Ranlo, North Carolina
Ranlo is a town of 4,617 people in Gaston County, North Carolina, founded in 1963.
Why visit Ranlo
Townapedia lists 7 museums and landmarks, 5 parks and trails, 3 places to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Dallas Graded and High School, Dallas Historic District and Ranlo City Park.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 91°F; January lows average 31°F.
Weather in Ranlo
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Ranlo
Ranlo is a small town in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States and a suburb of Charlotte, located north of Gastonia. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 4,511, up from 3,434 in 2010.
From the Wikipedia article Ranlo, North Carolina (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks7
Dallas Graded and High School
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.3 mi
High school in Dallas, Gaston County, North Carolina
Dallas Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.2 mi
Historic district in North Carolina, United States
David Jenkins House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.7 mi
House
Eli Hoyle House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.6 mi
Historic house in North Carolina, United States
Hoyle Historic Homestead
Museum · National Register of Historic Places · 2.6 mi
Historic house in Gaston County, North Carolina, USA
McAdenville Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.4 mi
Historic district in North Carolina, United States
Schiele Museum of Natural History
Museum · 3.0 mi
Science museum in Gastonia, United States
Parks, trails and playgrounds5
Ranlo City Park
Park
Ranlo City Park includes playground, running track, baseball field, and basketball courts.
George Poston Park
Park · 1.1 mi
George Poston Park includes baseball fields, soccer fields, biking & walking trails, dog park, and a lake.
Warlick Track & Disc Golf Course
Park · 0.5 mi
Walking track and disc golf course.
Where to stay3
History
Ranlo was named for John Calvin Rankin and William Thomas Love, two prominent area industrialists - "Ranlo" was a contraction of RANkin and LOve. The community grew up around their textile mills, which produced cotton goods. Rex Spinning Company was begun in 1915, Ranlo Manufacturing Company in 1916, and Priscilla Spinning Company in 1921. Nearby, the community of Smyre was developed around the A. M. Smyre Manufacturing Company, which was founded in 1917. In 1963, Ranlo and Smyre were incorporated as the Town of Ranlo, in reaction to the concern over possible annexation into Gastonia. However, the part of the Smyre mill village south of the Norfolk Southern Railway was not included, and was eventually annexed by Gastonia in June 1996.
Row houses were erected in the 1920s and 1930s and still stand today. At the time, they were owned by the mill and rented at very low rates to workers. They have long since been sold to individuals, and the mills are 75-80% closed. Only one or two still operate and they are at low capacity. The town, however, has become a "bedroom community" and prides itself on its facilities and growth. New industry has started to move in and new neighborhoods are being built.
From the History section of Ranlo, North Carolina on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship3
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries38
Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences
School · 3.7 mi
300 Rhodes Perimeter Drive, Dallas
Healthcare1
Map of Ranlo
60 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53°F | 31°F | 3.8 in | 0.9 in |
| Feb | 57°F | 34°F | 3.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Mar | 65°F | 40°F | 3.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Apr | 74°F | 50°F | 3.5 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 80°F | 58°F | 3.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 87°F | 67°F | 4.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 91°F | 70°F | 3.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 89°F | 69°F | 4.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 84°F | 63°F | 3.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 74°F | 51°F | 3.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 64°F | 40°F | 3.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 56°F | 34°F | 3.8 in | 0.3 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Gastonia (2 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Gaston County has had 13 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2026-01-24: Severe Winter Storm (Winter Storm)
- 2024-09-28: Tropical Storm Helene (Tropical Storm)
- 2024-09-26: Hurricane Helene (Tropical Storm)
- 2022-10-01: Hurricane Ian (Hurricane)
- 2020-08-02: Hurricane Isaias (Hurricane)
- 2020-05-08: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 12 miles away.
- Lowell 2 mi southeast, about 3 min by car
- McAdenville 3 mi southeast, about 5 min by car
- Gastonia 4 mi southwest, about 7 min by car
- Dallas 4 mi northwest, about 6 min by car
- Cramerton 6 mi southeast, about 9 min by car
- Belmont 7 mi southeast, about 11 min by car
- Mount Holly 7 mi east, about 11 min by car
- Bessemer City 9 mi west, about 14 min by car
- Lowesville 12 mi northeast, about 19 min by car
- Kings Mountain 13 mi west, about 21 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- McAdenville 121214-12, PreferredAperture, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eli Hoyle House - front view - 9-20-2014, RoxylovesHistory, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Gaston County Jail - Ca. 1848, Upstateherd, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Hoyle House, Upstateherd, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Dallas Graded and High School, 300 W. Church Street, Dallas, NC, RoxylovesHistory, CC BY-SA 3.0
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