Charlotte

Charlotte, North Carolina 

Charlotte is a city in central South North Carolina and the county headquarters of Mecklenburg since 1774. It is located in the Piedmont region, just east of the Catawba River. It was founded in 1750 and given the name Princess Charlotte Sophia of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in honor of George III's queen when it was incorporated in 1768. In May 1775, there was a signing of the so-called Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, a collection of anti-British declarations. Lord Cornwallis invaded the town in 1780 during the American Revolution, and as a result of the hostile attitude he got, he gave it the nickname "the hornet's nest of revolt" (which is now the name of the city's official insignia). Up until the California Gold Rush of 1849, Charlotte was the country's center for gold production, and a mint was situated there (1837–61 and 1867–1913). A Confederate hospital and headquarters were located in the city during the American Civil War. On April 15, 1865, the Confederate cabinet convened its final regular session there. 

Charlotte, one of the largest banking hubs in the country, is a key wholesale distribution hub for the southeastern United States and the Carolinas metropolis. It also contains diverse industry (textiles, machinery, metal, and culinary goods). Although it was forbidden by English officials, Charlotte's Queens Institution, the first college in North Carolina, was authorized in 1771; the current Queens College was chartered in 1857. There are also a University of North Carolina branch (1946), Johnson C. Smith University (1867), King's College (1901), and Central Piedmont Community College in the vicinity (1963). 

The nearby-born presidents Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk attended Charlotte for their early education. Several books, like Burke Davis' Ragged Ones and Inglis Fletcher's Raleigh's Eden (1940), were influenced by the region's American Revolutionary War history (1951). Pre-Columbian and African items are on display in the Mint Museum of Art, which is housed in the former U.S. Mint building. The museum also has European and American art. Both the Panthers professional football team and the Hornets men's basketball team are based in Charlotte. In nearby Pineville, there lies the James K. Polk Memorial State Historic Site. Population: 731 424 (2010); 1 758 038 in the Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill metro area; 874,579 in 2020; and 2,660 329 in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area. 

Geography 

The city has a total area of 308.6 square miles (799 km2), of which 306.6 square miles (794 km2) is land and 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2) is water, according to the United States Census Bureau. The largest city in the country by area is Charlotte, which is situated at a height of 751 feet (229 m). The majority of Mecklenburg County in the Carolina Piedmont is Charlotte. Uptown Charlotte was constructed on the gunnies of the St. Catherine's and Rudisill gold mines and sits atop a large hill between Sugar Creek and Irwin Creek. Charlotte is located 165 miles (265 km) southwest of Raleigh, the state capital, and is 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Concord, 26 miles (41 km) northeast of Rock Hill, South Carolina, 83 miles (144 km) southwest of Greensboro, and 135 miles (217 km) west of Fayetteville. 

There are no notable bodies of water or other geological features close to the city center, despite the fact that the Catawba River and its lakes are located several miles to the west. 

Waterways or ports, which have contributed to numerous cities of similar size, have so neither impeded nor aided development. The absence of these impediments has helped Charlotte become a major hub for air, rail, and highway transportation. 

Climate 

Charlotte, which is located in the Piedmont region of the southeast United States, has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), with four distinct seasons. The city proper is in USDA hardiness zone 8a, but the suburbs, with the exception of the south, transition to 7b. The narrative that follows uses climatic data from 1991 through 2020. Winters are mild; the average daily mean temperature in January is 42.1 °F (5.6 °C). Every year, on average, 59 nights reach or fall below freezing, and only 1.5 days fail to rise above it. The amount of precipitation falls equally throughout the year, with the exception of August, which has an average rainfall of 4.35 inches. With a typical July daily mean temperature of 80.1 °F (26.7 °C), summers are hot and muggy. There are typically 44 days a year with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher. Official temperature records range from 104 °F (40 °C), which was recorded six times, most recently from June 29 to July 1, 2012, down to 5 °F (21 °C), which was recorded three times most recently on January 21, 1985. The record low daily minimum is 82 °F (28 °C) on August 13, 1881, while the record high daily minimum is 14 °F (10 °C) on February 12 and 13, 1899. With a 220-day growing season, the average window for freezing temperatures is from November 5 to March 30. 

