HIGH POINT

city, Guilford county, north-central North Carolina, U.S.; with Winston-Salem and Greensboro it forms a tri-city area. Settled by Quakers about 1750, it was laid out in 1853 at the "highest point" of the North Carolina Railroad between Goldsboro and Charlotte. Since the late 1800s it has become a leading centre for furniture manufacturing. The Southern Furniture Exposition attracts national and foreign buyers. The hosiery industry is also important. Other manufactures include paint, chemicals, and machinery. High Point University, a Methodist institution, was founded in 1924. Inc. 1859. Pop. (1991 est.) city, 70,632; Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point MSA, 958,613.