Charlotte, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state
of North Carolina
and the seat
of Mecklenburg County
. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States
based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area
had a 2009 population of 1,745,524. The Charlotte metropolitan area is part of a wider thirteen-county labor market region or combined statistical area
with a 2009 estimated population of 2,389,763. Residents of Charlotte are referred to as "Charlotteans".
Charlotte has become a major U.S. financial center, and is now the second largest banking center in the United States after New York City
. The nation's second largest financial institution by assets, Bank of America
, calls the city home. The city was also the former corporate home of Wachovia
until its purchase by Wells Fargo
in 2008; Charlotte will soon become the headquarters for East Coast Operations of Wells Fargo. Charlotte is also home of the Carolina Panthers
of the National Football League
, the Charlotte Bobcats
of the National Basketball Association
, the NASCAR Hall of Fame
, and the U.S. National Whitewater Center
.
Nicknamed the Queen City, Charlotte and its resident county are named in honor of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
, who had become queen consort
of British
King George III
the year before the city's founding. A second nickname derives from the American Revolutionary War
, when British commander General Cornwallis
occupied the city but was driven out by hostile residents, prompting him to write that Charlotte was "a hornet
's nest of rebellion," leading to the nickname The Hornet's Nest.
Charlotte has a humid subtropical climate
and is situated halfway between the Appalachian Mountains
and the Atlantic Ocean
, between Washington, D.C.
and Atlanta. Charlotte is located several miles east of the Catawba River
and southeast of Lake Norman
, the largest man-made lake in North Carolina. Lake Wylie
and Mountain Island Lake
are two smaller man-made lakes located near the city.
in 1750. Mecklenburg County formed from Anson County in 1762, with further apportionment in 1792, with Cabarrus County
formed from Mecklenburg, and in 1842, with Union County
formed from Mecklenburg's southeastern portion. These areas were all part of one of the original six judicial/military districts of North Carolina known as the Salisbury District
.
The area that is now Charlotte was settled by people of European descent around 1755 when Thomas Spratt and his family settled near what is now the Elizabeth neighborhood. Thomas Polk (granduncle of United States President
James K. Polk
), who later married Thomas Spratt's daughter, built his house by the intersection of two Native American
trading paths between the Yadkin
and Catawba
rivers.
One path ran north-south and was part of the Great Wagon Road
; the second path ran east-west along what is now Trade Street. Within decades of Polk's settling, the area grew to become "Charlotte Town," incorporating in 1768. The crossroads, perched atop the Piedmont
landscape, became the heart of Downtown Charlotte.
In 1770, surveyors marked the streets in a grid pattern for future development. The east-west trading path became Trade Street, and the Great Wagon Road became Tryon Street, in honor of William Tryon
, a royal governor of colonial North Carolina.
The intersection of Trade and Tryon
commonly known today as "Trade & Tryon" or, simply, "The Square", is more properly called Independence Square.
In 1799, in nearby Cabarrus County, 12-year-old Conrad Reed found a 17-pound rock, which his family used as a doorstop. Three years later, a jeweler determined it was nearly solid gold, paying the family a paltry $3.50. The first verified gold find in the United States set off the nation's first gold rush
. Many veins of gold were found in the area throughout the 19th and early 20th century, leading to the 1837 founding of the Charlotte Mint
. North Carolina "led the nation in gold production until the California Gold Rush of 1848," although the volume mined in the Charlotte area was dwarfed by subsequent rushes.
Some groups still pan for gold
occasionally in local streams and creeks. The Reed Gold Mine
operated until 1912. The Charlotte Mint
was active until 1861, when Confederate
forces seized it at the outbreak of the Civil War
. The mint was not reopened at the war's end, but the building, albeit in a different location, now houses the Mint Museum of Art.
The city's first boom came after the Civil War, as a cotton processing center and a railroad hub. Charlotte's city population at the 1880 Census
grew to 7,084. Population grew again during World War I
, when the U.S. government established Camp Greene north of present-day Wilkinson Boulevard. Many soldiers and suppliers stayed after the war, launching an urban ascent that eventually overtook older city rivals along the arc of the Carolina Piedmont
.
The city's modern-day banking industry achieved prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, largely under the leadership of financier
Hugh McColl
. McColl transformed North Carolina National Bank
(NCNB) into a formidable national player that through aggressive acquisitions became known as NationsBank, eventually merging with BankAmerica to become Bank of America
. Wachovia
experienced similar growth, and was acquired by San Francisco-based Wells Fargo
. Measured by control of assets, Charlotte is the second largest banking headquarters in the United States after New York City.
On September 22, 1989, the city took a direct hit from Hurricane Hugo
. With sustained winds of 69 mph (111 km/h) and gusts of 87 mph (140 km/h) in some locations, Hugo caused massive property damage, destroyed 80,000 trees, and knocked out electrical power to most of the population. Residents were without power for weeks and cleanup took months. The city was caught unprepared; Charlotte is 200 miles inland, and residents from coastal areas in both Carolinas often wait out hurricanes in Charlotte.
In December 2002, Charlotte and much of central North Carolina were hit by an ice storm (which some dubbed "Hugo on Ice") that knocked out power to over 1.3 million people. During an abnormally cold December, many were without power for weeks. Much of the damage was caused by Bradford pear trees, splitting apart under the weight of the ice.
Beginning September 2, 2012, The city will host the 2012 Democratic National Convention
at the Time Warner Cable Arena.
, the city has a total area of 242.9 square miles (629.1 km²), of which 242.3 square miles (627.6 km²) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) is water. Charlotte lies at an elevation of 870 feet (265.2 m), as measured at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport.
Charlotte constitutes most of Mecklenburg County
in the Carolina Piedmont
. Charlotte center city
sits atop a long rise between two creeks, Sugar Creek and Irwin Creek and was built on the gunnies
of the St. Catherine's and Rudisill gold
mine
s.
Though the Catawba River and its lakes lie several miles west, there are no significant bodies of water or other geological features near the city center. Consequently, development has neither been constrained nor helped by waterways or ports that have contributed to many cities of similar size. The lack of these obstructions has contributed to Charlotte's growth as a highway, rail, and air transportation hub.
(Köppen
Cfa), with four distinct seasons. Winters are short and generally cool, with a January daily average of 41.7 °F (5.389 °C). On average, there are 58 nights per year that drop to or below freezing, and only 2 days that fail to rise above freezing. April is the driest month, with an average of 2.95 inches (7.5 cm) of precipitation. Summers are hot and humid, with a daily average in July of 80.3 °F (26.8 °C). There are 40 days per year with highs at or above 90 °F (32.2 °C). Autumn is generally drier than Spring. In 2010, Charlotte saw its first White Christmas
since 1974 measuring 3.5 inches.
The highest recorded temperatures were 104 °F (40 °C) on September 6, 1954 and August 9–10, 2007 during the August 2007 Southeastern heat wave
. The lowest recorded temperature was -5 F on December 30, 1880; February 14, 1899; and January 21, 1985. Charlotte is directly in the path of subtropical moisture from the Gulf of Mexico as it heads up the eastern seaboard, thus the city receives ample precipitation throughout the year but also many clear, sunny, and pleasantly warm days. On average, Charlotte receives 43.5 inches (110.5 cm) of precipitation annually, with January and March being the wettest months, including an average of 5.2 inches (13.2 cm) of snow with more frequent ice storms and sleet mixed in with rain.
Charlotte has 199 neighborhoods radiating in all directions from Uptown. The primary historic center of Charlotte's Black community is west of Uptown, starting at the Johnson C. Smith University
campus and extending to the airport. The eastbound Central Avenue corridor is known for its international population, including East Europeans, Greeks, Middle-Easterners, and Hispanics. North Tryon and the Sugar Creek area include several Asian-American communities. NoDa (North Davidson) and Dilworth, along South Boulevard and East Boulevard, are emerging and established, respectively, enclaves of urban professionals. Myers Park, Dilworth and Eastover are home to some of Charlotte's oldest and largest houses, on tree-lined boulevards, with Freedom Park
, arguably the city's favorite, nearby.
Park Road and the SouthPark area have an extensive array of shopping and dining offerings, with SouthPark essentially serving as a second urban core. Far South Boulevard is home to a large Hispanic community. Many students, researchers, and affiliated professionals live near UNC Charlotte in the northeast area known as University City.
The large area known as Southeast Charlotte is home to many golf communities, luxury developments, mega-churches, the Jewish community center, and private schools. As undeveloped land within Mecklenburg has become scarce, many of these communities have expanded into Weddington and Waxhaw in Union County. Ballantyne
, far south Charlotte, and nearly every area on the I-485 perimeter, have seen extensive growth over the past 10 years.
Since the 1980s in particular, Uptown Charlotte has undergone massive construction of buildings housing Bank of America
, Wells Fargo
, Hearst Corporation
, Duke Energy
, several hotels, and multiple condominium developments.
On Kenilworth and Charlottetowne Avenues, near Carolinas Medical Center-Main, the Metropolitan, a major mixed-use project, was recently completed, replacing the old Midtown Square Mall.
estimates show 687,456 people living within Charlotte's city limits, and 935,304 in Mecklenburg County. The Combined Statistical Area
of Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury, NC-SC had a population of 2,338,289. Figures from the more comprehensive 2000 census show Charlotte's population density
to be 861.9/km² (2,232.4/sq mi). There are 230,434 housing units at an average density of 951.2 per square mile (367.2/km²).
According to the 2010 United States Census, the racial composition of Charlotte was:
The median income for a household in the city is $48,670, and the median income for a family is $59,452. Males have a median income of $38,767 versus $29,218 for females. The per capita income
for the city is $29,825. 10.6% of the population and 7.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 13.8% of those under the age of 18 and 9.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
, calls the city home. The city was also the former corporate home of Wachovia
until its 2008 acquisition by Wells Fargo
in San Francisco CA; Wells Fargo is in the process of integrating legacy Wachovia, with the two banks expected to be fully merged by the end of 2011. At that time, Charlotte will become the regional headquarters for East Coast Operations of Wells Fargo, headquartered in San Francisco, California. Charlotte will also serve as the headquarters for Wells Fargo's capital markets activites including sales and trading
, equity research, and investment banking
. Bank of America's headquarters, along with other regional banking and financial services companies, are located primarily in the Uptown central business district.
The following Fortune 500
companies are headquartered in the Charlotte metropolitan area
, in order of their rank: Bank of America
, Lowe's
in suburban Mooresville
, Nucor
(steel producer), Duke Energy
, Sonic Automotive
, Family Dollar
, Goodrich Corporation
, SPX Corporation (industrial technology), Domtar
(in suburban Fort Mill
) and Chiquita Brands International
(which announced on November 29, 2011 it was relocating its headquarters to Charlotte from Cincinnati). Other major companies headquartered or with corporate operations in Metro Charlotte include: Babcock and Wilcox
, RSC Brands
, Time Warner Cable
(formerly a business unit of Fortune 500 company Time Warner
), Speed Channel
, ESPNU
, Continental Tire the Americas, LLC.
, Muzak, Belk
, Harris Teeter
, Meineke Car Care Center
, Lance, Inc, Carolina Foods
Inc, Bojangles'
, Carlisle Companies
, Electrolux
, LendingTree
, Compass Group
USA, Food Lion
and Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated (the nation's second largest Coca-Cola bottler). US Airways
regional carrier CCAir
was headquartered in Charlotte.