As subtropical moisture from the Gulf of Mexico moves up the eastern seaboard, Charlotte lies squarely in its path. As a result, the city experiences plenty of precipitation throughout the year as well as a lot of clear, sunny days. The annual average precipitation in Charlotte is 43.60 inches (1,110 mm), evenly distributed throughout the year. The historical range of annual precipitation was from 68.44 in (1,738 mm) in 1884 to 26.23 in (666 mm) in 2001. The average snowfall is 3.5 inches (8.9 cm), with ice storms and sleet mixed with rain occurring more frequently. Historically, seasonal snowfall has ranged from minimal quantities in 2011–12 to 22.6 inches (57 cm) in 1959–60. Storms of snow and ice can have a significant effect on the region since they frequently cause tree branches to fall into power lines and make driving dangerous. A few instances of snow have been noted in April, most recently on April 2, 2019. 

With little to no coverage in a roughly quadrilateral area including Concord, Salisbury, and much of Statesville as of 2020, the Charlotte metropolitan area as a whole is renowned for having one of the greatest weather radar gaps of any significant U.S. East Coast metropolis. This deficiency is particularly troublesome during severe thunderstorm or tornado occurrences because the closest NWS-owned NEXRAD is situated in Greer, South Carolina, more than 80 miles (130 km) to the west-southwest of Charlotte. The rotation velocities measurement for potential tornado-forming storms cannot be below mid-level and therefore cannot indicate whether said rotation extends closer to the ground (below 5,000 ft (1,500 m)). The current lowest angle of the radar, based in Greer, is quite far above the surface over Charlotte. 

Economy 

After New York City, Charlotte is the second-largest banking hub in the country. The city is home to Bank of America, the second-largest financial institution in the country by total assets. The sixth-largest financial institution in the country, Truist, which was created in 2019 through the union of BB&T and SunTrust, is also located there. Prior to Wells Fargo's 2008 acquisition of Wachovia, the city served as the bank's corporate headquarters. By October 2011, all Wachovia branches in the Carolinas had been converted to Wells Fargo branches as part of Wells Fargo's integration of legacy Wachovia. Since that time, Wells Fargo, which has its corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California, has made Charlotte its regional headquarters for its East Coast operations. The Wells Fargo capital markets division is also headquartered in Charlotte. The main offices of Bank of America, as well as other regional banks and financial services providers, are situated in the Uptown central business district. 

Major banks without Charlotte headquarters now employ a lot of people in Charlotte. Ally Financial moved into the newly constructed Ally Charlotte Center in May 2021. The building's 725,000 square feet (67,400 m2) of space is home to all 2,100 of the company's Charlotte-based employees and contractors. To house its 850 employees, U.S. Bank leases 81,424 square feet (7,564.5 m2) in Truist Center. MUFG 400 employees are housed in a 26,710 square foot (2,481 m2) lease in Regions 615 for Union Bank, which U.S. Bank is acquiring. In South End's The Square, USAA has 500 employees housed within 90,000 square feet (8,400 m2). In August 2022, UK-based The Bank of London announced it would lease 40,000 square feet (3,716 m2) in 101 Independence Center to house the 350 jobs it is creating in Charlotte by 2026. Charlotte has also attracted the attention of banks from around the world. 

Additionally, Charlotte runs significant offices for other big businesses. In Charlotte, Microsoft and Centene Corporation also have their East Coast headquarters. Honeywell's corporate headquarters were relocated to Charlotte in November 2018. Lowe's announced in June 2019 that it would invest $153 million in the construction of its Lowe's Global Technology Center, which is expected to be finished in 2021 and have its headquarters in Charlotte's South End neighborhood. Dole Food Company moved its headquarters from California to Charlotte in 2019 and increased its presence there in February 2021 when it merged with Total Produce, an Irish company. It was announced on May 25, 2021, that Charlotte would house Credit Karma's East Coast headquarters. Southwest Charlotte is where Cedar Fair's corporate headquarters are situated. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) declared on September 20, 2022, that it would move its administrative center from Charlotte to the nearby Greensboro in 2023. 

