The Charlotte metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as Metrolina, is a

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

of the U.S. states of North and South Carolina, within and surrounding the city of Charlotte. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gastonia, Concord, Huntersville, and Rock Hill as well as the large suburban area in the counties surrounding Mecklenburg County, which is at the center of the metro area. Located in the Piedmont, it is the largest metropolitan area in the Carolinas, and the fourth largest in the Southeastern United States. The Charlotte metropolitan area is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States. There are two official metropolitan boundaries for the Charlotte metropolitan area: the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and the Charlotte-Concord Combined Statistical Area (CSA). The two regions are identical except for the addition of two micropolitan areas, Shelby and Albemarle to the Charlotte-Concord CSA that are not included in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia MSA. The population of the MSA was 2,595,027 and the population of the CSA was 2,754,842 as of 2020 Census. The metropolitan area is slightly larger than . The Charlotte metro area is a major financial center, transportation hub, and entertainment destination. Charlotte is the second largest financial hub in the United States behind New York City, being the headquarters for Bank of America and Truist Financial as well as housing the East Coast headquarters and largest employment hub of Wells Fargo. Other Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the metro area include Brighthouse Financial,

Duke Energy Duke Energy Corporation is an American electric power and natural gas holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Overview Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Duke Energy owns 58,200 megawatts of base-load and peak generation in ...

, Honeywell,

Lowe's Lowe's Companies, Inc. (), often shortened to Lowe's, is an American retail company specializing in home improvement. Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, the company operates a chain of retail stores in the United States and Canada. A ...

, and Nucor. The Charlotte metro area is the largest manufacturing region in the Carolinas. The estimated gross metropolitan product (GMP) of the metro area is over $170 billion. Located in Mecklenburg County,

Charlotte Douglas International Airport Charlotte Douglas International Airport ( IATA: CLT, ICAO: KCLT, FAA LID: CLT), typically referred to as Charlotte Douglas, Douglas Airport, or simply CLT, is an international airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, located roughly six miles we ...

is the sixth-largest airport in the world by aircraft movements and the city's location at the junction of I-85 and I-77 makes it a highway logistics center. The Charlotte metro is also the center of American auto racing and is home to the Carolina Panthers,

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

, and Charlotte FC. The Charlotte metro is home to a number of prominent higher education institutions, including the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Queens University of Charlotte,

Davidson College Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after Revolutionary War general William Lee Davidson, who was killed at the nearby Battle of Cowan� ...

, Belmont Abbey College, and many more. The primary community college for the area is

Central Piedmont Community College Central Piedmont Community College (Central Piedmont) is a public community college in Charlotte, North Carolina. With an enrollment of more than 40,000 students annually, Central Piedmont is the second largest community college in the North Caro ...

, which has several campuses throughout Charlotte and the surrounding region.

Nicknames and regional identity

The regional area around the city was at one time called ''Metrolina'', a portmanteau of ''Metropolis'' and ''Carolina''. The term has fallen out of widespread general use, though it still maintains a presence and is used by the

North Carolina Department of Transportation The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is responsible for building, repairing, and operating highways, bridges, and other modes of transportation, including ferries in the U.S. state of North Carolina. History The North Carolina ...

. The term does retain a marketing value, and is thus also used by many businesses in the area. Metrolina refers to the region that includes the cities of Charlotte, Concord, Gastonia and Rock Hill. The name Metrolina came into fashion when North Carolina's other two large metropolitan areas took on nicknames—the Triangle for Raleigh/ Durham/ Cary/

Chapel Hill Chapel Hill or Chapelhill may refer to: Places Antarctica * Chapel Hill (Antarctica) Australia *Chapel Hill, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane *Chapel Hill, South Australia, in the Mount Barker council area Canada * Chapel Hill, Ottawa, a neighbo ...

and the

Triad Triad or triade may refer to: * a group of three Businesses and organisations * Triad (American fraternities), certain historic groupings of seminal college fraternities in North America * Triad (organized crime), a Chinese transnational orga ...

for Greensboro/ Winston-Salem/ High Point. (The Triad now goes by the name Piedmont Triad to distinguish it from other tri-cities.) Charlotte's most common nickname is the Queen City, often abbreviated as Q.C., a name derived from the city's namesake,

Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and of Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until the union of the two kingdoms ...

