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The Haw River, shown highlighted
The 'Haw River' is a tributary of the
Cape Fear River, approximately 110 mi (177 km) long, in north central
North Carolina in the
United States. It was first documented as the "Hau River" by John Lawson, an English botanist, in in his 1709 book "A New Voyage to Carolina."
The Haw rises in the
piedmont country, in northwest
Guilford County northwest of
Greensboro, and flows east, passing north of Greensboro into
Alamance County. It then flows SSE past the town of
Haw River just east of
Burlington, and continues on to
Saxapahaw, once the home of the Sissipahau Indians. The river was first dammed here in the 1850's. In
Chatham County it flows through the
Jordan Lake reservoir, at which it is joined by
New Hope Creek, which forms the north of the reservoir. Just below the reservoir at
Haywood it joins the
Deep River to form the Cape Fear River.
The State of North Carolina is planning a
state park on the Haw River in
Guilford and
Rockingham counties.
The small town of
Haw River, with approximately 2,000 people, sits on the banks of the Haw River near Burlington,
Graham,
Mebane, and
Green Level.
The Haw River Valley has become a renowned
grape growing region. A number of award winning
wineries have set up successful operations on the mineral-rich, well-drained soil of the region. A number of these wineries are part of the
Haw River Wine Trail.
References