Charlotte North Carolina Transportation Roads Air

One of the fastest-growing and most prosperous American metropolises, the Queen City is the world's second biggest banking center. Charlotte, located near the border of North Carolina and South Carolina, is the Carolinas' largest city and provides the region's economic and cultural heartbeat. It is the county seat of Mecklenburg County ⁶.

Charlotte constitutes most of Mecklenburg County in the Carolina Piedmont. Uptown Charlotte (named so because it sits along a long rise between two creeks) was built on the gunnies of the St. Catherine's and Rudisill gold mines and today is a major financial center, with Bank of America, Wachovia and other national banks headquartered there. It is not uncommon for a builder digging a basement to break into the gunnies and have to pour several tons of cement to fill the hole. The Charlotte skyline has mushroomed in recent years and features the Bank of America Corporate Center, designed by Caeser Pelli. At 871 feet it is the tallest building between Philadelphia and Atlanta.

1 Transportation

1.1 Roads

Charlotte is the second biggest banking center in the country, after New York CitySkyline, with Statue of Liberty New York, New York" redirects here. For alternate meanings, see New York, New York (disambiguation). New York — officially named City of New York and often called New York City to distinguish it from the state of New York,. The city's location has made it a longtime transportation focal point and major trucking center, with two major interstate highways, I-85Interstate 85 is an interstate highway in the southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with Interstate 65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus intersects with Interstate 95 in Petersburg, Virginia, near Richmond. and I-77Interstate 77 is an interstate highway in the eastern United States. Its southern terminus is in Columbia, South Carolina at an intersection with Interstate 26; its northern terminus is in Cleveland, Ohio at an intersection with Interstate 90. Number of M, intersecting within the city's boundaries. An interstate bypass, designated I-485Interstate 485 will become a full beltway around Charlotte, North Carolina. It is one of the newest members of the Interstate 85 family. The southern half of the beltway is complete and open to traffic. Construction has begun on the northern half and shou and nicknamed the "Outerbelt", is under construction and slated for completion in 2008.

1.2 Air

1.3 Other Modes

The city harbors a wide system of parks and greenways, recreational areas that can be used by pedestrians and bicyclists.

2 Climate

Residents of Charlotte enjoy a quasi- Mediterranean climate (mild/rainy winter and hot/dry summer), with sun and temperatures that remain mostly warm and pleasant throughout the year. Charlotte reportedly has more trees per capita than any other city in the United States.

3 Metropolitan Area

In 2004, population in the City of Charlotte was 614,330, according to the US Census 2003 Estimate. Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill metropolitan area is a metropolitan area composed of the counties of Mecklenburg, Gaston, Lincoln, Cabarrus, Union, Rowan, and Stanly in North Carolina and crosses the stateline into South Carolina with York County. The population of the metropolitan area was at 1.5 million in the 2000 US Census.

Suburban towns and cities includes:

4 History

Charlotte was founded in the 1750s at the intersection of two Indian trading paths, including a north-south route termed the Great Wagon Road and followed closely today by U.S. Route 21. In the 18th century, the Great Wagon Road brought settlers of Scotch-Irish and German descent from Pennsylvania into the Carolina foothills, along with the rugged industriousness and individualism part of their Presbyterian conviction. This crossroads, which sat atop a long rise in the Piedmont landscape, would become the heart of modern downtown Charlotte. The streets are Trade and Tryon, the latter named for William Tryon, a royal governor of colonial North Carolina.

The village, established by Thomas Polk, uncle of President James K. Polk, was named for Queen Charlotte, the German-born wife of British king George III.

The nod to royalty was short-lived, however. In 1775, townsmen signed a set of resolves that would become known as the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, and Charlotte played a critical role during the Revolutionary War, site of encampment for both the American and British main armies. It was during a series of skirmishes between British troops and fiesty Charlotteans that the village earned a lasting nickname, "Hornets' Nest," so dubbed by a frustrated Lord General Cornwallis . Charlotte was an ideological hotbed of revolutionary sentiment, an enduring legacy proclaimed across the cityscape on such landmarks as Independence Boulevard, Independence High School, Freedom Park, Freedom Drive, et al.

Charlotte's history as a financial center is extensive. In 1838 the U.S. Congress established a branch U.S. Mint there, because of the gold deposits found in the area. Additionally, an 1836 executive order issued by President Andrew Jackson called a specie circular had mandated that all land transactions be conducted in cash, thus incresing the need for minted money. The Charlotte mint, which produced coins in denominations of $2.50, $5, $10, and after 1849, $1, was active until 1861, when Confederate forces seized the mint facility at the outbreak of the Civil War. The mint was not reopened at the end of the war, but the building survives and now houses an art museum. Because of the relatively small mintage that the Charlotte mint produced annually, surviving pieces are prized in the field of American numismatics.

The Civil War largely bypassed Charlotte, though the city was the site of the Confederate Cabinet's final meeting. Confederate president Jefferson Davis was in Charlotte when he received news of Abraham Lincoln's assassination.

Charlotte's penchant for looking ahead -- a drive for economic development that kicked into particularly high gear during the mid-20th century -- has created something of a historical apathy in the city. Most traces of antebellum Charlotte are long gone, and preservationists have often struggled in their quest to maintain landmarks in the face of modern-minded boosters, a key reason Charlotte is often regarded as a "new" American city, despite the fact that among major U.S. metropolises, it is actually one of the oldest.

Richard Vinroot was mayor of Charlotte from 1991 to 1995. Patrick McCrory succeeded him in office and, in 2003, won re-election to a fifth term.

5 Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 629.0 km² (242.9 mi²). 627.5 km² (242.3 mi²) of it is land and 1.6 km² (0.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.25% water.

6 Demographics

As of 2004, census estimates show there are 614,330 people living in Charlotte, 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/km² (2,232.4/mi²). There are 230,434 housing units at an average density of 367.2/km² (951.2/mi²).

Charlotte's population is ethnically diverse. The racial makeup of the city is: 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 /

More 2000 census data:

There are 215,449 households out of which 30.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% are married couples living together, 13.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% are non-families. 29.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.45 and the average family size is 3.07.

In the city the population is spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 36.2% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.1 males.

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.

7 Sports

Charlotte has been home to the NFL's Carolina Panthers since 1996. The NBA's Charlotte Bobcats began play in 2004. (The NBA's Charlotte Hornets played in Charlotte from 1988 until 2002, when the troubled franchise relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana). The WNBA Charlotte Sting have played in Charlotte since 1997.

Charlotte is the de facto hub of stock car racing, with two major Nascar events (the Coca-Cola 600 and the Quality 500) held annually at nearby Lowe's Motor Speedway (formerly the Charlotte Motor Speedway). Many of Nascar's top teams are headquartered in the Charlotte area.

8 Religion

The birthplace of Billy Graham and onetime home of the PTL Club was once known as the "City of Churches." Of those who practice a religion, most Charlotteans are Christian, of various denominations. There are also Jews, Muslims, and Hindus. Churches are located throughout the city. Synagogues (Temple Beth El, Reform, Temple Israel, Conservative, and an Orthodox congregation) are located in Shalom Park, on Providence Road. Hindus meet at the Hindu Center off Independence Boulevard near Idlewild Road. There is also a private Muslim primary school located on Park Street.

As Latinos and others immigrate to the city, Catholic congregations are increasing.

The Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America is headquartered in Charlotte, and Reformed Theological Seminary has a campus there.

9 External links

Cities in North Carolina Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

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