Charlotte is also a major center in the US motorsports industry, housing multiple offices of NASCAR
as well as the NASCAR Hall of Fame
. Approximately 75% of the NASCAR industry's employees and drivers are based nearby. The large presence of the racing technology industry along with the newly built NHRA dragstrip, zMAX Dragway
at Concord
, is influencing other top professional drag racers to move their shops to Charlotte as well. The Metrolina Speedway
is expected to bring more local racing along with a skate park, shoppes, restaurants and an upscale hotel.
Located in the western part of Mecklenburg County is the U.S. National Whitewater Center
, which consists of man-made rapids of various degrees and is open to the public year round.
The Charlotte Region has a major base of energy-oriented organizations and has become known as “Charlotte USA – The New Energy Capital.” In the region there are 240+ companies directly tied to energy sector collectively employing more than 26,400. Since 2007, more than 4,000 energy sector jobs have been announced. Major energy players in Charlotte include AREVA
, Babcock and Wilcox
, Duke Energy
, Electric Power Research Institute, Fluor, Metso Power, Piedmont Natural Gas, Siemens Energy, Shaw Group, Toshiba, URS Corp., and Westinghouse. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
has a reputation in energy education and research and its “Energy Production and Infrastructure Center” trains energy engineers and conducts research.
The area is an increasingly growing trucking and freight transportation hub for the East Coast.
The Charlotte Center city has seen remarkable growth over the last decade. Numerous residential units continue to be built uptown, including over 20 skyscrapers under construction, recently completed, or in the planning stage. Many new restaurants, bars and clubs now operate in the Uptown area. Several projects are transforming the Midtown Charlotte/Elizabeth area.
and city council
are elected every two years, with no term limit
s. The mayor is ex officio chairman of the city council, and only votes in case of a tie. Unlike other mayors in council-manager systems, Charlotte's mayor has the power to veto
ordinance
s passed by the council; vetoes can be overridden by a two-thirds majority of the council. The council appoints a city manager
to serve as chief administrative officer.
Unlike some other cities and towns in North Carolina, elections are held on a partisan basis. The current mayor of Charlotte is Anthony Foxx
, a member of the Democratic Party
.
Charlotte tends to lean Democratic, but voters are friendly to moderates of both parties. Republican strength is concentrated in the southeastern portion of the city, while Democratic strength is concentrated in the south-central, eastern and northern areas.
The city council comprises 11 members (7 from districts and 4 at-large
). Democrats currently control the council with an advantage of 8-to-3. Of the at-large seats, Democrats won three out of four in the last election. While the city council is responsible for passing ordinances, many policy decisions must be approved by the North Carolina General Assembly
as well, since North Carolina municipalities do not have home rule
. Since the 1960s, however, municipal powers have been broadly construed.
Charlotte is split between three congressional district
s on the federal level—the 8th
, represented by Democrat Larry Kissell
; the 9th
, represented by Republican Sue Myrick; and the 12th
, represented by Democrat Mel Watt
.
Charlotte was selected in 2011 to host the 2012 Democratic National Convention
.
The total crime index for Charlotte is 589.2 crimes committed per 100,000 residents as of 2008 and has shown a steady decline since 2005.
The national average is 320.9 per 100,000 residents.
According to the Congressional Quarterly Press; '2008 City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan America, Charlotte, North Carolina ranks as the 62nd most dangerous city larger than 75,000 inhabitants. However, the entire Charlotte-Gastonia Metropolitan Statistical Area ranked as 27th most dangerous out of 338 metro areas.
, is the second largest in North Carolina and 20th largest in the nation. In 2009 it won the NAEP Awards, the Nation's Report Card for urban school systems with top honors among 18 city systems for 4th grade math, 2nd place among 8th graders. About 132,000 students are taught in 161 separate elementary, middle and high schools.
, Charlotte School of Law
, Johnson C. Smith University
, Johnson & Wales University
, Queens University of Charlotte
, and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
. Several notable colleges are located in the metropolitan suburbs. In Davidson
, Davidson College
is ranked in the top 10 nationally among liberal arts colleges according to U.S. News & World Report
. Additional colleges in the area include Belmont Abbey College
in the suburb of Belmont, North Carolina
. Also nearby are Winthrop University
, Clinton Junior College and York Technical College
in Rock Hill, South Carolina
.
UNC Charlotte is the city's largest university. It is located in University City
, the northeastern portion of Charlotte, which is also home to University Research Park, a 3200 acres (12.9 km²) research and corporate park. With over 25,000 students, UNC Charlotte is the fastest-growing university in the state system and the fourth largest.
Central Piedmont Community College is the largest community college
in the Carolinas
, with over 70,000 students each year and 6 campuses through-out the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region. CPCC is part of the statewide North Carolina Community College System
.
Pfeiffer University
has a satellite campus in Charlotte. Wake Forest University
, with its main campus in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
, also operates a satellite campus of its Babcock Graduate School of Management in the SouthPark area. Wake Forest is currently looking to move the campus to Uptown Charlotte. The Connecticut School of Broadcasting
, DeVry University
, and ECPI University all have branches in Charlotte. The Universal Technical Institute
has the Nascar Technical Institute in nearby Mooresville, serving the Charlotte area.
, Mint Hill
, Huntersville
, Cornelius
and Davidson
. All locations provide free access to Internet-enabled computers and WiFi, and a library card from one location is accepted at all 20 locations.
Although the Library's roots go back to the Charlotte Literary and Library Association, founded on January 16, 1891, the state-chartered Carnegie Library
which opened on the current North Tryon site of the Main Library was the first non-subscription library opened to members of the public in the city of Charlotte. The philanthropist Andrew Carnegie
donated $25,000 dollars for a library building on the condition that the city of Charlotte donate a site, and $2500 per year for books and salaries, and that the state grant a charter for the library. All conditions were met, and the Charlotte Carnegie Library opened in a imposing classical building on July 2, 1903.
The 1903 state charter also required a library be opened for the disenfranchised African-American population of Charlotte. This was completed in 1905, with opening of the Brevard Street Library for Negroes, an independent library
in Brooklyn, a historically black area of Charlotte, on the corner of Brevard and East Second Street (now Martin Luther King Blvd.) The Brevard Street Library was the first library for free blacks in the state of North Carolina,
some sources say in the southeast.
This library was closed in 1961 when the Brooklyn neighborhood in Second Ward was redeveloped, but its role as a cultural center for African-Americans in Charlotte is continued by the Beatties Ford branch, and the West branch of the current library system, as well as by Charlotte's African-American Cultural Center.
(Charlotte is the historic seat of Southern Presbyterianism
), but the changing demographics of the city's increasing population have brought scores of new denominations and faiths. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
, Wycliffe Bible Translators
' JAARS Center, and SIM
Missions Organization make their homes in Charlotte. In total, Charlotte proper has 700 places of worship.
The Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America
is headquartered in Charlotte, and both Reformed Theological Seminary
and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
have campuses there; more recently, the Religious Studies
academic departments of Charlotte's local colleges and universities have also grown considerably.
Charlotte's Cathedral of Saint Patrick
is the seat of the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte
. The largest Christian congregation within Charlotte is that of St. Matthew Catholic Church. The Traditional Latin Mass
is offered by the Society of St. Pius X
at St. Anthony Catholic Church in nearby Mount Holly
. The Traditional Latin Mass is also offered at St. Ann, Charlotte, a church under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Charlotte.
The Greek Orthodox Church
's cathedral for North Carolina, Holy Trinity Cathedral
, is located in Charlotte.
Charlotte has the largest Jewish population in the Carolinas. Shalom Park, in South Charlotte is the hub of the Jewish community, featuring two synagogues Temple Israel (Charlotte, North Carolina)
and Temple Beth El as well as a community center and the Charlotte Jewish Day School for grades K-5.
Charlotte is also headquarters for both the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
and the Advent Christian Church
.
and Opera Carolina
, both of which perform at the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
.
Charlotte is currently home to two major professional sports franchises: the Carolina Panthers
of the National Football league
, and the Charlotte Bobcats
of the National Basketball Association
. The Panthers have been located in Charlotte since their creation in 1995, and the Bobcats have been located in Charlotte since their creation in 2004. The Panthers play their home games in Bank of America Stadium
, while the Bobcats play in the Time Warner Cable Arena; both venues are located in Uptown
Charlotte.
From 1988 to 2002, Charlotte hosted an NBA franchise named the Charlotte Hornets
, but the franchise relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana
in 2002 after bitter animosity between the team's fans and principal owner George Shinn
.
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(CATS) is the agency responsible for operating mass transit in Charlotte, and Mecklenburg County. CATS operates light rail transit, historical trolleys, express shuttles, and bus service serving Charlotte and its immediate suburbs. The LYNX light rail system comprises a 9.6-mile line north-south line known as the Blue Line. Bus ridership continues to grow (66% since 1998), but more slowly than operations increases which have risen 170% in that same time when adjusted for inflation. The 2030 Transit Corridor System Plan looks to supplement established bus service with light rail
and commuter rail lines as a part of a system dubbed LYNX
.
Currently The City of Charlotte and CATS Staff are conducting public forums to present the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and gather public input from residents, property owners and business owners located in Northeastern Charlotte which is where the LYNX light rail is proposed to be extended from uptown Charlotte to UNC-Charlotte campus. See website for further detail, BLE Home Page.
and I-77
, intersecting near the city's center. Charlotte's beltway, designated I-485
and simply called "485" by locals, is partially finished but funding has been slow in coming. The new projection has it slated for completion by 2013. Upon completion, 485 will have a total circumference of approximately 67 miles (108 km). Within the city, the I-277
loop freeway encircles Charlotte's uptown (usually referred to by its two separate sections, the John Belk Freeway
and the Brookshire Freeway) while Charlotte Route 4
links major roads in a loop between I-277 and I-485. Independence Freeway, which carries US 74 and links downtown with the Matthews area is undergoing an expansion and widening in the eastern part of the city.
is the 8th busiest airport in the U.S. and ninth busiest in the world as measured by traffic. It is served by many domestic airlines, as well as international airlines Air Canada
, Insel Air
, and Lufthansa
, and is the largest hub of US Airways
. Nonstop flights are available to many destinations across the United States, as well as flights to Canada
, Central America
, the Caribbean
, Europe
, Mexico
, and South America
.
routes:
The city is currently planning a new centralized multimodial train station called the Gateway Station
. It is expected to house the future LYNX Purple Line, the new Greyhound bus station, and the Crescent line that passes through Uptown Charlotte.
:
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and the seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Mecklenburg County
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
-Air:The county's primary commercial aviation airport is Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte.- Intercity rail :With twenty-five freight trains a day, Mecklenburg is a freight railroad transportation center, largely due to its place on the NS main line between Washington and Atlanta...
. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area
Charlotte metropolitan area
The Charlotte metropolitan area is a metropolitan area/region of North and South Carolina within and surrounding the city of Charlotte...
had a 2009 population of 1,745,524. The Charlotte metropolitan area is part of a wider thirteen-county labor market region or combined statistical area
Combined Statistical Area
The United States Office of Management and Budget defines micropolitan and metropolitan statistical areas. Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas consist of one or more counties...
with a 2009 estimated population of 2,389,763. Residents of Charlotte are referred to as "Charlotteans".
