I'm not sure I'd call Hickory a major city; at 40,000 population it's relatively small sized. Of course, it's the biggest city for 30 minutes to an hour in all directions, so that makes it seem bigger? The other surrounding towns for these data centers are much smaller. Maiden is the smallest with a population of 3300. Startown, an unincorporated community located close to Maiden and bordering the Apple data center and solar farm, has a population of around 27,000 according to Kahier [link -> https://www.kashier.co/city.ph... ] Disclaimer: I live in Startown.:-)
Same here. 1982, I believe. I sold mine to a fellow right after I learned they were being discontinued. I used the money to buy a Commodore 64. Later owned a Commodore 128 which I absolutely adored.