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Charlotte is the largest city in North Carolina, and the Carolinas, and the 20th largest in the United States, with a population of approximately 651,101 (2005 estimate). The Charlotte metropolitan area (MSA) had a 2006 estimated population of 1,594,799. As of 2005, Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury had a combined statistical area (CSA) population of 2,120,745. The city is at the center of one of the fastest growing metropolitan regions in the United States, with an average influx of around 20,000 newcomers into the region each year over the past decade.
Charlotte is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, and is located in south-central North Carolina, quite near the South Carolina border. Charlotte and the surrounding regions experienced nothing short of explosive growth in the population, business, construction, research/education, medical, service, agricultural, real-estate, and financial sectors since the mid-1980s and throughout the 1990s; in the opening years of the 21st Century, Charlotte's economy continues to boom because the city's population continues to increase rapidly and shows no signs of abating soon. Charlotte is also home to numerous Fortune 500 company headquarters and over time has become the second-largest banking/financial center in the United States, trailing only New York City in terms of headquartered assets.
Nicknamed The Queen City (a moniker it shares with Cincinnati, Ohio), Charlotte was named in honor of Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III of England. Charlotte is also known as the "Hornet's Nest," and informally/locally as "The City of Churches" (for the extremely dense concentration of churches within the city's limits) and "Tree City USA" (still being amongst the greenest when compared to many other major American cities). After being driven out by the fierce opposition of the city's citizens to British occupation during the American Revolution, General Cornwallis wrote that Charlotte was "a hornet's nest of rebellion." A resident of Charlotte is referred to as a Charlottean (shar-la-tee'-uhn).
Neighborhoods
Uptown. The center of Charlotte is known as Uptown. In the 19th century, Uptown was divided into four political wards. Today the First and Fourth Wards are largely residential, with Fourth Ward housing the majority of Charlotte's remaining 19th century Queen Anne architecture. At the center of Uptown is the Square, the intersection of Trade and Tryon Streets and the point at which all four wards converge. Uptown is home to the majority of the city's skyscrapers, as well as Bank of America Stadium (home of the Carolina Panthers) and the Charlotte Bobcats Arena. Johnson & Wales University, the Museum of the New South, and the Mint Museum of Craft and Design are also located Uptown, along with the government district for both Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte. Uptown Charlotte is currently in the midst of a construction and developmental boom, with numerous high-rise buildings under construction, as well as major retail and cultural projects.
University City comprises the northeastern part of Charlotte. If autonomous, "University", as it is commonly known, would be one of North Carolina's largest cities with nearly 200,000 residents. The primarily suburban University City is the home of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. University City is also home to University Research Park, a 3,200 acre (13 km²) industrial park. The outer edges of University City stretch into Cabarrus County and it is also home to Lowe's Motor Speedway and the state's largest tourist attraction, Concord Mills.
South End takes its name from South Boulevard, its main thoroughfare, as well as its location just south of Uptown. An area of light industry and cotton mills for much of its history, today its former industrial buildings and mills are loft condominiums, restaurants, breweries, shops, and offices. Charlotte's historic trolley also originates in the neighborhood.
Dilworth, Charlotte's first streetcar suburb, was developed in the 1890s on 250 acres (1 km²) southwest of the original city limits and included the Joseph Forsyth Johnson designed Latta Park. Planned largely with a grid pattern similar to the city's original four wards, it was initially designated the Eighth Ward. Centered on East Boulevard, today Dilworth is popular with Charlotte's young professionals drawn to its historic turn of the century architecture and traditional neighborhood feel.
Elizabeth takes its name from Elizabeth College, a small Lutheran women’s college founded in 1897 on the present-day site of Presbyterian Hosptial. Elizabeth began to develop rapidly after 1902, when a trolley line was completed. Elizabeth was annexed by Charlotte in 1907. Independence Park, the first public park in the city, was created in the neighborhood, and Elizabeth became one of the most fashionable residential areas in Charlotte.
Myers Park is home to some of the city's most desirable zip codes. Filled with some of Charlotte's oldest grand houses and streets lined with towering oaks, Myers Park was designed by John Nolen of Boston in 1911. Like most early American suburbs, Myers Park was initially a "streetcar suburb" whose residents commuted to town on the electric trolley car. Nolen discarded the original grid street pattern of Uptown and Dilworth and instead planned curving avenues following the area’s topography. Myers Park is largely a product of the building boom of the 1920s.