Charlotte has become a major U.S. financial center, and is now the second largest banking center in the United States after New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The nation's second largest financial institution by assets, Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
, calls the city home. The city was also the former corporate home of Wachovia
Wachovia
Wachovia was a diversified financial services company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before its acquisition by Wells Fargo in 2008, Wachovia was the fourth-largest bank holding company in the United States based on total assets...
until its purchase by Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...
in 2008; Charlotte will soon become the headquarters for East Coast Operations of Wells Fargo. Charlotte is also home of the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, the Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...
of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
, the NASCAR Hall of Fame
NASCAR Hall of Fame
The NASCAR Hall of Fame honors drivers who have shown exceptional skill at NASCAR driving, all-time great crew chiefs and owners, and other major contributors to competition within the sanctioning body. NASCAR committed itself to building a Hall of Fame and on March 6, 2006, the city of Charlotte,...
, and the U.S. National Whitewater Center
U.S. National Whitewater Center
The U.S. National Whitewater Center is a non-profit outdoor recreation and athletic training facility for whitewater rafting, kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, mountain biking and hiking which opened to the public on November 4th, 2006....
.
Nicknamed the Queen City, Charlotte and its resident county are named in honor of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the Queen consort of the United Kingdom as the wife of King George III...
, who had become queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
the year before the city's founding. A second nickname derives from the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, when British commander General Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis KG , styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as The Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator...
occupied the city but was driven out by hostile residents, prompting him to write that Charlotte was "a hornet
Hornet
Hornets are the largest eusocial wasps; some species can reach up to in length. The true hornets make up the genus Vespa and are distinguished from other vespines by the width of the vertex , which is proportionally larger in Vespa and by the anteriorly rounded gasters .- Life cycle :In...
's nest of rebellion," leading to the nickname The Hornet's Nest.
Charlotte has a humid subtropical climate
Humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters...
and is situated halfway between the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
and the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, between Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and Atlanta. Charlotte is located several miles east of the Catawba River
Catawba River
The Catawba River is a tributary of the Wateree River in the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina. The river is approximately 220 miles long...
and southeast of Lake Norman
Lake Norman
Lake Norman, created between 1959 and 1964 as part of the construction of the Cowans Ford Dam by Duke Energy, is the largest manmade body of fresh water located in North Carolina.-General Information:...
, the largest man-made lake in North Carolina. Lake Wylie
Lake Wylie
Lake Wylie is a reservoir, or man-made lake in the U.S. states of both South Carolina and North Carolina. The lake has a surface area of and features of shore line.-History:...
and Mountain Island Lake
Mountain Island Lake
Mountain Island Lake was created in 1924 to coincide with the building of Mountain Island Hydroelectric Station. It is named after the mountain which appears as an island in the lake. Full pond elevation is approximately...
are two smaller man-made lakes located near the city.
History
Before the American Revolution
Mecklenburg County was initially part of Bath County (1696–1729) of New Hanover Precinct, which became New Hanover County in 1729. The western portion of New Hanover split into Bladen County in 1734, its western portion splitting into Anson CountyAnson County, North Carolina
-See also:*National Register of Historic Places listings in Anson County, North Carolina-External links:*...
in 1750. Mecklenburg County formed from Anson County in 1762, with further apportionment in 1792, with Cabarrus County
Cabarrus County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 131,063 people, 49,519 households, and 36,545 families residing in the county. The population density was 360 people per square mile . There were 52,848 housing units at an average density of 145 per square mile...
formed from Mecklenburg, and in 1842, with Union County
Union County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 123,677 people, 43,390 households, and 34,278 families residing in the county. The population density was 194 people per square mile . There were 45,695 housing units at an average density of 72 per square mile...
formed from Mecklenburg's southeastern portion. These areas were all part of one of the original six judicial/military districts of North Carolina known as the Salisbury District
Salisbury District, North Carolina
The Salisbury District of North Carolina, was originally one of several colonial judicial districts established in 1766. Immediately preceding the onset of the American War of Independence, these six regions, in 1775, were broadened into "de facto" militia districts.The Salisbury District was based...
.
The area that is now Charlotte was settled by people of European descent around 1755 when Thomas Spratt and his family settled near what is now the Elizabeth neighborhood. Thomas Polk (granduncle of United States President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
James K. Polk
James K. Polk
James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...
), who later married Thomas Spratt's daughter, built his house by the intersection of two Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
trading paths between the Yadkin
Yadkin River
The Yadkin River is one of the longest rivers in North Carolina, flowing . It rises in the northwestern portion of the state near the Blue Ridge Parkway's Thunder Hill Overlook. Several parts of the river are impounded by dams for water, power, and flood control. The river becomes the Pee Dee...
and Catawba
Catawba River
The Catawba River is a tributary of the Wateree River in the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina. The river is approximately 220 miles long...
rivers.
One path ran north-south and was part of the Great Wagon Road
Great Wagon Road
The Great Wagon Road was a colonial American improved trail transiting the Great Appalachian Valley from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, and from there to Georgia....
; the second path ran east-west along what is now Trade Street. Within decades of Polk's settling, the area grew to become "Charlotte Town," incorporating in 1768. The crossroads, perched atop the Piedmont
Piedmont (United States)
The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division...
landscape, became the heart of Downtown Charlotte.
In 1770, surveyors marked the streets in a grid pattern for future development. The east-west trading path became Trade Street, and the Great Wagon Road became Tryon Street, in honor of William Tryon
William Tryon
William Tryon was a British soldier and colonial administrator who served as governor of the Province of North Carolina and the Province of New York .-Early life and career:...
, a royal governor of colonial North Carolina.
The intersection of Trade and Tryon
Trade and Tryon
The intersection of Trade and Tryon streets is the crossroads of Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina; it marks the city center and divides the city's first four wards. Locally referred to as simply The Square, this originated as the crossroads for a pair of native American trails. From this location,...
commonly known today as "Trade & Tryon" or, simply, "The Square", is more properly called Independence Square.
After the American Revolution
Charlotte is traditionally considered the home of Southern Presbyterianism, but in the 19th century numerous churches, including Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian, Lutheran, and Catholic, formed, eventually giving Charlotte its nickname "The City of Churches."In 1799, in nearby Cabarrus County, 12-year-old Conrad Reed found a 17-pound rock, which his family used as a doorstop. Three years later, a jeweler determined it was nearly solid gold, paying the family a paltry $3.50. The first verified gold find in the United States set off the nation's first gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
. Many veins of gold were found in the area throughout the 19th and early 20th century, leading to the 1837 founding of the Charlotte Mint
Charlotte Mint
The Charlotte Mint was a branch of the United States Mint that came into existence on March 3, 1835 during the Carolina Gold Rush. The first gold mine in the United States was established in North Carolina at the Reed Gold Mine...
. North Carolina "led the nation in gold production until the California Gold Rush of 1848," although the volume mined in the Charlotte area was dwarfed by subsequent rushes.
Some groups still pan for gold
Placer mining
Placer mining is the mining of alluvial deposits for minerals. This may be done by open-pit or by various surface excavating equipment or tunneling equipment....
occasionally in local streams and creeks. The Reed Gold Mine
Reed Gold Mine
The Reed Gold Mine is located in Midland, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, and is the site of the first documented commercial gold find in the United States...
operated until 1912. The Charlotte Mint
Charlotte Mint
The Charlotte Mint was a branch of the United States Mint that came into existence on March 3, 1835 during the Carolina Gold Rush. The first gold mine in the United States was established in North Carolina at the Reed Gold Mine...
was active until 1861, when Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
forces seized it at the outbreak of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The mint was not reopened at the war's end, but the building, albeit in a different location, now houses the Mint Museum of Art.
The city's first boom came after the Civil War, as a cotton processing center and a railroad hub. Charlotte's city population at the 1880 Census
United States Census, 1880
The United States Census of 1880 was the tenth United States Census conducted by the Census Bureau during June 1880. It was the first time that women were permitted to be enumerators...
grew to 7,084. Population grew again during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, when the U.S. government established Camp Greene north of present-day Wilkinson Boulevard. Many soldiers and suppliers stayed after the war, launching an urban ascent that eventually overtook older city rivals along the arc of the Carolina Piedmont
Piedmont Crescent
The Piedmont Crescent, also known as the Piedmont Urban Crescent, is a large, polycentric urbanized region in the U.S. state of North Carolina that forms the northern section of the rapidly developing I-85 Corridor megalopolis in the southeastern United States...
.
The city's modern-day banking industry achieved prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, largely under the leadership of financier
Financier
Financier is a term for a person who handles typically large sums of money, usually involving money lending, financing projects, large-scale investing, or large-scale money management. The term is French, and derives from finance or payment...
Hugh McColl
Hugh McColl
Hugh L. McColl Jr. is a fourth-generation banker and the former Chairman and CEO of Bank of America. McColl was a driving force behind consolidating a series of progressively larger, mostly Southern banks, thrifts and financial institutions into a super-regional banking force, "the first...
. McColl transformed North Carolina National Bank
North Carolina National Bank
North Carolina National Bank was a bank based in Charlotte, North Carolina, prior to 1960 called American Commercial Bank. It was one of the top banking institutions.-History:...
(NCNB) into a formidable national player that through aggressive acquisitions became known as NationsBank, eventually merging with BankAmerica to become Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
. Wachovia
Wachovia
Wachovia was a diversified financial services company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before its acquisition by Wells Fargo in 2008, Wachovia was the fourth-largest bank holding company in the United States based on total assets...
experienced similar growth, and was acquired by San Francisco-based Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...
. Measured by control of assets, Charlotte is the second largest banking headquarters in the United States after New York City.
On September 22, 1989, the city took a direct hit from Hurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo was a classical, destructive and rare Cape Verde-type hurricane which struck the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, Montserrat, St. Croix, Puerto Rico and the USA mainland in South Carolina as a Category 4 hurricane during September of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season...
. With sustained winds of 69 mph (111 km/h) and gusts of 87 mph (140 km/h) in some locations, Hugo caused massive property damage, destroyed 80,000 trees, and knocked out electrical power to most of the population. Residents were without power for weeks and cleanup took months. The city was caught unprepared; Charlotte is 200 miles inland, and residents from coastal areas in both Carolinas often wait out hurricanes in Charlotte.
In December 2002, Charlotte and much of central North Carolina were hit by an ice storm (which some dubbed "Hugo on Ice") that knocked out power to over 1.3 million people. During an abnormally cold December, many were without power for weeks. Much of the damage was caused by Bradford pear trees, splitting apart under the weight of the ice.
Beginning September 2, 2012, The city will host the 2012 Democratic National Convention
2012 Democratic National Convention
The United States 2012 Democratic National Convention, in which delegates of the Democratic Party will choose the party's nominees for President of the United States and Vice President of the United States in the 2012 national election, is scheduled to be held during the week of September 3,...
at the Time Warner Cable Arena.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 242.9 square miles (629.1 km²), of which 242.3 square miles (627.6 km²) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) is water. Charlotte lies at an elevation of 870 feet (265.2 m), as measured at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport.
Charlotte constitutes most of Mecklenburg County
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
-Air:The county's primary commercial aviation airport is Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte.- Intercity rail :With twenty-five freight trains a day, Mecklenburg is a freight railroad transportation center, largely due to its place on the NS main line between Washington and Atlanta...
in the Carolina Piedmont
Piedmont (United States)
The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division...
