Valdese is located in eastern Burke County at . It is bordered to the east by the town of Rutherford College. The Valdese town limits extend north to Rhodhiss Lake on the Catawba River, then follow the land along the southern side of the lake for to the west. U.S. Route 70 passes through the town as Main Street, leading west to the center of Morganton, the county seat, and east to Hickory. Interstate 40 runs along the southern border of the town, providing access from exits 111 and 112. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which, or 0.17%, is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,485 people, 1,886 households, and 1,180 families residing in the town. The population density was 823.8 people per square mile. There were 1,992 housing units at an average density of 365.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 91.53% White, 1.05% African American, 0.22% Native American, 3.99% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 2.25% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.91% of the population. There were 1,886 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couplesliving together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.90. In the town, the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $30,617, and the median income for a family was $41,411. Males had a median income of $27,482 versus $22,429 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,965. About 8.3% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over. There is also an Occitan-speaking community.
Sister city
Valdese has one sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International:
