Cathey
Ghost town · Gaston County, North Carolina

Cathey is a ghost town in Gaston County, North Carolina. It is one of 7 former communities in Gaston County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 15th among the 48 North Carolina counties with a vanished settlement on record.
The U.S. Geological Survey lists Cathey as a historical populated place on the Mount Holly topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 35.3118° N, 81.1101° W.
Key facts
| USGS quadrangle | Mount Holly |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 750 ft |
| Nearest living town | Ranlo, NC |
| Distance to it | 1.9 miles |
| GNIS feature ID | 1001611 |
| Coordinates | 35.31180, -81.11008 |
What's there now
Cathey is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Ranlo, NC (population 4,556), about 1.9 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 750 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.
Nearby places
- Caldwellghost town · Gaston County · 1.8 mi
- Woodlandghost town · Gaston County · 3.7 mi
- Hoylesvilleghost town · Gaston County · 4.8 mi
- Crowdersghost town · Gaston County · 6 mi
- Tuskasagaghost town · Mecklenburg County · 6.7 mi
- Kellyvilleghost town · Mecklenburg County · 7.1 mi
- Catawbaghost town · Gaston County · 7.1 mi
- Cottage Homeghost town · Lincoln County · 8.5 mi
- Mineral Springghost town · Lincoln County · 9.2 mi
- Martindaleghost town · Mecklenburg County · 9.4 mi
- Begoniaghost town · Gaston County · 10.8 mi
- Pinocaghost town · Mecklenburg County · 12.7 mi
Questions
Where is Cathey?
Cathey is in Gaston County, North Carolina, at 35.3118, -81.1101.
How many ghost towns are in Gaston County?
Gaston County, North Carolina has 7 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.
- USGS Geographic Names Information System (Domestic Names) — GNIS Domestic Names, feature record (public-domain)
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line and ACS — Census Gazetteer + ACS 5-year population (public-domain)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.