. Charlotte center city
Charlotte center city
Charlotte center city is the central area of Charlotte, North Carolina. The headquarters for the Fortune 500 companies Bank of America and Duke Energy are located here, as well as the headquarters for East Coast operations for Wells Fargo.Museums, sporting venues, shops, hotels, restaurants, and...
sits atop a long rise between two creeks, Sugar Creek and Irwin Creek and was built on the gunnies
Gunnies
Gunnies or gunnis is a mining term derived from the Cornish language. It refers to open-cast mines. An example is to be found at Porthtowan near St Agnes in Cornwall. The word can also mean the empty space left by removing the lode from a mine, or the width of this space....
of the St. Catherine's and Rudisill gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
s.
Though the Catawba River and its lakes lie several miles west, there are no significant bodies of water or other geological features near the city center. Consequently, development has neither been constrained nor helped by waterways or ports that have contributed to many cities of similar size. The lack of these obstructions has contributed to Charlotte's growth as a highway, rail, and air transportation hub.
Climate and environment
Charlotte, like much of the southeastern United States, has a humid subtropical climateHumid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters...
(Köppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Cfa), with four distinct seasons. Winters are short and generally cool, with a January daily average of 41.7 °F (5.389 °C). On average, there are 58 nights per year that drop to or below freezing, and only 2 days that fail to rise above freezing. April is the driest month, with an average of 2.95 inches (7.5 cm) of precipitation. Summers are hot and humid, with a daily average in July of 80.3 °F (26.8 °C). There are 40 days per year with highs at or above 90 °F (32.2 °C). Autumn is generally drier than Spring. In 2010, Charlotte saw its first White Christmas
White Christmas
A white Christmas refers to the presence of snow on Christmas Day. This phenomenon is most common in the northern countries of the Northern Hemisphere...
since 1974 measuring 3.5 inches.
The highest recorded temperatures were 104 °F (40 °C) on September 6, 1954 and August 9–10, 2007 during the August 2007 Southeastern heat wave
2007 North America South and Eastern heatwave
The 2007 North America South and Eastern heatwave was a continuation and eastward expansion of the 2007 Western North American heat wave which began in late June 2007. As expected the heat from that heatwave expanded eastward starting at the very end of July and lasting into the first weeks of August...
. The lowest recorded temperature was -5 F on December 30, 1880; February 14, 1899; and January 21, 1985. Charlotte is directly in the path of subtropical moisture from the Gulf of Mexico as it heads up the eastern seaboard, thus the city receives ample precipitation throughout the year but also many clear, sunny, and pleasantly warm days. On average, Charlotte receives 43.5 inches (110.5 cm) of precipitation annually, with January and March being the wettest months, including an average of 5.2 inches (13.2 cm) of snow with more frequent ice storms and sleet mixed in with rain.
Cityscape
Johnson C. Smith University
Johnson C. Smith University is a private, co-ed, four-year liberal arts institution of higher learning located in the heart of Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. JCSU is also a historically black college...
campus and extending to the airport. The eastbound Central Avenue corridor is known for its international population, including East Europeans, Greeks, Middle-Easterners, and Hispanics. North Tryon and the Sugar Creek area include several Asian-American communities. NoDa (North Davidson) and Dilworth, along South Boulevard and East Boulevard, are emerging and established, respectively, enclaves of urban professionals. Myers Park, Dilworth and Eastover are home to some of Charlotte's oldest and largest houses, on tree-lined boulevards, with Freedom Park
Freedom Park (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Freedom Park is the "Central Park" of Charlotte, North Carolina. Located at 1900 East Boulevard, between Charlotte's historic Dilworth and Myers Park neighborhoods, the park is centered on a lake, and is about from the heart of Charlotte's downtown area....
, arguably the city's favorite, nearby.
Park Road and the SouthPark area have an extensive array of shopping and dining offerings, with SouthPark essentially serving as a second urban core. Far South Boulevard is home to a large Hispanic community. Many students, researchers, and affiliated professionals live near UNC Charlotte in the northeast area known as University City.
The large area known as Southeast Charlotte is home to many golf communities, luxury developments, mega-churches, the Jewish community center, and private schools. As undeveloped land within Mecklenburg has become scarce, many of these communities have expanded into Weddington and Waxhaw in Union County. Ballantyne
Ballantyne (neighborhood)
Ballantyne is a neighborhood in the city of Charlotte, North Carolina.It is a community located in south Charlotte, adjacent to the South Carolina border.The community was named after land developer Howard C. “Smoky” Bissell's aunt Barbara Ballantyne...
, far south Charlotte, and nearly every area on the I-485 perimeter, have seen extensive growth over the past 10 years.
Since the 1980s in particular, Uptown Charlotte has undergone massive construction of buildings housing Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
, Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...
, Hearst Corporation
Hearst Corporation
The Hearst Corporation is an American media conglomerate based in the Hearst Tower, Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by William Randolph Hearst as an owner of newspapers, the company's holdings now include a wide variety of media...
, Duke Energy
Duke Energy
Duke Energy , headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is an energy company with assets in the United States, Canada and Latin America.-Overview:...
, several hotels, and multiple condominium developments.
On Kenilworth and Charlottetowne Avenues, near Carolinas Medical Center-Main, the Metropolitan, a major mixed-use project, was recently completed, replacing the old Midtown Square Mall.
Demographics
As of 2008, censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
estimates show 687,456 people living within Charlotte's city limits, and 935,304 in Mecklenburg County. The Combined Statistical Area
Combined Statistical Area
The United States Office of Management and Budget defines micropolitan and metropolitan statistical areas. Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas consist of one or more counties...
of Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury, NC-SC had a population of 2,338,289. Figures from the more comprehensive 2000 census show Charlotte's population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
to be 861.9/km² (2,232.4/sq mi). There are 230,434 housing units at an average density of 951.2 per square mile (367.2/km²).
According to the 2010 United States Census, the racial composition of Charlotte was:
- WhiteWhite AmericanWhite Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
: 50.0% (Non-Hispanic WhitesNon-Hispanic WhitesNon-Hispanic Whites or White, Not Hispanic or Latino are people in the United States, as defined by the Census Bureau, who are of the White race and are not of Hispanic or Latino origin/ethnicity. Hence the designation is exclusive in the sense that it defines who is not included as opposed to who is...
: 45.1%) - Black or African AmericanAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
: 35.0% - Hispanic or Latino AmericanHispanic and Latino AmericansHispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...
(of any race): 13.1% - Asian AmericanAsian AmericanAsian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
: 5.0% - Native AmericanNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
: 0.5% - Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific IslanderPacific IslanderPacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:...
: 0.1% - some other raceRace (United States Census)Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
: 6.8% - two or more racesMultiracial AmericanMultiracial Americans, US residents who identify themselves as of "two or more races", were numbered at around 9 million, or 2.9% of the population, in the census of 2010. However there is considerable evidence that the real number is far higher. Prior to the mid-20th century many people hid their...
: 2.7%
The median income for a household in the city is $48,670, and the median income for a family is $59,452. Males have a median income of $38,767 versus $29,218 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city is $29,825. 10.6% of the population and 7.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 13.8% of those under the age of 18 and 9.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Economy
Charlotte has become a major U.S. financial center and is now the second largest banking center in the United States (after New York). The nation's largest financial institution by assets, Bank of AmericaBank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
, calls the city home. The city was also the former corporate home of Wachovia
Wachovia
Wachovia was a diversified financial services company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before its acquisition by Wells Fargo in 2008, Wachovia was the fourth-largest bank holding company in the United States based on total assets...
until its 2008 acquisition by Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...
in San Francisco CA; Wells Fargo is in the process of integrating legacy Wachovia, with the two banks expected to be fully merged by the end of 2011. At that time, Charlotte will become the regional headquarters for East Coast Operations of Wells Fargo, headquartered in San Francisco, California. Charlotte will also serve as the headquarters for Wells Fargo's capital markets activites including sales and trading
Sales and trading
Sales and trading is one of the key functions of an investment bank. The term refers to the various activities relating to the buying and selling of securities or other financial instruments...
, equity research, and investment banking
Investment banking
An investment bank is a financial institution that assists individuals, corporations and governments in raising capital by underwriting and/or acting as the client's agent in the issuance of securities...
. Bank of America's headquarters, along with other regional banking and financial services companies, are located primarily in the Uptown central business district.
The following Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
companies are headquartered in the Charlotte metropolitan area
Charlotte metropolitan area
The Charlotte metropolitan area is a metropolitan area/region of North and South Carolina within and surrounding the city of Charlotte...
, in order of their rank: Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
, Lowe's
Lowe's
Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a U.S.-based chain of retail home improvement and appliance stores. Founded in 1946 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the chain now serves more than 14 million customers a week in its 1,710 stores in the United States and 20 in Canada. Expansion into Canada began in...
in suburban Mooresville
Mooresville, North Carolina
Mooresville is a large suburban town in southern Iredell County, North Carolina, USA. It is in the Metrolina metro area. The population was 32,133 at the 2010 United States Census...
, Nucor
Nucor
Nucor Corporation , a Fortune 300 company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is one of the largest steel producers in the United States, and the largest of the "mini-mill" operators...
(steel producer), Duke Energy
Duke Energy
Duke Energy , headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is an energy company with assets in the United States, Canada and Latin America.-Overview:...
, Sonic Automotive
Sonic Automotive
Sonic Automotive, Inc. is a Fortune 300 company based in Charlotte, North Carolina and is one of the largest automotive retailers in the United States. The company was founded by NASCAR track owner Bruton Smith....
, Family Dollar
Family Dollar
Family Dollar is a regional chain of variety stores in the United States. It opened in 1959 and operates approximately 6,617 stores in 44 states and the District of Columbia. It is headquartered in Matthews, North Carolina....
, Goodrich Corporation
Goodrich Corporation
The Goodrich Corporation , formerly the B.F. Goodrich Company, is an American aerospace manufacturing company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in Akron, Ohio in 1870 as Goodrich, Tew & Co. by Dr. Benjamin Franklin Goodrich. The company name was changed to the "B.F...
, SPX Corporation (industrial technology), Domtar
Domtar
Domtar Corporation is the largest integrated producer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America and the second largest in the world based on production capacity, and is also a manufacturer of papergrade pulp....
(in suburban Fort Mill
Fort Mill, South Carolina
Fort Mill is a fast-growing suburban town in both York and Lancaster counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina, and a suburb of the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Rock Hill...
) and Chiquita Brands International
Chiquita Brands International
Chiquita Brands International Inc. is an American producer and distributor of bananas and other produce, under a variety of subsidiary brand names, collectively known as Chiquita. Other brands include Fresh Express salads, which it purchased from Performance Food Group in 2005...
(which announced on November 29, 2011 it was relocating its headquarters to Charlotte from Cincinnati). Other major companies headquartered or with corporate operations in Metro Charlotte include: Babcock and Wilcox
Babcock and Wilcox
The Babcock & Wilcox Company is a U.S.-based company that provides design, engineering, manufacturing, construction and facilities management services to nuclear, renewable, fossil power, industrial and government customers worldwide. B&W's boilers supply more than 300,000 megawatts of installed...
, RSC Brands
RSC Brands
Radiator Specialty Company is a privately-held automotive products company based out of Charlotte, NC with manufacturing headquarters in Indian Trail, NC. It is one of the nation's top automotive products producers and the second-largest producer of ancillary radiator products in the United States...
, Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
(formerly a business unit of Fortune 500 company Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
), Speed Channel
SPEED Channel
Speed , is a cable and satellite television network broadcast to various parts of North America, but primarily the United States...
