Remaking Gaston.

• Position: SPONSORED SECTION: REGIONAL REPORT: GASTON COUNTY

Most of Gaston County's 15 incorporated cities and towns still boast a unique, Southern friendliness with walkable downtowns, locally owned businesses and a charm not usually found in larger metropolises. Separated from Mecklenburg County by the Catawba River, greater Gaston is a haven where the Norfolk Southern railroad whistle can be heard at dusk, parades fill Main Streets on holidays and hikers escape to Crowders Mountain State Park to climb The Pinnacle, at 1,705 feet.

But change is occurring in Gaston County. It's happening in the east, along the Catawba, where a technology headquarters is coaxing businesses into the digital age. And on the north side in Bessemer City, where international businesses are planting American roots. It's moving in college classrooms, as students study advanced curriculums geared specifically toward local jobs, and at a construction site in the center of downtown Gastonia, soon to be a retail and entertainment complex that officials hope will draw people and pocketbooks to the inner city.

"How do we create a destination? That's the key to making a project work," says Mark Cramer, executive director of the Greater Gaston Development Corp., which is instrumental in bringing TechWorks to Belmont and the Franklin Urban Sports and Entertainment (FUSE) project to downtown Gastonia.

"Contrary to popular belief and opinion, no one says they need to go to one place," says Steve Nye, marketing...