Seven Fortune 500 companies are located in the Charlotte metropolitan area as of 2019. They are: Bank of America, Honeywell, Nucor, Lowe's, Duke Energy, Sonic Automotive, and Brighthouse Financial, listed in order of their ranking. Food companies like Harris Teeter, Snyder's-Lance, Carolina Foods Inc., Bojangles', Food Lion, Salsarita's Fresh Mexican Grill, Compass Group USA, and Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated are among the many companies in the Charlotte area. Packaging companies like Sealed Air, financial services firm Dixon Hughes Goodman, online market leader Lending Tree, and chemical company Albemarle Corporation are also present. 

The main hub of the American motorsports industry is Charlotte, which is home to Haas F1, the only Formula One team in the country, numerous NASCAR teams and offices, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord. Nearby bases house about 75% of the race teams, personnel, and drivers in the NASCAR sector. zMAX Dragway at Concord, a recently constructed NHRA dragstrip, and the significant presence of the racing technology industry are encouraging other top-tier professional drag racers to relocate their businesses to Charlotte. 

The U.S. National Whitewater Center, which consists of man-made rapids of varying degrees and is open to the public year-round, is situated in the western portion of Mecklenburg County. 

The Charlotte Region is known as "Charlotte USA - The New Energy Capital" and has a sizable population of organizations focused on the energy sector. More than 240 businesses in the area directly related to the energy industry employ more than 26,400 people. Over 4,000 jobs in the energy sector have been announced since 2007. AREVA, Duke Energy, Electric Power Research Institute, Fluor, Metso Power, Piedmont Natural Gas, Albemarle Corp, Siemens Energy, Shaw Group, Toshiba, URS Corp., and Westinghouse are a few of the major energy companies operating in Charlotte. The Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC), which is part of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, is known for its work in the fields of energy education and research. Charlotte has developed as a center for the information technology (IT) sector during the past few years. 

The region is an East Coast freight transportation and trucking hub that is rapidly expanding. There are a few causes for this expansion. The proximity of Charlotte to important Interstates 40, 85, 77, or 95 is the first factor. Second, 53% of the US population is geographically located within a 650-mile drive of it. Numerous Charlotte-based logistics businesses have expanded significantly most recently. In the past ten years, there haven't been many major expansions that have contributed to Charlotte's development as a logistics hub. FedEx announced intentions to construct several warehouse structures at a business park in Concord, North Carolina in December 2015, with the goal of locating 800 workers there. Red Classic, a division of Coke Consolidated Transportation, said in August 2016 that it would be hiring for 300 extra positions between August 2016 and the end of 2017. As of August 2022, the business employed 357 locals. RXO was separated from XPO Logistics in October 2022 to become a freight brokerage. The new business employs 750 people locally and generates $4.7 billion in revenue annually. Armstrong Transport Group, which had relocated from the University area to South End, would also be adding 100 jobs to its present local headcount of 125 in October 2022. Maersk North America, with 800 employees, Zenith Global Logistics, with 720, Cargo Transporters, with 650, Southeastern Freight Lines, Inc., with 517, Distribution Technology, with 400, and Transportation Insight LLC, with 375 local employees, are other logistics firms with significant Charlotte presences. 

Over the past ten years, Charlotte Center has grown remarkably. Uptown is still seeing significant residential construction, with more than 20 buildings now under construction, finished, or in the planning stages. The Uptown neighborhood currently boasts a large number of new eateries, pubs, and clubs. The Midtown Charlotte/Elizabeth region is changing as a result of numerous developments. 

Charlotte was ranked among the Best Places for Business and Careers in 2013 by Forbes. Between 2000 and 2008, Charlotte was ranked as the 60th fastest growing city in the US and the 20th largest city overall. 

Sports 

Three prominent professional sports teams call Charlotte home: the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL), and Charlotte FC of Major League Soccer (MLS). The current Panthers franchise has been in Charlotte since its founding in 1995, while the Charlotte Hornets franchise has been there since its founding in 1988. (with the exception of the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons). While the Hornets play in the Spectrum Center, the Panthers and Charlotte FC play their home games in Bank of America Stadium. Six division victories (1996, 2003, 2008, 2013, 2014, and 2015), as well as two NFC championships in 2003 and 2015, have been won by the Panthers.  