Starmount,is a residential neighborhood in the South Boulevard area of South Charlotte. The area is bounded by Archdale Drive to the north, Starbrook Drive to the south, Old Pineville Road to the west and Park Road to the east. The Starmount neighborhood was one of several Charlotte communities built by developer Charles Ervinin the late 50's and 60's.
SouthPark, located in south central Charlotte, is both an upscale residential and commercial neighborhood. The area's name derives from the fashionable SouthPark Mall, located at the intersection of Sharon and Fairview Roads. Luxury retailers such as Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Nordstrom, and Tiffany & Co. can be found here, as well as upscale restaurants The Palm, Morton's, Ruth's Chris, and McCormick & Schmicks.
Eastland, a neighborhood that developed primarily during the 1960s and 70s, comprises a majority of the east side of the city proper, including the namesake Eastland Mall. Demographics have changed much over the years and currently Eastland is home to one of Charlotte's largest Latino communities.
Ballantyne, another upscale area, is a planned mixed-use development that has grown exponentially in recent years and lies in the southernmost part of Charlotte, along the North and South Carolina border. Like SouthPark, Ballantyne has a high concentration of both impressive homes and commercial development.
The Arboretum is situated a few miles southeast of Uptown and developed primarily around the Arboretum Shopping Center. The area also is home to Providence Plantation and the country club community of Raintree.
NoDa is the city's "arts district" on and around North Davidson Street, located just north of uptown. Formerly an area of textile manufacturing and mill workers' residences, the area has also served as a center for the arts. NoDa is often the name given to the neighborhood, although NoDa technically refers to the business district in North Charlotte, as the neighborhhood itself is known.[citation needed] The name "NoDa" was coined by architect Russell Pound.
Steele Creek encompasses 47 square miles in the southwest corner of Mecklenburg County, generally comprised of the area south of Charlotte-Douglas Airport and west of Sugar Creek and I-77. Approximately 72% of the 25,282 residents fall within the boundaries of the city of Charlotte.
Biddleville is a neighborhood just west of Downtown. At the heart of Biddleville is Johnson C. Smith University, a historically black college, once called the Biddle Institute, where blacks were trained to be preachers and teachers. Biddleville came about in the 1870s as result of its proximity to the college, distinctly separate from Charlotte.
Derita is a neighborhood located north of I-85 and south of W.T. Harris Blvd. The center of this bustling community centers around West Sugar Creek Road between North Graham Street and Nevin Road. Derita is an older community that formed around train routes and has seen the expansion of Charlotte surround it.
Sorry, no tips were foundCharlotte is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, and is located in south-central North Carolina, quite near the South Carolina border. Charlotte and the surrounding regions experienced nothing short of explosive growth in the population, business, construction, research/education, medical, service, agricultural, real-estate, and financial sectors since the mid-1980s and throughout the 1990s; in the opening years of the 21st Century, Charlotte's economy continues to boom because the city's population continues to increase rapidly and shows no signs of abating soon. Charlotte is also home to numerous Fortune 500 company headquarters and over time has become the second-largest banking/financial center in the United States, trailing only New York City in terms of headquartered assets.
Nicknamed The Queen City (a moniker it shares with Cincinnati, Ohio), Charlotte was named in honor of Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III of England. Charlotte is also known as the "Hornet's Nest," and informally/locally as "The City of Churches" (for the extremely dense concentration of churches within the city's limits) and "Tree City USA" (still being amongst the greenest when compared to many other major American cities). After being driven out by the fierce opposition of the city's citizens to British occupation during the American Revolution, General Cornwallis wrote that Charlotte was "a hornet's nest of rebellion." A resident of Charlotte is referred to as a Charlottean (shar-la-tee'-uhn).
Neighborhoods
Uptown. The center of Charlotte is known as Uptown. In the 19th century, Uptown was divided into four political wards. Today the First and Fourth Wards are largely residential, with Fourth Ward housing the majority of Charlotte's remaining 19th century Queen Anne architecture. At the center of Uptown is the Square, the intersection of Trade and Tryon Streets and the point at which all four wards converge. Uptown is home to the majority of the city's skyscrapers, as well as Bank of America Stadium (home of the Carolina Panthers) and the Charlotte Bobcats Arena. Johnson & Wales University, the Museum of the New South, and the Mint Museum of Craft and Design are also located Uptown, along with the government district for both Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte. Uptown Charlotte is currently in the midst of a construction and developmental boom, with numerous high-rise buildings under construction, as well as major retail and cultural projects.
