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About Charlotte
Charlotte is the largest city in North Carolina and the 20th largest in the
United States, with a population of approximately 651,101 (2005 estimate). The
Charlotte metropolitan area (MSA) had a 2006 estimated population of 1,594,799.
As of 2005, Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury had a combined statistical area (CSA)
population of 2,120,745. The city is at the center of one of the fastest growing
metropolitan regions in the United States, with an average influx of roughly
20,000 newcomers each year over the past decade.
Charlotte is the county seat of Mecklenburg CountyGR6, and is located in
south-central North Carolina, near the South Carolina border. Nicknamed The
Queen City (which it shares with Cincinnati, Ohio), Charlotte was named in honor
of Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III of England. After being driven out
by the fierce opposition of the city's citizens to British occupation during the
American Revolution, General Cornwallis famously wrote Charlotte was "a hornet's
nest of rebellion." A resident of Charlotte is referred to as a Charlottean (shar-la-tee'-uhn).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 242.9
square miles (629 square kilometers). Out of that, 242.3 sq. mi. (627.5 km) of
it is land and 0.6 sq. mi. (1.6 km) of it is water. The total area is 0.25%
water.
Charlotte constitutes most of Mecklenburg County in the Carolina Piedmont.
Uptown Charlotte, so named because it sits atop a long rise between two creeks,
was built on the gunnies of the St. Catherine's and Rudisill gold mines.
Charlotte is located in North America's humid subtropical climate zone. The city
has mild winters and hot, humid summers. In January, morning lows average around
0 C (32 F) and afternoon highs average 11 C (51 F). In July, lows average 22 C (71 F) and highs average 32 C (90 F). The highest recorded temperature was
40 C (104 F) in September, 1954. The lowest recorded
temperature was -21 C (-5 F) in January 1985. Charlotte's location puts it in
the direct path of subtropical moisture from the Gulf as it heads up the eastern
seaboard along the jet stream, thus the city receives ample precipitation
throughout the year but also a very large number of clear, sunny, and pleasantly
warm days. On average, Charlotte receives about 1105.3 mm (43.52 in) of
precipitation annually, including some Winter snow and more frequent ice-storms
due to its inland location.
In 1989, the city took a direct hit from Hurricane Hugo. Passing through
Charlotte with wind gusts nearing 160 km/h (100 mph), Hugo caused massive
property damage and knocked out power to ninety eight percent of the population.
Many residents were without power for several weeks and cleanup took months to
complete.
Neighborhoods
* Uptown The center of Charlotte is known as Uptown. In the 19th century, Uptown
was divided into four political wards, and today the First and Fourth Wards are
largely residential, with Fourth Ward housing the majority of Charlotte's
remaining 19th century Queen Anne architecture. At the center of Uptown is the
Square, the intersection of Trade and Tryon Streets and the point at which all
four wards converge. Uptown is home to the majority of the city's skyscrapers,
as well as Bank of America Stadium (home of the Carolina Panthers) and the
Charlotte Bobcats Arena. Johnson & Wales University, the Museum of the New
South, and the Mint Museum of Craft and Design are also located Uptown, along
with the government district for both Mecklenburg County and the City of
Charlotte. Uptown Charlotte is currently in the midst of a construction and
developmental boom, with numerous high-rise buildings under construction, as
well as major retail and cultural projects.
* University City comprises northeastern Charlotte. If autonomous, "University",
as it is commonly known, would be one of North Carolina's largest cities, with
nearly 200,000 residents. The primarily suburban University City is the home of
the University of North Carolina at Charlotte as well as University Research
Park, a 3,200 acre (13 km) research and industrial park. The outer edges of
University City stretch into Cabarrus County and is also home to Lowe's Motor
Speedway and the state's largest tourist attraction, Concord Mills.
* South End takes its name from South Boulevard, its main thoroughfare, and its
location just south of Uptown. An area of light industry and cotton mills for
much of its history, today its former industrial buildings and mills are loft
condominiums, restaurants, breweries, shops, and offices. Charlotte's historic
trolley also originates in the neighborhood.
* Dilworth, Charlotte's first streetcar suburb, was developed in the 1890s on
250 acres (1 km) southwest of the original city limits and included the Joseph
Forsyth Johnson designed Latta Park. Planned largely with a grid pattern similar
to the city's original four wards, it was initially designated the Eighth Ward.
Centered on East Boulevard, today Dilworth is popular with Charlotte's young
professionals drawn to its historic turn of the century architecture and
traditional neighborhood feel.
* Elizabeth takes its name from Elizabeth College, a small Lutheran women’s
college founded in 1897 on the present-day site of Presbyterian Hosptial.
Elizabeth began to develop rapidly after 1902, when a trolley line was
completed, and was annexed in 1907. Home of Independence Park, the first public
park in the city, Elizabeth became one of the most fashionable residential areas
in Charlotte in its early days.