Carolina has twice made it to the Super Bowl, but both times they lost to the New England Patriots, falling short in Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 and Super Bowl 50 in 2016, respectively. The first Hornets NBA club was founded in 1988 as an expansion team, but after tensions between the team's supporters and major owner George Shinn developed, it moved to New Orleans, Louisiana in 2002. After the Hornets left, the NBA promptly granted Charlotte an additional franchise, and the Charlotte Bobcats started playing in 2004. When the New Orleans-based franchise changed its identity to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2013, the team reclaimed the Hornets moniker. The new name took effect on May 20, 2014. The franchise recovered the past and accomplishments of the old 1988–2002 Hornets on the same day. Charlotte received MLS's expansion team in 2019, and Charlotte FC debuted in 2022. 

The Charlotte Knights play Triple-A baseball professionally, and the Charlotte Checkers play professional ice hockey for Charlotte. The Triple-A Affiliate of the Chicago White Sox since 1999 is the Knights. 

Population 

North Carolina's Mecklenburg County is home to the city of Charlotte. It is the largest city in North Carolina and the 15th largest city in the United States as of 2020, with a population of 903,211. Charlotte's population has grown by 3.27% from the most recent census, which showed a population of 874,579 in 2020, and is now rising at a pace of 1.61% yearly. Charlotte has a population density of 2,940 persons per square mile, spanning over 309 miles. 

The poverty rate in Charlotte is 14.62%, with an average household income of $94,516. The median monthly cost of rent in recent years has been, and the median value of a home is. In Charlotte, the median age is 34.4 years, 33.4 years for men and 35.4 years for women. 

After Jacksonville, Florida, Charlotte is the second-biggest city in the Southeast United States and the largest in North Carolina. 

810,000 people live in the city itself, but 1.25 million live in the greater urban region. With roughly 2.4 million inhabitants, the Charlotte metropolitan region ranks as the 22nd largest in the nation. The population density of the city proper is 2,720 per square mile (1,050 per square kilometer). 

With Bank of America's corporate headquarters and Wells Fargo's East Coast operations, Charlotte is a significant commercial hub and the second-largest financial center in the nation. The Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the 23rd busiest airport in the world, the Carolina Panthers, the Charlotte Hornets, two NASCAR Sprint Cup events, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and other notable attractions may all be found in the Queen City. 

Government 

Charlotte is governed by a council-manager system. There are no term limitations for the elections of the mayor and municipal council every two years. The mayor serves as the City Council's ex officio chair and only casts a vote in the event of a tie. Charlotte's mayor has the authority to reject council-passed ordinances, unlike other mayors in council-manager systems. The council can overturn a mayoral veto by a majority of seven of its 10 members. As top administrative official, the city manager is chosen by the council. 

Elections are held on a partisan basis, in contrast to certain other cities and municipalities in North Carolina. Vi Lyles, a Democrat elected in 2017, was appointed as Charlotte, North Carolina59th ,'s mayor. Her second term has just begun. 

On December 2, 2013, Democrat Patrick Cannon took the oath of office as mayor. Cannon was taken into custody on March 26, 2014, on suspicion of public corruption. He resigned as mayor later that day. Up until April 7, when the City Council chose State Senator Dan Clodfelter, a fellow Democrat, to carry out the remainder of Cannon's term, Mayor Pro Tem Michael Barnes acted as acting mayor. Jennifer Roberts, a former chair of the Mecklenburg County Commission, defeated Clodfelter in the 2015 Democratic primary and went on to win the general election, making history as the first Democratic woman to hold the position. She was defeated in the 2017 Democratic primary by Mayor Pro Tem Vi Lyles, who went on to win the general election by defeating Republican City Councilman Kenny Smith. 

Voters have traditionally been supportive of moderates from both parties. Charlotte has, however, shifted significantly to the Democrats in recent years. Democratic strength is concentrated in the south-central, eastern, and northern parts of the city, while Republican strength is concentrated in the southeast. 

There are 11 members of the municipal council (7 from districts and 4 at-large). Democrats hold a 9-2 majority on the council after taking all four at-large seats in the municipal elections held in November 2013, 2015, and 2017. Although the City Council is in charge of enacting laws, the city budget, and other regulations, since North Carolina municipalities lack home rule, the North Carolina General Assembly has the authority to override all decisions. Since the 1960s, municipal powers have been liberally defined, although the General Assembly still has a significant amount of control over local issues. 