, ESPNU
ESPNU
ESPNU is a television channel that specializes in college sports, and is produced by, affiliated with and owned by parent network ESPN. ESPNU originates out of ESPN Regional Television's ESPNU (often referred to as The U) is a television channel that specializes in college sports, and is produced...
, Continental Tire the Americas, LLC.
Continental AG
Continental AG, internally often called Conti for short, is a worldwide leading German manufacturer of tires, brake systems, vehicle stability control systems, engine injection systems, tachographs and other parts for the automotive and transport industries. The company is based in Hanover, Germany...
, Muzak, Belk
Belk
Belk is a department store chain founded in 1888 in Monroe, North Carolina, today part of the Charlotte metropolitan area. After the founding of the first Belk store, the company grew in size and influence throughout the South via the chain in the USA, with its stores primarily located in the...
, Harris Teeter
Harris Teeter
Harris Teeter is a chain of supermarkets based in Matthews, North Carolina, just outside Charlotte. , the chain operates 207 stores in eight Southern states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.Harris Teeter is a...
, Meineke Car Care Center
Meineke Car Care Center
Meineke Car Care Centers, Inc. is a franchise-based automotive repair chain.In 1972 in Houston, Texas, Sam Meineke and Harold Nedell began with only one store and a single product line. Between 1972 and 2003 Meineke was owned by a multinational British company and grew rapidly...
, Lance, Inc, Carolina Foods
Carolina Foods
Carolina Foods Incorporated is a private corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Carolina Foods was established in 1934 and currently has seven production lines located in Charlotte. Estimated sales are between $50 to 100 million annually. The company manufactures the...
Inc, Bojangles'
Bojangles'
Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits is a regional chain of fast food restaurants based in Charlotte, North Carolina, specializing in spicy, "Cajun" fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits...
, Carlisle Companies
Carlisle (manufacturer)
Carlisle Companies, Inc. is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based diversified manufacturing company serving construction materials, commercial roofing, specialty tire and wheel, power transmission, heavy-duty brake and friction, heavy-haul truck trailer, foodservice and data transmission industries.-...
, Electrolux
Electrolux
The Electrolux Group is a Swedish appliance maker.As of 2010 the 2nd largest home appliance manufacturer in the world after Whirlpool, its products sell under a variety of brand names including its own and are primarily major appliances and vacuum cleaners...
, LendingTree
LendingTree
LendingTree is an online lending exchange. LendingTree is a web-based company that operates an online lending marketplace that facilitates matching borrowers and lenders...
, Compass Group
Compass Group
Compass Group plc is a global contract foodservice and support services company headquartered near London, United Kingdom. It is the largest contract foodservice company in the world and has operations in over 50 countries...
USA, Food Lion
Food Lion
Food Lion LLC is an American grocery store company headquartered in Salisbury, North Carolina that operates approximately 1,300 supermarkets in 11 Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states as well as Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia under the Food Lion, Harveys Supermarket, Bloom, Bottom Dollar...
and Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated (the nation's second largest Coca-Cola bottler). US Airways
US Airways
US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....
regional carrier CCAir
CCAir
CCAir, Inc. was a regional airline headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States.CCAir was created in 1987 when Sunbird Airlines was renamed. Operating as a Piedmont Commuter / USAir Express code-sharing partner, its radio call sign was "Carolina". The CC stood for Carolina Commuter...
was headquartered in Charlotte.
Charlotte is also a major center in the US motorsports industry, housing multiple offices of NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
as well as the NASCAR Hall of Fame
NASCAR Hall of Fame
The NASCAR Hall of Fame honors drivers who have shown exceptional skill at NASCAR driving, all-time great crew chiefs and owners, and other major contributors to competition within the sanctioning body. NASCAR committed itself to building a Hall of Fame and on March 6, 2006, the city of Charlotte,...
. Approximately 75% of the NASCAR industry's employees and drivers are based nearby. The large presence of the racing technology industry along with the newly built NHRA dragstrip, zMAX Dragway
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
at Concord
Concord, North Carolina
Concord is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. According to Census 2010, the city has a current population of 79,066. It is the largest city in Cabarrus County and is the county seat. In terms of population, the city of Concord is the second largest city in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area...
, is influencing other top professional drag racers to move their shops to Charlotte as well. The Metrolina Speedway
Metrolina Speedway
Metrolina Speed and Sport Center is an auto racing track located in northeast Charlotte, North Carolina on the Metrolina Fairgrounds. The track currently is being rebuild with the 1/2 Mile now paved.The plans for the rebuild also adds a Go-Kart track,Outdoor RC racing track,A hotel,roof-top state...
is expected to bring more local racing along with a skate park, shoppes, restaurants and an upscale hotel.
Located in the western part of Mecklenburg County is the U.S. National Whitewater Center
U.S. National Whitewater Center
The U.S. National Whitewater Center is a non-profit outdoor recreation and athletic training facility for whitewater rafting, kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, mountain biking and hiking which opened to the public on November 4th, 2006....
, which consists of man-made rapids of various degrees and is open to the public year round.
The Charlotte Region has a major base of energy-oriented organizations and has become known as “Charlotte USA – The New Energy Capital.” In the region there are 240+ companies directly tied to energy sector collectively employing more than 26,400. Since 2007, more than 4,000 energy sector jobs have been announced. Major energy players in Charlotte include AREVA
Areva
AREVA is a French public multinational industrial conglomerate headquartered in the Tour Areva in Courbevoie, Paris. AREVA is mainly known for nuclear power; it also has interests in other energy projects. It was created on 3 September 2001, by the merger of Framatome , Cogema and...
, Babcock and Wilcox
Babcock and Wilcox
The Babcock & Wilcox Company is a U.S.-based company that provides design, engineering, manufacturing, construction and facilities management services to nuclear, renewable, fossil power, industrial and government customers worldwide. B&W's boilers supply more than 300,000 megawatts of installed...
, Duke Energy
Duke Energy
Duke Energy , headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is an energy company with assets in the United States, Canada and Latin America.-Overview:...
, Electric Power Research Institute, Fluor, Metso Power, Piedmont Natural Gas, Siemens Energy, Shaw Group, Toshiba, URS Corp., and Westinghouse. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte , also known as UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte, is a public research university located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States...
has a reputation in energy education and research and its “Energy Production and Infrastructure Center” trains energy engineers and conducts research.
The area is an increasingly growing trucking and freight transportation hub for the East Coast.
The Charlotte Center city has seen remarkable growth over the last decade. Numerous residential units continue to be built uptown, including over 20 skyscrapers under construction, recently completed, or in the planning stage. Many new restaurants, bars and clubs now operate in the Uptown area. Several projects are transforming the Midtown Charlotte/Elizabeth area.
Law, government and politics
Charlotte has a council-manager form of government. The MayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
are elected every two years, with no term limit
Term limit
A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method to curb the potential for monopoly, where a leader effectively becomes "president for...
s. The mayor is ex officio chairman of the city council, and only votes in case of a tie. Unlike other mayors in council-manager systems, Charlotte's mayor has the power to veto
Veto
A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is the power of an officer of the state to unilaterally stop an official action, especially enactment of a piece of legislation...
ordinance
Local ordinance
A local ordinance is a law usually found in a municipal code.-United States:In the United States, these laws are enforced locally in addition to state law and federal law.-Japan:...
s passed by the council; vetoes can be overridden by a two-thirds majority of the council. The council appoints a city manager
City manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a council-manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief executive officer or chief administrative officer in some municipalities...
to serve as chief administrative officer.
Unlike some other cities and towns in North Carolina, elections are held on a partisan basis. The current mayor of Charlotte is Anthony Foxx
Anthony Foxx
Anthony R. Foxx is an American politician. He is the mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. He was first elected to the Charlotte City Council in 2005, and was elected mayor on November 3, 2009, winning 51.5% of the vote and defeating his City Council colleague, Republican John Lassiter...
, a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
.
Charlotte tends to lean Democratic, but voters are friendly to moderates of both parties. Republican strength is concentrated in the southeastern portion of the city, while Democratic strength is concentrated in the south-central, eastern and northern areas.
The city council comprises 11 members (7 from districts and 4 at-large
At-Large
At-large is a designation for representative members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent the whole membership of the body , rather than a subset of that membership...
). Democrats currently control the council with an advantage of 8-to-3. Of the at-large seats, Democrats won three out of four in the last election. While the city council is responsible for passing ordinances, many policy decisions must be approved by the North Carolina General Assembly
North Carolina General Assembly
The North Carolina General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes...
as well, since North Carolina municipalities do not have home rule
Municipal home rule
Municipal home rule originated in the United States during the Progressive Era of the early twentieth century. It enables voters to adopt a home rule charter that acts as the city's basic governing document over local issues; however, state law continues to prevail over statewide concerns...
. Since the 1960s, however, municipal powers have been broadly construed.
Charlotte is split between three congressional district
Congressional district
A congressional district is “a geographical division of a state from which one member of the House of Representatives is elected.”Congressional Districts are made up of three main components, a representative, constituents, and the specific land area that both the representative and the...
s on the federal level—the 8th
North Carolina's 8th congressional district
North Carolina's eighth congressional district consists of a large portion of southern North Carolina from Charlotte to Fayetteville, including Concord, Albemarle, Monroe, Wadesboro, Troy, Rockingham, Laurinburg, and Raeford...
, represented by Democrat Larry Kissell
Larry Kissell
Lawrence Webb "Larry" Kissell is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district stretches from Charlotte to Fayetteville.-Early life, education, and early career:...
; the 9th
North Carolina's 9th congressional district
The 9th Congressional District of North Carolina is a Congressional district in south-central North Carolina. Currently, the district includes more than half of Mecklenburg County, two-thirds of Union County and almost all of Gaston County....
, represented by Republican Sue Myrick; and the 12th
North Carolina's 12th congressional district
North Carolina's 12th congressional district is located in central North Carolina and comprises portions of Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Lexington, Salisbury, Concord, and High Point...
, represented by Democrat Mel Watt
Mel Watt
Melvin Luther Watt is the United States House of Representatives for , serving since 1993. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:...
.
Charlotte was selected in 2011 to host the 2012 Democratic National Convention
2012 Democratic National Convention
The United States 2012 Democratic National Convention, in which delegates of the Democratic Party will choose the party's nominees for President of the United States and Vice President of the United States in the 2012 national election, is scheduled to be held during the week of September 3,...
.
Emergency medical services
Emergency medical services for the City of Charlotte are provided by MEDIC, the Mecklenburg EMS Agency. MEDIC responded to over 93,000 calls for help in 2008, and transported over 71,000 patients to the major hospitals in Charlotte. The Agency employs nearly 350 Paramedics, EMTs, and EMDs. In addition to dispatching Medic’s EMS calls, the Agency also dispatches all county fire calls outside of the city of Charlotte. At any given time, between 20 and 40 ambulances will be deployed to cover the county.Law enforcement and crime
CMPD is a combined jurisdiction agency. The CMPD has law enforcement jurisdiction in both the City of Charlotte, and the few unincorporated areas left in Mecklenburg County. The other small towns maintain their own law enforcement agencies for their own jurisdictions. The Department consists of approximately 1,700 sworn law enforcement officers, 550 civilian personnel and more than 400 volunteers. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department divides the city into 13 geographic areas, which vary in size both geographically and by the number of officers assigned to each division.The total crime index for Charlotte is 589.2 crimes committed per 100,000 residents as of 2008 and has shown a steady decline since 2005.
