GASTONIA, a rapidly growing industrial city of North Carolina, U.S.A., in the midst of the beautiful Piedmont moun tain region, at an altitude of 832 ft., loom. E.S.E. of Asheville; the county seat of Gaston county. It is on Federal highway 74, and is served by the Carolina and North-western, the Piedmont and Northern (electric), and the Southern railways. The population was 12,871 in 192o (18% negroes) and was 17,093 in 193o by the Federal census. The 43 cotton mills, with a total of 600,000 spindles in 1928, produce chiefly fine combed yarns. Spindles and other textile machinery are also manufactured in large quan tities, and there are various other factories. The total factory output in 1927 was valued at $26,476,195. The State orthopaedic hospital is located here. Gastonia was settled about 1872, incor porated as a town in 1876, and as a city in 191o. It has a council manager form of government.