. The term "Charlotte USA" referred to the 16-county region, which includes 12 counties in North Carolina and 4 counties in South Carolina. The term was championed during a marketing campaign by the Charlotte Regional Partnership, a non-profit organization made up of both private- and public-sector members from throughout the Charlotte region. This organization represents one of seven officially designated economic development regions in North Carolina.Charlotte USA – Charlotte Regional Partnership
Region J of the North Carolina Councils of Government, of which a majority of the Charlotte area municipalities and counties belong, uses the term Centralina in its body's name, Centralina Council of Governments. This term, however, is used only sparingly among locals.

Geography

Counties

The official Charlotte metropolitan area includes the Charlotte–Concord–Gastonia MSA ( Anson, Cabarrus,

Gaston Gaston is a masculine given name of French origin and a surname. The name "Gaston" may refer to: People First name *Gaston I, Count of Foix (1287–1315) *Gaston II, Count of Foix (1308–1343) *Gaston III, Count of Foix (1331–1391) *Gaston ...

, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg,

Rowan The rowans ( or ) or mountain-ashes are shrubs or trees in the genus ''Sorbus ''Sorbus'' is a genus of over 100 species of trees and shrubs in the rose family, Rosaceae. Species of ''Sorbus'' (''s.l.'') are commonly known as whitebeam, r ...

, and Union counties in North Carolina;

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

, Lancaster and York counties in South Carolina). The Charlotte CSA includes all the MSA counties along with the following micropolitan areas in North Carolina: Albemarle (

Stanly County Stanly County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 62,504. Its county seat is Albemarle. Stanly County comprises the Albemarle, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included ...

) and Shelby (

Cleveland County Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

). ( Census Bureau definition for CSA) The Charlotte Regional Partnership also identifies three additional counties to the what they refer to as the "Charlotte Region"— Alexander and Catawba counties in North Carolina, and Chesterfield County, South Carolina. Catawba and Alexander counties are currently part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area or "

the Unifour ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

". Factoring in the Unifour, as well as Chesterfield County, if one considers these regions to be part of the Charlotte area, as many in the area regard them as such, the population according to 2018 Census estimates, increases to 3,190,390. If this population was officially used, the Charlotte Area would become the 20th largest CSA, overtaking the St. Louis, Missouri area, and placing it behind Portland, Oregon.

Largest cities and towns

Cities and Towns: 5,000 to 10,000 in Population

Suburban towns and cities under 5,000 in population

Unincorporated communities

Changes in house prices for the area are publicly tracked on a regular basis using the Case–Shiller index; the statistic is published by

Standard & Poor's S&P Global Ratings (previously Standard & Poor's and informally known as S&P) is an American credit rating agency (CRA) and a division of S&P Global that publishes financial research and analysis on stocks, bonds, and commodities. S&P is con ...

and is also a component of the S&P 20-city composite index of the value of the U.S. residential real estate market.

Transportation

Mass transit

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is the mass transit agency that operates local, express, bus rapid services that serves Charlotte and its immediate suburban communities in both North and South Carolina. CATS also operates light rail and streetcar lines. CATS is also building a commuter, light rail, streetcar network as a supplement to its established bus transit throughout the region. The LYNX Blue Line runs from Interstate 485, through SouthEnd,

Uptown Charlotte Uptown Charlotte, also called Center City, is the central business district of Charlotte, North Carolina. The area is split into four wards by the intersection of Trade and Tryon Streets, and bordered by Interstate 277 and Interstate 77. The a ...