* Myers Park, which posesses some of the city's most desirable zip codes, is
populated by some of the city's oldest and largest houses. Myers Park's streets
are lined with towering oaks, the remaining originals of which were raised on
James B. Duke's New Jersey estate before being transplanted to the new
development. Designed by John Nolen of Boston in 1911, Myers Park was initially
a "streetcar suburb" whose residents commuted to town via electric trolley.
Nolen discarded the original grid street pattern of Uptown and Dilworth and
instead planned curving avenues following the area’s topography. Myers Park is
largely a product of the building boom of the 1920s.
* Starmountis a residential neighborhood in the South Boulevard area of South
Charlotte. Bounded by Archdale Drive to the north, Starbrook Drive to the south,
Old Pineville Road to the west and Park Road to the east, Starmount was one of
several Charlotte communities built by developer Charles Ervin in the late
1950s and 1960s.
* Plaza-Midwood was conceived as a complement to nearby Myers Park but never
quite matured in the same way, and by the 1970s and 80s, it was considered
"at-risk". Beginning in the 1990s it enjoyed a revival that has made it a
sought-after, more bohemian alternative to other higher-priced city
neighborhoods.
* SouthPark, located in south central Charlotte, is both an upscale residential
and commercial neighborhood. The area's name derives from the fashionable
SouthPark Mall, located at the intersection of Sharon and Fairview Roads. Luxury
retailers such as Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Nordstrom, and Tiffany & Co. are
housed found there.
* Eastland, developed primarily during the 1960s and 70s, comprises a majority
of the city's east side, including the namesake Eastland Mall. Changing
demographics have made Eastland home to one of Charlotte's larger Latino
communities.
* Ballantyne is a planned mixed-use development that has grown exponentially in
recent years and lies in the southernmost part of Charlotte, along the North and
South Carolina border. Like SouthPark, Ballantyne has a high concentration of
both impressive homes and commercial development.
* The Arboretum is situated a few miles south of central Charlotte, along
Pineville-Matthews Road, and was developed primarily around the Arboretum
Shopping Center. The area is home to Providence Plantation and the country club
community of Raintree.
* NoDa is the city's "arts district" on and around North Davidson Street,
located a mile northeast of Uptown. Formerly an area of textile manufacturing
and mill workers' residences, the area has also served as a center for the arts.
* Steele Creek encompasses a large area of the southwestern part of Mecklenburg
County formerly rural and residential but now rapidly approaching total
annexation, especially after the completion of the western leg of I-485 through
the area. Generally the entire area south of Charlotte-Douglas Airport and west
of Sugar Creek and I-77 is referred to as Steele Creek. Approximately 72% of its
25,282 residents now fall within the boundaries of the city of Charlotte.
* Biddleville, west of Uptown, is home to Johnson C. Smith University, a
historically black college once called the Biddle Institute. Biddleville arose
as a supporting community of the Institute and was distinctly separate from
Charlotte.
* Derita is located north of I-85 and south of W.T. Harris Blvd and is generally
centered on West Sugar Creek Road between North Graham Street and Nevin Road
Metropolitan area
The Combined Statistical Area of Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury, NC-SC, has a
population, as of the 2005 census estimate, of 2,067,810.
The population of the City of Charlotte was 594,359 according to the US Census
2004 Estimate. Due to recent annexations, however, the city's population has
risen to 651,101. The Charlotte metropolitan area, formerly known as the
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord MSA (metropolitan statistical area), extends across 2
states (North Carolina and South Carolina), and includes the following counties:
North Carolina
* Mecklenburg County
* Gaston County
* Cabarrus County
* Union County
* Anson County
South Carolina
* York County
Suburban towns located within 30 miles of uptown Charlotte include:
* Belmont, NC (NW)
* Concord, NC (NE)
* Cornelius, NC (N)
* Davidson, NC (N)
* Fort Mill, SC (S)
* Gastonia, NC (W)
* Harrisburg, NC (NE)
* Huntersville, NC (N)
* Indian Trail, NC (SE)
* Matthews, NC (SE)
* Mint Hill, NC (E)
* Monroe, NC (SE)
* Mooresville, NC (N)
* Mt. Holly, NC (NW)
* Pineville, NC (S)
* Rock Hill, SC (S)
* Stallings, NC (SE)
* Waxhaw, NC (SE)
* Weddington, NC (SE)
Charlotte has become a major U.S. financial center, and both the nation's second
largest (Bank of America) and fourth largest (Wachovia) financial institutions
call the city home. Their headquarters, along with other regional banking and
financial services companies, are located primarily in the uptown financial
district. Thanks in large part to the expansion of the city's banking industry,
the Charlotte skyline has mushroomed in the past two decades and boasts the Bank
of America Corporate Center, the tallest skyscraper between Philadelphia and
Atlanta. The 60-story postmodern gothic tower, designed by renowned architect
Cesar Pelli, stands 871 feet tall and was completed in 1992.