The national average is 320.9 per 100,000 residents.
According to the Congressional Quarterly Press; '2008 City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan America, Charlotte, North Carolina ranks as the 62nd most dangerous city larger than 75,000 inhabitants. However, the entire Charlotte-Gastonia Metropolitan Statistical Area ranked as 27th most dangerous out of 338 metro areas.
School system
The city's public school system, Charlotte-Mecklenburg SchoolsCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is a local education agency headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina and is the public school system for Mecklenburg County. With over 133,600 students enrolled, it is the second-largest school district in North Carolina and the twentieth-largest in the nation...
, is the second largest in North Carolina and 20th largest in the nation. In 2009 it won the NAEP Awards, the Nation's Report Card for urban school systems with top honors among 18 city systems for 4th grade math, 2nd place among 8th graders. About 132,000 students are taught in 161 separate elementary, middle and high schools.
Colleges and universities
Charlotte is home to a number of notable universities and colleges such as Central Piedmont Community CollegeCentral Piedmont Community College
Central Piedmont Community College is a large community college in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The school was founded in 1963; it is the result of a merger between Mecklenburg College and the Central Industrial Education Center....
, Charlotte School of Law
Charlotte School of Law
Charlotte School of Law is a private, for-profit law school in Charlotte, North Carolina. The campus is located on the western edge of Uptown Charlotte. The school was founded in 2006. The school received full accreditation from the ABA on June 10, 2011.-Ranking:"U.S...
, Johnson C. Smith University
Johnson C. Smith University
Johnson C. Smith University is a private, co-ed, four-year liberal arts institution of higher learning located in the heart of Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. JCSU is also a historically black college...
, Johnson & Wales University
Johnson & Wales University
Johnson & Wales University is a private, nonprofit, co-educational, career-oriented university with four campuses located throughout the United States. Providence, Rhode Island, USA, is home to JWU's first and largest of four currently operating campuses. Founded as a business school in 1914, by...
, Queens University of Charlotte
Queens University of Charlotte
Queens University of Charlotte is a private, co-educational, comprehensive university located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The school has approximately 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students through the College of Arts and Sciences, the McColl School of Business, the Wayland H. Cato, Jr. School...
, and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte , also known as UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte, is a public research university located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States...
. Several notable colleges are located in the metropolitan suburbs. In Davidson
Davidson, North Carolina
Davidson is a town in Mecklenburg County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 7,139 at the 2000 census. It is home to Davidson College...
, Davidson College
Davidson College
Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. The college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently ranked in the top ten liberal arts colleges in the country by U.S. News and World Report magazine, although it has recently dropped to 11th in U.S. News...
is ranked in the top 10 nationally among liberal arts colleges according to U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
. Additional colleges in the area include Belmont Abbey College
Belmont Abbey College
Belmont Abbey College is a private liberal-arts Catholic college located in Belmont, North Carolina, USA west of Uptown Charlotte. It was founded in 1876 by the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey...
in the suburb of Belmont, North Carolina
Belmont, North Carolina
Belmont is a small suburban city in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States, located about west of uptown Charlotte, North Carolina and east of Gastonia. The population was 8,705 at the 2000 census. Once known as Garibaldi, the city named in honor of August Belmont, a prominent New York banker...
. Also nearby are Winthrop University
Winthrop University
Winthrop University is a public, four-year liberal arts university in Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA. In 2006-07, Winthrop University had an enrollment of 6,292 students. The University has been recognized as South Carolina's top-rated university according to evaluations conducted by the South...
, Clinton Junior College and York Technical College
York Technical College
York Technical College or simply York Tech is a 2-year community college in Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA. The president of the college is Greg F. Rutherford. It is also a part of the South Carolina Technical College System and one of three colleges in the city of Rock Hill. York Tech was...
in Rock Hill, South Carolina
Rock Hill, South Carolina
Rock Hill is the largest city in York County, South Carolina and the fourth-largest city in the state. It is also the third-largest city of the Charlotte metropolitan area, behind Charlotte and Concord, North Carolina. The population was 71,459 as of . Rock Hill has undergone rapid growth between...
.
UNC Charlotte is the city's largest university. It is located in University City
University City, Charlotte, North Carolina
University City is an edge city mostly within the city limits of Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, surrounding the University of North Carolina at Charlotte campus. It is found in northeastern Mecklenburg County, southeast of Interstate 85 and predominantly along University City Boulevard ...
, the northeastern portion of Charlotte, which is also home to University Research Park, a 3200 acres (12.9 km²) research and corporate park. With over 25,000 students, UNC Charlotte is the fastest-growing university in the state system and the fourth largest.
Central Piedmont Community College is the largest community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
in the Carolinas
The Carolinas
The Carolinas is a term used in the United States to refer collectively to the states of North and South Carolina. Together, the two states + have a population of 13,942,126. "Carolina" would be the fifth most populous state behind California, Texas, New York, and Florida...
, with over 70,000 students each year and 6 campuses through-out the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region. CPCC is part of the statewide North Carolina Community College System
North Carolina Community College System
The North Carolina Community College System is a statewide network of fifty-eight public community colleges. Each college has a distinct governance system and policies. In total, the system enrolls over 800,000 students, and is the third largest community college system in the nation...
.
Pfeiffer University
Pfeiffer University at Charlotte
Pfeiffer University at Charlotte, in Charlotte, North Carolina. is one of three campuses of Pfeiffer University, where the university School of Graduate Studies and School of Adult Studies are located. The university also has undergraduate campus at Misenheimer and two campuses in the Triangle, at...
has a satellite campus in Charlotte. Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
, with its main campus in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
, also operates a satellite campus of its Babcock Graduate School of Management in the SouthPark area. Wake Forest is currently looking to move the campus to Uptown Charlotte. The Connecticut School of Broadcasting
Connecticut School of Broadcasting
The Connecticut School of Broadcasting is a national career college based in Farmington, Connecticut, United States with a focus on Television and Radio certification and training in areas such as television anchoring, commercial radio performance and journalism including production...
, DeVry University
DeVry University
DeVry University and DeVry Institute of Technology are divisions of DeVry Inc , a proprietary, for-profit higher education organization that is also the parent organization for Keller Graduate School of Management, Ross University, American University of the Caribbean, Apollo College, Western...
, and ECPI University all have branches in Charlotte. The Universal Technical Institute
Universal Technical Institute
Universal Technical Institute, Inc. , is a for-profit nationwide provider of technical education training for students seeking careers as professional automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine technicians....
has the Nascar Technical Institute in nearby Mooresville, serving the Charlotte area.
Libraries
The Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County serves the Charlotte area with a large collection (over 1.5 million) of books, CDs and DVDs at 15 locations in the city of Charlotte, with branches in the surrounding towns of MatthewsMatthews, North Carolina
Matthews is a large suburban town of Charlotte located in southeastern Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The population was 27,198 according to the 2010 Census.- Geography :Matthews is located at ....
, Mint Hill
Mint Hill, North Carolina
Mint Hill is a suburban town in southeastern Mecklenburg and northwestern Union counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina, it is a major suburb on the outskirts of Charlotte and near the Cabarrus County line...
, Huntersville
Huntersville, North Carolina
Huntersville is a large town in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus Counties, North Carolina, United States. The population was 46,773 at the 2010 census, which makes Huntersville the 19th largest city in North Carolina. It is located about 12 miles north of uptown Charlotte. It is thought that the town...
, Cornelius
Cornelius, North Carolina
Cornelius is a town located along Lake Norman in northern Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 11,969 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Cornelius is located along Lake Norman in northern Mecklenburg County...
and Davidson
Davidson, North Carolina
Davidson is a town in Mecklenburg County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 7,139 at the 2000 census. It is home to Davidson College...
. All locations provide free access to Internet-enabled computers and WiFi, and a library card from one location is accepted at all 20 locations.
Although the Library's roots go back to the Charlotte Literary and Library Association, founded on January 16, 1891, the state-chartered Carnegie Library
Carnegie Library
Carnegie Library, Carnegie Public Library, Carnegie Free Library, Carnegie Free Public Library, Andrew Carnegie Library, Andrew Carnegie Free Library or Carnegie Library Building may refer to any of the following Carnegie libraries:- California :*Carnegie Library , listed on the National Register...
which opened on the current North Tryon site of the Main Library was the first non-subscription library opened to members of the public in the city of Charlotte. The philanthropist Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
donated $25,000 dollars for a library building on the condition that the city of Charlotte donate a site, and $2500 per year for books and salaries, and that the state grant a charter for the library. All conditions were met, and the Charlotte Carnegie Library opened in a imposing classical building on July 2, 1903.
The 1903 state charter also required a library be opened for the disenfranchised African-American population of Charlotte. This was completed in 1905, with opening of the Brevard Street Library for Negroes, an independent library
in Brooklyn, a historically black area of Charlotte, on the corner of Brevard and East Second Street (now Martin Luther King Blvd.) The Brevard Street Library was the first library for free blacks in the state of North Carolina,
some sources say in the southeast.
This library was closed in 1961 when the Brooklyn neighborhood in Second Ward was redeveloped, but its role as a cultural center for African-Americans in Charlotte is continued by the Beatties Ford branch, and the West branch of the current library system, as well as by Charlotte's African-American Cultural Center.
Religion
The birthplace of Billy GrahamBilly Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
(Charlotte is the historic seat of Southern Presbyterianism
Presbyterian Church in the United States
The Presbyterian Church in the United States was a Protestant Christian denomination in the Southern and border states of the United States that existed from 1861 to 1983...
), but the changing demographics of the city's increasing population have brought scores of new denominations and faiths. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is an organization started by Billy Graham in 1950. The main focus of the BGEA is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible...
, Wycliffe Bible Translators
Wycliffe Bible Translators
Wycliffe Bible Translators is an interdenominational organization mandated to making a translation of the Bible in every living language in the world, especially for cultures with little existing Christian influence. Wycliffe was founded in 1942 by William Cameron Townsend and is associated with...
' JAARS Center, and SIM
Serving In Mission
SIM is an international, interdenominational Christian mission organization. It was established in 1893 by its three founders, Walter Gowans and Rowland Bingham of Canada and Thomas Kent of the United States....
Missions Organization make their homes in Charlotte. In total, Charlotte proper has 700 places of worship.
The Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America
Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America
The Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, abbreviated BPFNA, is a nonprofit 501 organization headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
is headquartered in Charlotte, and both Reformed Theological Seminary
Reformed Theological Seminary
Reformed Theological Seminary is a non-denominational, evangelical Protestant seminary. RTS's first campus remains in Jackson, Mississippi, United States though the school has expanded to include several additional campuses.-Founding:...
and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary is an evangelical theological seminary whose main campus is based in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, with three other campuses in Boston, Charlotte, North Carolina and Jacksonville. The current president of Gordon-Conwell is Dennis Hollinger...
have campuses there; more recently, the Religious Studies
Religious studies
Religious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
academic departments of Charlotte's local colleges and universities have also grown considerably.
Charlotte's Cathedral of Saint Patrick
Cathedral of Saint Patrick in Charlotte
The Cathedral of Saint Patrick is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America. It is the mother church of the Diocese of Charlotte and is the seat of its prelate bishop.-History:...
is the seat of the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte
Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, formally in Latin Dioecesis Carolinana, is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southern United States comprising the counties of western North Carolina divided into ten vicariates named for and administered from Albemarle, Asheville, Boone,...