On a federal level, Charlotte is divided between two congressional districts. The 9th District, which is represented by the Republican Dan Bishop, includes the southeast. Alma Adams, a Democrat, represents the 12th District, which includes the majority of the city. 

The 2012 Democratic National Convention was held in Charlotte at the Spectrum Center after Charlotte was chosen as the host city in 2011. It lasted from September 4, 2012, until September 6, 2012. Charlotte was selected in 2018 to host the 2020 Republican National Convention in August. 

Top 2 News Websites 

#1 WRAL.com 

Get the most recent information on Central and Eastern North Carolina, including Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill, Fayetteville, Rocky Mount, and Wilson, including local news, weather forecasts, I-40 traffic, ACC and high school sports, odd stories, and blogs. 

#2 CBS 17 

We do all we can to improve living conditions in Raleigh, Durham, Fayetteville, and the rest of North Carolina by featuring local news and weather stories. 

Current City Mayor 

Currently serving in her third term as mayor of Charlotte is Democrat Vi Alexander Lyles. With approximately 900,000 citizens, Charlotte is the 15th largest city in the US and one of the top 10 fastest-growing large cities in the country. It is also one of only three cities to have had double-digit growth every decade from 1960 to the present. 

Charlotte continues to lead the nation in community participation and action to solve affordable housing under the leadership of Mayor Lyles. Voters authorized $100 million in total between 2018 and 2020, drawing private-sector support that frequently exceeded a monetary match. More than 5,000 families now have housing options thanks to the city's investment in mixed-income housing as a result of these promises. 

In order to anticipate and prepare for growth, Mayor Lyles has taken the initiative, putting special emphasis on the infrastructure for transportation and public safety. For the purpose of establishing community-driven growth standards, the city established Comprehensive Plan 2040. The Charlotte Area Transit System constructed a 19-mile light rail transit route connecting Uptown Charlotte with North Charlotte and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte during Mayor Lyles' first term. The city has also embraced the Vision Zero idea, which aims to completely eradicate traffic fatalities. 

More than 27,000 new jobs have been created since Mayor Lyles took office, demonstrating the success of job growth. Charlotte has recently received awards for being the top-growing TechTown in the U.S., one of the top 10 cities for startups, and the top city in the country for the expansion of female-owned enterprises. Honeywell, a Fortune 100 firm, moved its headquarters in the past year alone, Lowe's invested in a new innovation hub, and Microsoft announced plans to increase operations in Charlotte. In addition to local accomplishments like financial services firms like LendingTree and Avid Exchange pledging to double their businesses in Charlotte, there is also this growth. 

Although Mayor Lyles views workforce development as her personal area of expertise, job creation is a significant economic growth indicator. She advocates for those who encounter employment difficulties, assisting them in the development of their skills and abilities and ensuring that the city is dedicated to providing opportunities for all. 

Mayor Lyles' tenure in Charlotte is distinguished by a long legacy of public service. She was elected mayor pro tem for two of the years from 2013 to 2017 and spent two terms as an at-large representative on the City Council before being elected mayor. Prior to serving in an elected capacity, Mayor Lyles was a cherished member of the city staff. She led the restructuring of government programs to analyze and assess performance audits for city programs, and she created the first capital budget for the city. 

Lyles joined the Lee Institute and Flynn Health Holt Leadership as a consultant director after leaving the city and helped non-profit governmental organizations with project implementation and strategy development. She participated in the Committee of 21 transportation project, the Moving Forward effort of the Charlotte Housing Authority, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg African American Agenda, and the Achieve Together community-based advocacy education project. 

The Viola "Vi" Lyles Young Public Administrator Award was established by the Southern Piedmont Chapter of the National Forum for Public Administrators in 2009 and honors "energy, commitment, and passion for excellence in work and community service." 

Queens University awarded Mayor Lyles a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill awarded him a Master of Public Administration. She has completed programs at the Institute of Government, North Carolina State University, and the American Leadership Forum of the Lee Institute, and she is certified as a facilitator and executive coach.