastonia springdale tryon