. The largest Christian congregation within Charlotte is that of St. Matthew Catholic Church. The Traditional Latin Mass
Tridentine Mass
The Tridentine Mass is the form of the Roman Rite Mass contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal that were published from 1570 to 1962. It was the most widely celebrated Mass liturgy in the world until the introduction of the Mass of Paul VI in December 1969...
is offered by the Society of St. Pius X
Society of St. Pius X
The Society of Saint Pius X is an international Traditionalist Catholic organisation, founded in 1970 by the French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre...
at St. Anthony Catholic Church in nearby Mount Holly
Mount Holly, North Carolina
Mount Holly is a small suburban city in northeastern Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. The city is situated on the western bank of the Catawba River in the Southern Piedmont area of North Carolina, north of Interstate 85, south of North Carolina State Highway 16, and west of Charlotte....
. The Traditional Latin Mass is also offered at St. Ann, Charlotte, a church under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Charlotte.
The Greek Orthodox Church
Greek Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity sharing a common cultural tradition whose liturgy is also traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament...
's cathedral for North Carolina, Holy Trinity Cathedral
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Holy Trinity Cathedral is a Greek Orthodox cathedral in Charlotte, North Carolina The Cathedral is the only Eastern Orthodox Cathedral in the state of North Carolina, and the mother church of Greek Orthodoxy in North Carolina...
, is located in Charlotte.
Charlotte has the largest Jewish population in the Carolinas. Shalom Park, in South Charlotte is the hub of the Jewish community, featuring two synagogues Temple Israel (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Temple Israel (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Temple Israel located in Charlotte, North Carolina is a large, urban synagogue affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and located in the Shalom Park district of South Charlotte. As one of two major synagogues in the inner-city of Charlotte, it serves more than 1,000 member...
and Temple Beth El as well as a community center and the Charlotte Jewish Day School for grades K-5.
Charlotte is also headquarters for both the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, or AME Zion Church, is a historically African-American Christian denomination. It was officially formed in 1821, but operated for a number of years before then....
and the Advent Christian Church
Advent Christian Church
The Advent Christian Church is a "first-day" body of Adventist Christians founded on the teachings of William Miller.- William Miller :Though the first Advent Christian Association was founded in Salem, Massachusetts in 1860, the church's formation is rooted in the adventist teachings began by...
.
Culture
Performing arts organizations in Charlotte include the Charlotte Symphony OrchestraCharlotte Symphony Orchestra
The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Charlotte, North Carolina. As the largest and most active professional performing arts organization in the central Carolinas, the Charlotte Symphony plays approximately 100 performances each season and employs 100 professional...
and Opera Carolina
Opera Carolina
Opera Carolina is a professional opera company located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company reaches over 75,000 people from North Carolina and South Carolina....
, both of which perform at the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
The North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center is located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It opened in 1992 and is named in honor of the people of the state of North Carolina and the Blumenthal Foundation established by I.D. Blumenthal who founded RSC Brands, the largest private donor to the...
.
Museums
- Bechtler Museum of Modern ArtBechtler Museum of Modern ArtThe Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte, North Carolina is a 36,500 sq. ft. museum space dedicated to the exhibition of mid-20th-century modern art...
- Billy Graham LibraryBilly Graham LibraryThe Billy Graham Library is a public museum and library documenting the life and ministry of Christian evangelist Billy Graham. The complex opened to the public on June 5, 2007. The library is located on the grounds of the international headquarters of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in...
- Carolinas Aviation MuseumCarolinas Aviation MuseumThe Carolinas Aviation Museum is an aviation museum on the grounds of Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina. The mission of the Museum is to educate the public about the importance of aviation to our society and inspire the next generation to excel academically in the...
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fire Education Center and Museum
- Charlotte Nature MuseumDiscovery PlaceDiscovery Place is a science and technology museum for visitors of all ages located in the Uptown area of Charlotte, North Carolina. Discovery Place brings science to life through hands-on interactive exhibits, thrilling activities and experiments, a larger-than-life IMAX Dome Theatre, and...
in Freedom ParkFreedom Park (Charlotte, North Carolina)Freedom Park is the "Central Park" of Charlotte, North Carolina. Located at 1900 East Boulevard, between Charlotte's historic Dilworth and Myers Park neighborhoods, the park is centered on a lake, and is about from the heart of Charlotte's downtown area.... - Charlotte Trolley Museum in Historic South End
- Discovery PlaceDiscovery PlaceDiscovery Place is a science and technology museum for visitors of all ages located in the Uptown area of Charlotte, North Carolina. Discovery Place brings science to life through hands-on interactive exhibits, thrilling activities and experiments, a larger-than-life IMAX Dome Theatre, and...
- Discovery Place KIDS-HuntersvilleDiscovery PlaceDiscovery Place is a science and technology museum for visitors of all ages located in the Uptown area of Charlotte, North Carolina. Discovery Place brings science to life through hands-on interactive exhibits, thrilling activities and experiments, a larger-than-life IMAX Dome Theatre, and...
- Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture
- Historic Rosedale Plantation
- Levine Museum of the New SouthLevine Museum of the New SouthThe Levine Museum of the New South, located in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a history museum focusing on life in the North Carolina Piedmont after the American Civil War...
- The Light Factory
- McColl Center for Visual Art
- Mint Museum of Art
- Mint Museum of Craft + Design
- NASCAR Hall of FameNASCAR Hall of FameThe NASCAR Hall of Fame honors drivers who have shown exceptional skill at NASCAR driving, all-time great crew chiefs and owners, and other major contributors to competition within the sanctioning body. NASCAR committed itself to building a Hall of Fame and on March 6, 2006, the city of Charlotte,...
- Second Ward Alumni House Museum
Sports
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
of the National Football league
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, and the Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...
of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. The Panthers have been located in Charlotte since their creation in 1995, and the Bobcats have been located in Charlotte since their creation in 2004. The Panthers play their home games in Bank of America Stadium
Bank of America Stadium
Bank of America Stadium is a 73,778-seat football stadium located on of land in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. It is the home facility of the Carolina Panthers NFL franchise. It also hosts the annual Belk Bowl which features teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big East...
, while the Bobcats play in the Time Warner Cable Arena; both venues are located in Uptown
Charlotte center city
Charlotte center city is the central area of Charlotte, North Carolina. The headquarters for the Fortune 500 companies Bank of America and Duke Energy are located here, as well as the headquarters for East Coast operations for Wells Fargo.Museums, sporting venues, shops, hotels, restaurants, and...
Charlotte.
From 1988 to 2002, Charlotte hosted an NBA franchise named the Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte Hornets (NBA)
The Charlotte Hornets was a professional American basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They played in the Atlantic, Midwest, and Central divisions of the National Basketball Association. The Hornets began play during the 1988–89 NBA season as an expansion franchise, along with the...
, but the franchise relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
in 2002 after bitter animosity between the team's fans and principal owner George Shinn
George Shinn
George Shinn is the former owner of the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets as well the Charlotte Knights and Gastonia Rangers minor league baseball teams along with the Raleigh/Durham Skyhawks of the World League of American Football. He purchased the Hornets for $32,500,000 in 1987...
.
| Club | Sport | Founded | League | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion... |
Football American football American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by... |
1995 | National Football League National Football League The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing... |
Bank of America Stadium Bank of America Stadium Bank of America Stadium is a 73,778-seat football stadium located on of land in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. It is the home facility of the Carolina Panthers NFL franchise. It also hosts the annual Belk Bowl which features teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big East... |
| Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte Bobcats The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA... |
Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
2004 | National Basketball Association National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada... |
Time Warner Cable Arena |
| Charlotte Checkers Charlotte Checkers (2010–) The Charlotte Checkers are a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the American Hockey League , and are the AHL affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League... |
Ice hockey Ice hockey Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take... |
2010 | American Hockey League American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... |
Time Warner Cable Arena |
| Charlotte Knights Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a minor league baseball team representing Charlotte, North Carolina. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox of the American League... |
Baseball Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond... |
1976 | International League International League The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States... |
Knights Stadium Knights Stadium Knights Stadium is the home of the International League's Charlotte Knights, the AAA affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. It was opened in 1990 and seats 10,002 fans. The park is actually across the state line from Charlotte, North Carolina in Fort Mill, South Carolina.Knights Stadium is easily... , Fort Mill, SC |
| Charlotte Hounds | Lacrosse Lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh... |
2011 | Major League Lacrosse Major League Lacrosse Major League Lacrosse, or MLL, is a professional men's field lacrosse league that is made up of five teams in the United States and one team in Canada.- History :... |
American Legion Memorial Stadium American Legion Memorial Stadium American Legion Memorial Stadium is 21,000-capacity stadium located on 7th Street in the Elizabeth community of Charlotte, North Carolina. Memorial Stadium is mainly used for high school sporting events and also serves as a public venue... |
| Charlotte Copperheads Charlotte Copperheads The Charlotte Copperheads is an American professional indoor lacrosse team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are a charter member of the North American Lacrosse League... |
Indoor lacrosse | 2011 | North American Lacrosse League North American Lacrosse League The North American Lacrosse League is a men's professional indoor lacrosse league based in the United States, set to begin play in January 2012. The league will be North America's third professional lacrosse league, after Major League Lacrosse and the National Lacrosse League... |
Bojangles' Coliseum |
| Charlotte Eagles Charlotte Eagles Charlotte Eagles is an American professional soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1991, the team plays in the American Division of the new USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.... |
Soccer Football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball... |
1993 | USL Pro USL Pro The USL Professional Division, commonly known as USL Pro , is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011.... |
Charlotte Christian Stadium |
| Charlotte Lady Eagles Charlotte Lady Eagles Charlotte Lady Eagles is an American women’s soccer team, founded in 2003. The team is a member of the United Soccer Leagues W-League, the second tier of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada... |
Soccer Football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball... |
1993 | W-League W-League The USL W-League is a national women's soccer league in the United States on the 2nd level of women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, alongside the Women's Premier Soccer League and below Women's Professional Soccer.... |
Charlotte Christian Stadium |
| Carolina Speed | Indoor football | 2006 | American Indoor Football Association | Bojangles' Coliseum Cricket Arena Bojangles' Coliseum is a 9,605-seat multi-purpose arena, in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the Ovens Auditorium and the Charlotte Convention Center... |
Transportation
Mass transit
The Charlotte Area Transit SystemCharlotte Area Transit System
The Charlotte Area Transit System, commonly referred to as CATS, is the public transit system in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. It operates bus service around the Metrolina area and a historical trolley in Uptown Charlotte, and operates a light rail system, called LYNX which opened on November 24,...
(CATS) is the agency responsible for operating mass transit in Charlotte, and Mecklenburg County. CATS operates light rail transit, historical trolleys, express shuttles, and bus service serving Charlotte and its immediate suburbs. The LYNX light rail system comprises a 9.6-mile line north-south line known as the Blue Line. Bus ridership continues to grow (66% since 1998), but more slowly than operations increases which have risen 170% in that same time when adjusted for inflation. The 2030 Transit Corridor System Plan looks to supplement established bus service with light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
and commuter rail lines as a part of a system dubbed LYNX
LYNX Rapid Transit Services
Lynx Rapid Transit Services comprises a light rail line serviced by the Charlotte Area Transit System in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States...
.