, to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Plans are for it to stretch initially to Mooresville, Pineville, and Matthews. Charlotte-Douglas International Airport will be connected to the system by light rail.

Gastonia Transit The Gastonia Transit System (GT), is a municipally-owned operator of public transportation in Gastonia, North Carolina Gastonia is the largest city in and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest ...

Concord Kannapolis Area Transit The Concord Kannapolis Area Transit, operating under the banner Rider, is the public transit system shared between the cities of Concord and Kannapolis, North Carolina, United States. It operates local bus service as well as express bus service t ...

, My Ride Transit in Rock Hill, Western Piedmont Regional Transit Authority in Hickory, Salisbury Transit, and Iredell Area Transit System in Iredell County also provide fixed route bus services within the Greater Charlotte metropolitan region as well.

Roads

The Charlotte region is also served by 2 major interstate highways (

I-85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 65, I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with Interstate 95, I ...

and

I-77 Interstate 77 (I-77) is a north–south 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 ...

), and their 2 spurs ( I-277, and I-485). I-40 also passes through the center of Iredell County, which is the northern region of the Charlotte metro. Other major freeways include

Independence Boulevard U.S. Route 74 (US 74) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Primarily in North Carolina, it serves as an important highway from the mountains to the ...

(east Charlotte to I-277), a portion of US 321 between Hickory and Gastonia, and Monroe Connector / Bypass, each projected to cost over $1 billion per project. Other important US highways in the region include: US 74 (east to Wilmington, west to Asheville and Chattanooga), US 52 (through the far eastern part of the region), US 321 (through Chester, York, Gastonia, Dallas, Lincolnton and Hickory),

US 601 U.S. Route 601 (US 601) is a north–south United States highway that runs for from U.S. Route 321, near Tarboro, South Carolina, to U.S. Route 52, in Mount Airy, North Carolina. In North Carolina, it is one of the main north-south ...

(passing east of Charlotte) and US 70 (through Salisbury, Statesville and Hickory). Primary state routes include NC/ SC 49, NC 16 (which extends north to West Virginia), NC 73, NC 150,

NC 18 North Carolina Highway 18 (NC 18) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Traveling north–south through the Foothills region, it connects the cities of Shelby, Morganton, Lenoir, Wilkesboro and North Wil ...

, NC 24,

NC 27 North Carolina Highway 27 (NC 27) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The route traverses through southern and central North Carolina, about of it as a concurrency with NC 24. Route description NC& ...

SC 9 SC-9 or variants may refer to: * South Carolina's 9th congressional district * South Carolina Highway 9 * ''SC09'', a FIPS 10-4 region code, see List of FIPS region codes (S–U) * ''SC-09'', a subdivision code for the Seychelles, see ISO 3166-2:S ...

and SC 5.

Air

is the main airport in the Charlotte area and the 6th busiest in the country. In April 2007, Charlotte was the fastest growing airport in the US. The airport went on to surpass its sister US Airways hub in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as one of the 30 busiest airports in the world in terms of passenger traffic. A new terminal to the northwest of the center of the airport will be built in the near future, possibly as a Caribbean/Latin America international terminal. CLT is also supplemented by regional airports in Concord, Gastonia,

Hickory Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes around 18 species. Five or six species are native to China, Indochina, and India (Assam), as many as twelve are native to the United States, four are found in Mexi ...

, Monroe, Statesville, in North Carolina, as well as Rock Hill in South Carolina.

Higher education

Four-year institutions

;North Carolina *

Barber–Scotia College Barber–Scotia College is a private unaccredited historically black college in Concord, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). History Scotia Seminary Barber–Scotia began as a female seminary in 1867. Scotia ...

* Belmont Abbey College *

Carolinas College of Health Sciences Carolinas College of Health Sciences is a non-profit public college focused on the health sciences and is located both online and with a physical campus in Charlotte, North Carolina. The college's roots date back to the 1940s, when Charlotte Memor ...

