Geography 

The City of High Point is located in the Piedmont Triad region of central North Carolina and is located between the cities of Winston-Salem and Greensboro. Most of the city is within Guilford County however portions of the city limits also extend into Davidson, Forsyth, and Randolph counties.  

2017-misc-area-map-triad

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High Point is the only city in North Carolina that extends into four counties.

Annexations

The City of High Point was officially established on May 26, 1859, with an area of four square miles. As of January 2026, the city measured 59 square miles. The City’s Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ), the area beyond city limits where the City legally exercises its authority like zoning, was equal to 3.2 square miles.

High Point’s total planning area is 94 square miles, which includes the city limits, and some of (but not all) the ETJ, as well as areas covered by the High Point 2045 Comprehensive Plan but not governed by the City.

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Geography - Annex by Decade

The number of annexations into High Point and their acreage over the last ten years and the resulting incorporated area and growth rates are listed below:

Geography - Anexation 2026

thePOINT Interactive Map

Use thePOINT to explore geographic information about High Point, including parcel information, environmental information, and more.  

thePOINT Screenshot

History

High Point got its name from being the highest point along the North Carolina Railroad constructed in the mid-1800’s.  It was officially incorporated as a town in 1859 and was centered where the railroad tracks crossed the “Fayetteville and Western Plank Road” (now Main St.), a major transportation route that stretched across most of North Carolina. 

Historically, High Point had been known for textile and furniture manufacturing.  By the end of the 19th Century, High Point was a leading furniture manufacturing center in the south.  To bolster the growing furniture industry, High Point hosted the first North Carolina Furniture Exposition in 1905. Over the years this event grew to become the High Point Market, the world’s largest home furnishings trade show, held twice a year in the spring and fall. This solidified High Point’s place as the “Furniture Capital”.

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Additional Historic Resources:

  • High Point Public Library: provides a variety of resources beyond the traditional role of lending books, including a Heritage Research Center with genealogy/local history information
  • High Point Museum: cares for over 37,000 objects, photographs, and archive material and hosts a variety of events throughout the year to share greater High Point’s history
  • Historic Resources Web Portal: a compilation of online information about High Point’s history, historic districts, and its people & families with answers to FAQ’s

                              DidYouKnowH

Famous jazz saxophonist John Coltrane grew up in High Point through high school.

Climate

High Point has a Humid Subtropical climate and experiences all four seasons.  The average high temperature is approximately 72°F, and the average low temperature is around 49°F.  The highest recorded temperature was 106° in 1952, while the lowest temperature was -7° in 1985.  Average precipitation is around 46 inches per year with approximately two inches of snowfall in an average year. The record one-day snowfall was 18 inches in 1930. High Point occasionally deals with major weather events, primarily hurricanes, tornadoes, and ice storms.


Source: http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/high-point/north-carolina/united-states/usnc0314

Climate - Temp and Precip chart