Currently The City of Charlotte and CATS Staff are conducting public forums to present the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and gather public input from residents, property owners and business owners located in Northeastern Charlotte which is where the LYNX light rail is proposed to be extended from uptown Charlotte to UNC-Charlotte campus. See website for further detail, BLE Home Page.
Walkability
A 2011 study by Walk Score ranked Charlotte 49th most walkable of fifty largest U.S. cities.Roads and highways
Charlotte's central location between the population centers of the northeast and southeast has made it a transportation focal point and primary distribution center, with two major interstate highways, I-85Interstate 85
Interstate 85 is a major interstate highway in the Southeastern United States. Its current southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus interchanges with Interstate 95 in Petersburg, Virginia, near Richmond...
and I-77
Interstate 77
Interstate 77 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the old U.S...
, intersecting near the city's center. Charlotte's beltway, designated I-485
Interstate 485
Interstate 485 is an Interstate Highway and a nearly completed beltway around Charlotte, North Carolina.-Route description:The western, southern and eastern segments of the beltway are complete and open to traffic...
and simply called "485" by locals, is partially finished but funding has been slow in coming. The new projection has it slated for completion by 2013. Upon completion, 485 will have a total circumference of approximately 67 miles (108 km). Within the city, the I-277
Interstate 277 (North Carolina)
Interstate 277 is a loop in central Charlotte, North Carolina. The southern terminus is located on the southwest side of downtown. I-277 loops around the downtown area and reconnects with I-77/U.S. 21 north of uptown...
loop freeway encircles Charlotte's uptown (usually referred to by its two separate sections, the John Belk Freeway
John M. Belk
John Montgomery Belk was head of the Belk, Inc. department store chain and mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina for four terms . He was the son of William Henry Belk, who founded the first Belk store in Monroe, N.C., in 1888.A Democrat, he was the longest-serving mayor of the city of Charlotte until...
and the Brookshire Freeway) while Charlotte Route 4
Charlotte Route 4
Route 4 is an 18.6-mile partial ring road around Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, marked along four-lane state-maintained secondary roads; it is sometimes considered to use Interstate 85 to complete the loop, though this part is not signed...
links major roads in a loop between I-277 and I-485. Independence Freeway, which carries US 74 and links downtown with the Matthews area is undergoing an expansion and widening in the eastern part of the city.
Air
Charlotte/Douglas International AirportCharlotte/Douglas International Airport
Charlotte Douglas International Airport is a joint civil-military public international airport located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Established in 1935 as Charlotte Municipal Airport, in 1954 the airport was renamed Douglas Municipal Airport after former Charlotte mayor Ben Elbert Douglas, Sr...
is the 8th busiest airport in the U.S. and ninth busiest in the world as measured by traffic. It is served by many domestic airlines, as well as international airlines Air Canada
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...
, Insel Air
Insel Air
Insel Air International B.V. ' is an airline based in Willemstad, Curaçao. It has Hato International Airport in Curaçao as its home base. Insel is German for island...
, and Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
, and is the largest hub of US Airways
US Airways
US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....
. Nonstop flights are available to many destinations across the United States, as well as flights to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
Intercity rail
Charlotte is served daily by three AmtrakAmtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
routes:
- The CrescentCrescent (Amtrak)The Crescent is a passenger train operated by Amtrak in the eastern part of the United States. It runs daily from Pennsylvania Station in New York City to New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal in New Orleans, Louisiana as train 19 and returns, on the same route, as train 20. Most of the route of...
connects Charlotte with New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
; CharlottesvilleCharlottesville, VirginiaCharlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
, and GreensboroGreensboro, North CarolinaGreensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
to the north, and GreenvilleGreenville, South Carolina-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
, AtlantaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, BirminghamBirmingham, AlabamaBirmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
and New OrleansNew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
to the south. - The CarolinianCarolinian (train)The Carolinian is a daily passenger train that runs between Charlotte, North Carolina and New York City. The northbound train 80 departs Charlotte station at 7:40am with intermediate North Carolina stops at Kannapolis, Salisbury, High Point, Greensboro, Burlington, Durham, Cary, Raleigh, Selma,...
connects Charlotte with New York; Philadelphia; Baltimore; Washington, D.C.; RichmondRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
; RaleighRaleigh, North CarolinaRaleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
; DurhamDurham, North CarolinaDurham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
; and Greensboro. - The PiedmontPiedmont (train)The Piedmont is a twice daily passenger train that travels between Raleigh and Charlotte with a run time of 3 hours and 9 minutes, including intermediate stops at Cary, Durham, Burlington, Greensboro, High Point, Salisbury, and Kannapolis. It follows the same exact route and uses the same stations...
connects Charlotte with Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro.
The city is currently planning a new centralized multimodial train station called the Gateway Station
Gateway Station (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Gateway Station is a proposed multimodal transit center in Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.A.. It will serve the LYNX Red Line commuter rail, Silver Line BRT or light rail and both the West Corridor and Center City Corridor streetcar service, as well as Amtrak, Greyhound inter-city buses and...
. It is expected to house the future LYNX Purple Line, the new Greyhound bus station, and the Crescent line that passes through Uptown Charlotte.
Sister cities
List of sister cities of Charlotte, designated by Sister Cities InternationalSister Cities International
Sister Cities International is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between United States and international communities. More than 2,000 cities, states and counties are partnered in 136 countries around the world...
:
| Country | City | County / District / Region / State | Date | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Peru Peru Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.... |
Arequipa Arequipa Arequipa is the capital city of the Arequipa Region in southern Peru. With a population of 836,859 it is the second most populous city of the country... |
Arequipa Region Arequipa Region Arequipa is a region in southwestern Peru. It is bordered by the Ica, Ayacucho, Apurímac and Cusco regions on the north; the Puno Region on the east; the Moquegua Region on the south; and the Pacific Ocean on the west... |
1962 | ||
 |
Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
 |
Krefeld Krefeld Krefeld , also known as Crefeld until 1929, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its centre lying just a few kilometres to the west of the River Rhine; the borough of Uerdingen is situated directly on the Rhine... |
 |
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the... |
1985 |
 |
China China Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture... |
Baoding Baoding -Administrative divisions:Baoding prefecture-level city consists of 3 municipal districts, 4 county-level cities, 18 counties:-Demographics:The Baoding urban area has a population of around 1,006,000 . The population of the Baoding administrative area is 10,890,000. The considerable majority are... |
Hebei Hebei ' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei... |
1987 | ||
 |
Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... |
 |
Voronezh Voronezh Voronezh is a city in southwestern Russia, the administrative center of Voronezh Oblast. It is located on both sides of the Voronezh River, away from where it flows into the Don. It is an operating center of the Southeastern Railway , as well as the center of the Don Highway... |
 |
Voronezh Oblast Voronezh Oblast Voronezh Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It was established on June 13, 1934.-Main rivers:*Don*Voronezh*Bityug*Khopyor-Economy:... |
1991 |
 |
France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
Limoges Limoges Limoges |Limousin]] dialect of Occitan) is a city and commune, the capital of the Haute-Vienne department and the administrative capital of the Limousin région in west-central France.... |
 |
Haute-Vienne Haute-Vienne Haute-Vienne is a French department named after the Vienne River. It is one of three departments that together constitute the French region of Limousin.The chief and largest city is Limoges... |
1992 | |
 |
Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
 |
Wrocław |  |
Lower Silesian Voivodeship Lower Silesian Voivodeship Lower Silesian Voivodeship, or Lower Silesia Province , is one of the 16 voivodeships into which Poland is currently divided. It lies in southwestern Poland... |
1993 |
 |
Ghana Ghana Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south... |
Kumasi Kumasi Kumasi is a city in southern central Ghana's Ashanti region. It is located near Lake Bosomtwe, in the Rain Forest Region about northwest of Accra. Kumasi is approximately north of the Equator and north of the Gulf of Guinea... |
Ashanti Region Ashanti Region The Ashanti Region is the third largest of 10 administrative regions in Ghana, occupying a total land surface of 24389 square kilometers or 10.2 per cent of the total land area of Ghana. In terms of population, however, it is the most populated region with a population of 3,612,950 in 2000,... |
1996 | ||
 |
Israel Israel The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea... |
Hadera Hadera Hadera is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel approximately from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The city is located along of the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain... |
Haifa District Haifa District Haifa District is an administrative district surrounding the city of Haifa, Israel. The district is one of six administrative districts of Israel, and its capital is Haifa... |
2010 |
See also
- Charlotte Fire DepartmentCharlotte Fire DepartmentThe Charlotte Fire Department provides fire suppression, emergency medical services, technical rescue, hazardous materials mitigation, disaster response, code enforcement, fire investigations, and public education for a population of approximately 756,000 over an area of about in the city limits...
- Charlotte metropolitan areaCharlotte metropolitan areaThe Charlotte metropolitan area is a metropolitan area/region of North and South Carolina within and surrounding the city of Charlotte...
- Hurricane HugoHurricane HugoHurricane Hugo was a classical, destructive and rare Cape Verde-type hurricane which struck the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, Montserrat, St. Croix, Puerto Rico and the USA mainland in South Carolina as a Category 4 hurricane during September of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season...
- I-85 CorridorI-85 CorridorThe I-85 Corridor is a multi-state region that follows Interstate 85 across the Southeastern United States. It stretches from Montgomery, Alabama to Petersburg, Virginia...
- List of people from Charlotte
- List of tallest buildings in Charlotte
- May 1989 tornado outbreak
- Mecklenburg CountyMecklenburg County, North Carolina-Air:The county's primary commercial aviation airport is Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte.- Intercity rail :With twenty-five freight trains a day, Mecklenburg is a freight railroad transportation center, largely due to its place on the NS main line between Washington and Atlanta...
- Piedmont CrescentPiedmont CrescentThe Piedmont Crescent, also known as the Piedmont Urban Crescent, is a large, polycentric urbanized region in the U.S. state of North Carolina that forms the northern section of the rapidly developing I-85 Corridor megalopolis in the southeastern United States...
- CoulwoodCoulwoodCoulwood is a collection of neighborhoods in Charlotte, North Carolina located between Brookshire Freeway and Mount Holly rd. This small town area was created around 1953 and in 1958 the Coulwood Community Council was created. This area is home to Paw Creek Elementary School and Coulwood Middle...
Further reading
- Graves, William, and Heather A. Smith, eds. Charlotte, NC: The Global Evolution of a New South City (University of Georgia Press; 2010) 320 pages. Essays that use Charlotte to explore how globalization and local forces combine to transform Southern cities.
- Hanchett, Thomas W. Sorting Out the New South City: Race, Class, and Urban Development in Charlotte, 1875–1975. 380 pages. University of North Carolina Press. August 1, 1998. ISBN 0-8078-2376-7.
- Kratt, Mary Norton. Charlotte: Spirit of the New South. 293 pages. John F. Blair, Publisher. September 1, 1992. ISBN 0-89587-095-9.
- Kratt, Mary Norton and Mary Manning Boyer. Remembering Charlotte: Postcards from a New South City, 1905–1950. 176 pages. University of North Carolina Press. October 1, 2000. ISBN 0-8078-4871-9.
- Kratt, Mary Norton. New South Women: Twentieth Century Women of Charlotte, North Carolina. Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County in Association with John F. Blair, Publisher. August 1, 2001. ISBN 0-89587-250-1.
External links
- Official Charlotte-Mecklenburg County NC website
- Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS)
- Visit Charlotte, from the Charlotte Regional Visitor's Authority
- Charlotte Metropolis – stop motion video by Rob Carter