* Catawba College *

Gardner–Webb University Gardner–Webb University (Gardner–Webb, GWU, or GW) is a private Baptist university in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (Southern Baptist Convention). It was founded as Boili ...

Appalachian Center at Hickory Appalachian Center at Hickory (formerly Hickory Metro Higher Education Center) is a distance-education center operated by Appalachian State University. It is part of the Appalachian State University Greater Hickory Partnership, which also includes ...

* Johnson & Wales University *

Johnson C. Smith University Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and accredited by the ...

* Lenoir-Rhyne University *

Livingstone College Livingstone College is a private, historically black Christian college in Salisbury, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Livingstone College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Sout ...

* Montreat College * Pfeiffer University * Queens University of Charlotte *

Strayer University Strayer University is a private for-profit university with its headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1892 as Strayer's Business College and later became Strayer College, before being granted university status in 1998. Strayer Univer ...

* University of North Carolina at Charlotte * Wingate University ;South Carolina * Clinton College * Winthrop University * University of South Carolina-Lancaster

Two-year institutions

;North Carolina * Catawba Valley Community College *

* Cleveland Community College *

Gaston College Gaston College is a public community college in Dallas, North Carolina. Serving Gaston County and Lincoln County, Gaston College enrolls over 5,000 students each term in curriculum programs and about 16,000 students in continuing education pro ...

* Mitchell Community College *

Rowan–Cabarrus Community College Rowan–Cabarrus Community College (RCCC) is a public community college in Rowan County and Cabarrus County, North Carolina. It is part of the North Carolina Community College System.

South Piedmont Community College South Piedmont Community College (South Piedmont or SPCC) is a public community college in North Carolina consisting of two campuses and two auxiliary centers in Anson and Union counties. It is part of the North Carolina Community College System. ...

Stanly Community College Stanly Community College (SCC) is a public community college in Albemarle, North Carolina. It is part of the North Carolina Community College System. It has a satellite campus in Locust, North Carolina and is accredited by the Southern Associatio ...

;South Carolina *

York Technical College York Technical College (York Tech) is a public community college in Rock Hill, South Carolina. It is part of the South Carolina Technical College System and one of three colleges in the city of Rock Hill. York Tech was established in 1964 and pre ...

Defunct institutions

Charlotte School of Law Charlotte School of Law (Charlotte Law) was an independent for-profit college in Charlotte, North Carolina established in 2006. It was provisionally accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) in 2008, and fully accredited in 2011. However, th ...

(2006–2017, private for-profit law school) *

King's College King's College or The King's College refers to two higher education institutions in the United Kingdom: *King's College, Cambridge, a constituent of the University of Cambridge *King's College London, a constituent of the University of London It ca ...

(1901–2018, private for-profit two-year college)

Healthcare

* Hospitals of the Atrium Health system ** Carolinas Medical Center (Charlotte) **

Levine Children's Hospital Levine Children's Hospital is a 234-bed pediatric hospital located on the campus of Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Operated by Atrium Health Atrium Health, formerly Carolinas HealthCare System, is a hospital network with ...

(Charlotte) ** Carolinas Medical Center-Mercy (Charlotte) **

Atrium Health Cabarrus Atrium Health Cabarrus (formerly Cabarrus Memorial Hospital, later NorthEast Medical Center, Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast and Carolinas HealthCare System NorthEast) is a 457-bed, acute-care, teaching hospital located in Concord, North Carolin ...

(Concord) **

Atrium Health Pineville Atrium Health Pineville (Formerly Mercy Hospital South, later Carolinas Medical Center-Pineville) is a 235 bed acute care facility located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The hospital was opened in 1987 by the Sisters of Mercy to serve the rapidly g ...

(Pineville) **

Atrium Health University City Atrium Health University City is a 130-bed acute care facility located in Charlotte, NC, Charlotte's University City area. This hospital is the location of the second busiest emergency departments in Mecklenburg County, NC, Mecklenburg County. I ...

