Belmont is a small suburban city in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States, located about 9 miles (14 km) east of Gastonia. The population was 15,010 at the 2020 census. The area was once known as Garibaldi Station, namely after the railroad stop created in the early 1870s. This was named after John Garibaldi, the engineer who oversaw the construction of the railroad and construction of the first water tower in town.