University City comprises the northeastern part of Charlotte. If autonomous, "University", as it is commonly known, would be one of North Carolina's largest cities with nearly 200,000 residents. The primarily suburban University City is the home of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. University City is also home to University Research Park, a 3,200 acre (13 km²) industrial park. The outer edges of University City stretch into Cabarrus County and it is also home to Lowe's Motor Speedway and the state's largest tourist attraction, Concord Mills.
South End takes its name from South Boulevard, its main thoroughfare, as well as its location just south of Uptown. An area of light industry and cotton mills for much of its history, today its former industrial buildings and mills are loft condominiums, restaurants, breweries, shops, and offices. Charlotte's historic trolley also originates in the neighborhood.
Dilworth, Charlotte's first streetcar suburb, was developed in the 1890s on 250 acres (1 km²) southwest of the original city limits and included the Joseph Forsyth Johnson designed Latta Park. Planned largely with a grid pattern similar to the city's original four wards, it was initially designated the Eighth Ward. Centered on East Boulevard, today Dilworth is popular with Charlotte's young professionals drawn to its historic turn of the century architecture and traditional neighborhood feel.
Elizabeth takes its name from Elizabeth College, a small Lutheran women’s college founded in 1897 on the present-day site of Presbyterian Hosptial. Elizabeth began to develop rapidly after 1902, when a trolley line was completed. Elizabeth was annexed by Charlotte in 1907. Independence Park, the first public park in the city, was created in the neighborhood, and Elizabeth became one of the most fashionable residential areas in Charlotte.
Myers Park is home to some of the city's most desirable zip codes. Filled with some of Charlotte's oldest grand houses and streets lined with towering oaks, Myers Park was designed by John Nolen of Boston in 1911. Like most early American suburbs, Myers Park was initially a "streetcar suburb" whose residents commuted to town on the electric trolley car. Nolen discarded the original grid street pattern of Uptown and Dilworth and instead planned curving avenues following the area’s topography. Myers Park is largely a product of the building boom of the 1920s.
Starmount,is a residential neighborhood in the South Boulevard area of South Charlotte. The area is bounded by Archdale Drive to the north, Starbrook Drive to the south, Old Pineville Road to the west and Park Road to the east. The Starmount neighborhood was one of several Charlotte communities built by developer Charles Ervinin the late 50's and 60's.
SouthPark, located in south central Charlotte, is both an upscale residential and commercial neighborhood. The area's name derives from the fashionable SouthPark Mall, located at the intersection of Sharon and Fairview Roads. Luxury retailers such as Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Nordstrom, and Tiffany & Co. can be found here, as well as upscale restaurants The Palm, Morton's, Ruth's Chris, and McCormick & Schmicks.
Eastland, a neighborhood that developed primarily during the 1960s and 70s, comprises a majority of the east side of the city proper, including the namesake Eastland Mall. Demographics have changed much over the years and currently Eastland is home to one of Charlotte's largest Latino communities.
Ballantyne, another upscale area, is a planned mixed-use development that has grown exponentially in recent years and lies in the southernmost part of Charlotte, along the North and South Carolina border. Like SouthPark, Ballantyne has a high concentration of both impressive homes and commercial development.
The Arboretum is situated a few miles southeast of Uptown and developed primarily around the Arboretum Shopping Center. The area also is home to Providence Plantation and the country club community of Raintree.
NoDa is the city's "arts district" on and around North Davidson Street, located just north of uptown. Formerly an area of textile manufacturing and mill workers' residences, the area has also served as a center for the arts. NoDa is often the name given to the neighborhood, although NoDa technically refers to the business district in North Charlotte, as the neighborhhood itself is known.[citation needed] The name "NoDa" was coined by architect Russell Pound.
Steele Creek encompasses 47 square miles in the southwest corner of Mecklenburg County, generally comprised of the area south of Charlotte-Douglas Airport and west of Sugar Creek and I-77. Approximately 72% of the 25,282 residents fall within the boundaries of the city of Charlotte.
Biddleville is a neighborhood just west of Downtown. At the heart of Biddleville is Johnson C. Smith University, a historically black college, once called the Biddle Institute, where blacks were trained to be preachers and teachers. Biddleville came about in the 1870s as result of its proximity to the college, distinctly separate from Charlotte.
Derita is a neighborhood located north of I-85 and south of W.T. Harris Blvd. The center of this bustling community centers around West Sugar Creek Road between North Graham Street and Nevin Road. Derita is an older community that formed around train routes and has seen the expansion of Charlotte surround it.
Last edited by Anna (8:51, 09 August 2006)
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