(Charlotte) ** Atrium Health Union (Monroe) **Atrium Health Kings Mountain (Kings Mountain) * Hospitals of the Novant Health system **Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center (Charlotte) **Novant Health Hemby Children's Hospital (Charlotte) **Novant Health Rowan Medical Center (Salisbury) **Novant Health Charlotte Orthopedic Hospital (Charlotte) **Novant Health Matthews Medical Center (Matthews) **Novant Health Mint Hill Medical Center (Mint Hill) **Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center (Huntersville) * Other hospitals **CaroMont Regional Medical Center (Gastonia) **Lake Norman Regional Medical Center (Mooresville) **Piedmont Medical Center (Rock Hill)

Attractions

Nature and geography

The foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains begin along the western edge of the region; the descent (the Fall Line) to the coastal plain begins along the eastern edge. Amid this varied topography, the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden and several state parks (Morrow Mountain, Crowders Mountain, South Mountains, Duke Power, Landsford Canal, Andrew Jackson) offer recreational possibilities, along with the Uwharrie National Forest just east and northeast of Albemarle, and the Sumter National Forest at the southwest corner of the area.

Kings Mountain National Military Park Kings Mountain National Military Park is a National Military Park near Blacksburg, South Carolina, along the North Carolina/South Carolina border. The park commemorates the Battle of Kings Mountain, a pivotal and significant victory by American Pa ...

is partially located in York County and in

Cherokee County Cherokee County is the name of eight counties in the United States: * Cherokee County, Alabama * Cherokee County, Georgia * Cherokee County, Iowa * Cherokee County, Kansas * Cherokee County, North Carolina * Cherokee County, Oklahoma * Cherokee Cou ...

near

Blacksburg, South Carolina Blacksburg is a small town in Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,848 at the 2010 census. The communities of Cherokee Falls, Kings Creek, Cashion Crossroads, Buffalo, and Mount Paran are located near the town. Bl ...

Cultural attractions

Attractions in Charlotte include the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Cultural,

Carowinds Carowinds is a amusement park located adjacent to Interstate 77 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The park straddles the North Carolina-South Carolina state line, with a portion of the park located in Fort Mill, South Carolina. However, it has an of ...

theme park, Discovery Place,

Spirit Square Spirit Square, also called Spirit Square Center for the Arts, is located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Its McGlohon Theater in the former First Baptist Church on North Tryon Street, named for Loonis McGlohon, is now part of North Carolina Blumentha ...

, NASCAR Hall of Fame, the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, Children's Theatre of Charlotte, Actor's Theatre of Charlotte, Carolina Actors Studio Theatre, Theatre Charlotte, the Charlotte Museum of History,

Levine Museum of the New South The Levine Museum of the New South, is a history museum located in Charlotte, North Carolina whose exhibits focus on life in the North Carolina Piedmont after the American Civil War. The museum includes temporary and permanent exhibits on a range o ...

, the McGill Rose Garden, and the

Wing Haven Gardens A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expresse ...

. The

Bechtler Museum of Modern Art The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a museum space dedicated to the exhibition of mid-20th-century modern art. The modern art museum is part of the new Levine Center for the Arts in Uptown. The museum building was ...

and the Mint Museum in Uptown Charlotte are expanding the art venues in Charlotte. Other places of interest in the surrounding area include the

Schiele Museum Schiele may refer to: * Armand Schiele (born 1967), French Alpen skier * Bernt Schiele (born 1968), German computer scientist * Egon Schiele (1890, Tulln an der Donau – 1918, Vienna), Austrian painter ** ''Egon Schiele – Exzess und Bestrafung' ...

(in Gastonia), Charlotte Motor Speedway (in Concord), the

Carolina Raptor Center Carolina may refer to: Geography * The Carolinas, the U.S. states of North and South Carolina ** North Carolina, a U.S. state ** South Carolina, a U.S. state * Province of Carolina, a British province until 1712 * Carolina, Alabama, a town in ...

