The town is also known as one of the birthplaces of the sport of stock-car racing, and the North Wilkesboro Speedway was the first NASCAR-sanctioned track.

The line ended on the northern bank of the Yadkin River opposite Wilkesboro, the county seat.

[5] Lowe's Foods, one of the Southeast's largest supermarket chains, was started in North Wilkesboro in 1954.

[6] Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse, the nation's second-largest chain of home-improvement stores, was started in North Wilkesboro in 1946.

Soon after their purchase, both men announced that they were closing the speedway and moving its two NASCAR race dates to their new tracks in Texas and New Hampshire.

[10] In November 2021, the North Carolina state legislature and NC Governor Roy Cooper gave $18 million to the speedway for extensive repairs and renovations in a major effort to reopen the track for racing.

[11] Following the renovations, in August 2022 the speedway held its first races in a decade, drawing a sellout crowd to the CARS Tours Window's World 125.

The downtown business district of North Wilkesboro became a recognized Main Street Town in 2000.

Crowds of over 160,000 people usually attend the festival, and it is one of the largest single-day arts and crafts fairs in the Southern United States.

The festival features music, dancing, artwork, crafts, and food traditional to the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

The streets of downtown North Wilkesboro, NC are filled with over 425 arts and crafts, 100 food concessions, and 4 different music stages consisting of Blue Grass, Country, Folk, Gospel, and Appalachian Heritage.

The Wilkes Art Gallery was founded in 1962 in the parlor of art patron Annie Winkler's home and in 2004 moved into the renovated North Wilkesboro Post Office building located in the heart of downtown North Wilkesboro.

The Yadkin River Greenway Council, a non-profit community organization, provided coordination and leadership.

The Greenway is a natural area between urban communities where wildlife, vegetation, and streams are preserved and enjoyed.

Located a few miles away, the W. Kerr Scott Dam and Reservoir offers its visitors a pristine wilderness to go mountain biking, boating, swimming, camping, picnicking, hunting, and fishing around its 55-mile (89 km) shoreline.

Running through the eastern portion of the town is the Reddies River which flows from North to South and unites with the Yadkin.

[16] US 421 Business, however, passes through the town and allows transportation to the nearby cities of Winston-Salem and Boone, home of Appalachian State University.

Interstate 77 runs North to South, allowing shipping and transportation to travel up and down the east coast.

North Wilkesboro rests in the foothills to the east of the Blue Ridge escarpment; which encompasses the western edge of Wilkes County.

The town's position in relation to the abutting mountain system accounts for the mild, yet wet winters and summers.

As winter clouds approach from the west and migrate across the Blue Ridge, an orographic effect ensues which releases an amount of snow in the Western high country, leaving little for central and eastern Wilkes County as the systems pass over.

The result is more of a wintry mix of sleet and frozen rain, hence the 5.9 inches of average total snowfall, but the lack of any snow depth.