The following Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in the Charlotte
metropolitan area:
* Bank of America
* Duke Energy
* Family Dollar
* Goodrich Corporation
* Lowe's
* Nucor
* Sonic Automotive
* SPX Corporation
* Wachovia
Other major companies headquartered in Charlotte include Time Warner Cable (a
business unit of Fortune 500 company Time Warner), Belk, Meineke Car Care
Centers, Carlisle Companies, Compass Group USA and Royal+SunAlliance.
Charlotte is also a major center in the American motorsports industry, with
NASCAR having multiple offices in and around Charlotte. Approximately 75% of the
industry's employees and drivers are based within two hours of downtown
Charlotte. Charlotte is also the future home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame,
expected to be completed in 2009.
Education
Colleges and universities
* Central Piedmont Community College
* Johnson & Wales University
* Johnson C. Smith University
* Kings College
* Pfeiffer University at Charlotte
* Queens University of Charlotte
* University of North Carolina at Charlotte
For-profit universities
* The Art Institutes (a Charlotte campus)
* DeVry University (a Charlotte campus)
* Strayer University (two Charlotte campuses)
* University of Phoenix (a Charlotte campus)
Private schools
* Al-Huda Islamic Academy
* Charlotte Catholic High School
* Charlotte Christian
* Covenant Day School
* Charlotte Country Day School
* Charlotte Jewish Day School
* Charlotte Latin School
* Charlotte Preparatory School
* Holy Trinity Catholic Middle School
* Northside Christian Academy
* Providence Day School
* SouthLake Christian Academy
* Trinity Episcopal School
* Victory Christian Center School
Public schools
* Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Demographics
Historical populations
Census
year Population
1900 18,091
1910
1920 46,338
1930 82,675
1940 100,899
1950 134,042
1960 201,564
1970 241,178
1980 315,473
1990 395,934
2000 540,828
As of 2004, census estimates show there are 594,359 people living within
Charlotte's city limits, and 801,137 in Mecklenburg County. The county's
population is projected to reach 1 million in 2010.
Figures from the more comprehensive 2000 census show Charlotte's population
density to be 861.9/km (2,232.4/mi). There are 230,434 housing units at an
average density of 367.2/km (951.2/mi).
The city's breakdown by race is as follows:
* 58.26% White
* 32.72% Black
* 7.36% Hispanic or Latino of any race
* 3.41% Asian (including Indians, largely Gujarati), Chinese, and Vietnamese)
* 0.34% Native American
* 0.05% Pacific Islander
* 3.56% from other races
* 1.66% from two or more races.
The median income for a household in the city is $46,975, and the median income
for a family is $56,517. Males have a median income of $38,767 versus $29,218
for females. The per capita income for the city is $26,823. 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.
Transportation
Mass Transit
CATS logo
The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) operates historical trolleys, express
shuttles and bus service serving Charlotte and its immediate suburbs. The 2025
Corridor System Plan looks to upgrade Charlotte's public transportation by
supplementing its established bus service with light rail & commuter rail lines
called 'Lynx'. Lynx is designed to carry passengers along five key corridors at
a total cost of over $1.7 billion. CATS has begun work on the $426.8 million
light rail line which will run from downtown to suburban Pineville with service
scheduled to begin in 2007. Plans for the Lynx and commuter rail network will
link uptown Charlotte with its immediate suburbs along four additional key
corridors.
Air
Charlotte/Douglas International Airport is the 17th busiest airport in the US.
It is served by many international and domestic airlines, and is the largest hub
of US Airways. American Airlines, Air Canada, Continental, Delta, Northwest,
United, AirTran, Jet Blue and Lufthansa are some of the major carriers that
serve the airport. Nonstop flights are available to many destinations across the
United States, Europe, the Caribbean, Latin America and Canada.
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-85 and I-77, intersecting near the
city's center. Charlotte's beltway, designated I-485 and nicknamed the "Outerbelt",
is nearly complete and slated for completion by 2013. Upon completion, the
Outerbelt will have a total circumference of approximately 67 miles (108 km).
Within the city, the I-277 loop freeway encircles Charlotte's downtown while
Charlotte Route 4 links major roads in a loop between I-277 and I-485.
Intercity rail
Amtrak's Crescent and Carolinian and Piedmont trains connect Charlotte with New
York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Richmond, and Raleigh to the north,
and Atlanta, Birmingham and New Orleans to the south. CATS (Charlotte Area
Transportation System) is currently constructing light rail lines connecting
Uptown and Pineville, with more routes in the planning stages.