(in Huntersville), Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden (in Belmont),

Latta Plantation Latta Place (formerly Latta Plantation), also known as Latta House, is a historic house located in Huntersville, North Carolina near Mountain Island Lake. Built in about 1800 in a Federal style, the plantation also contains some elements of G ...

(in Huntersville), Brattonsville Historic District (in McConnells), the

North Carolina Transportation Museum The North Carolina Transportation Museum is a museum in Spencer, North Carolina. It is a collection of automobiles, aircraft, and railway vehicles. The museum is located at the former Southern Railway's 1896-era Spencer Shops and devotes much ...

(in Spencer), Fort Dobbs historical site (in Statesville),

Catawba County Catawba County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 160,610. Its county seat is Newton, North Carolina, Newton, and its largest city is Hick ...

Firefighters Museum (in Conover), the Arts & Science Center of Catawba Valley/Millholland Planetarium (in Hickory) the Museum of York County (in Rock Hill), James K. Polk historical site (in Pineville), the Catawba Cultural Center (in York County), the

Museum of the Waxhaws A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that Preservation (library and archival science), cares for and displays a collection (artwork), collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, culture, cultu ...

(in Waxhaw), Glencairn Gardens (in Rock Hill), and the Reed Gold Mine (in Locust).

Entertainment

The

PNC Music Pavilion PNC Music Pavilion (originally Blockbuster Pavilion and formerly Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre) is an outdoor amphitheatre, amphitheater in Charlotte, North Carolina, that specializes in hosting large concerts. The venue largely replaced the Caro ...

is located in the University City area of Charlotte. The performing arts amphitheatre has hosted many popular music concerts. The

U.S. National Whitewater Center The U.S. National Whitewater Center (USNWC) is a not-for-profit outdoor recreation and athletic training facility for whitewater rafting, kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, mountain biking hiking and ice skating which opened to the public on 2006 ...

(USNWC) is the world's premier outdoor recreation and environmental education center. Alongside mountain-biking and running trails, a climbing center, and challenge course, the park's unique feature is a multiple-channel, customized whitewater river for rafting and canoe/kayak enthusiasts of all abilities. The USNWC is only 10 minutes from downtown Charlotte and provides roughly of woodlands along the scenic Catawba River. Olympic-caliber athletes, weekend warriors and casual observers share this world-class sports and training center. Inspired by the successful Penrith Whitewater Stadium built for the 2000 Olympics and the stadium built for the 2004 Athens Games, the USNWC is the world's largest multi-channel recirculating whitewater river. The USOC has designated the USNWC an official Olympic Training Site.

Shopping

SouthPark Mall is one of the Southern United States' most upscale malls, including stores such as Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Burberry, Hermès, Neiman Marcus, and

American Girl American Girl is an American line of dolls released on May 5, 1986, by Pleasant Company. The dolls portray eight- to fourteen-year-old boys and girls of a variety of ethnicities, faiths, and social classes from different time periods throughou ...

. SouthPark mall is also the largest mall in the Carolinas and one of the most-profitable malls in the United States. Other large regional-scale Shopping malls include Northlake Mall, Carolina Place Mall,

Concord Mills Concord Mills is a shopping mall located in Concord, North Carolina. The mall is in Cabarrus County, just a few hundred feet from the Mecklenburg County border and Charlotte city limits, and about from Uptown Charlotte. It is one of two mal ...

Charlotte Premium Outlets The Charlotte Premium Outlets is a open-air outlet mall located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is located off of Interstate 485 in the Steele Creek neighborhood. It is owned by a joint venture of 50% Simon Property Group and 50% Tanger Out ...

, Phillips Place (across from SouthPark), RiverGate,

Westfield Eastridge Eastridge Mall (formerly known as Westfield Eastridge) is a regional shopping mall located in Gastonia, North Carolina, and is west of uptown Charlotte, North Carolina. Opened in 1976, it is located off Interstate 85 at exit 20, N. New Hope Roa ...

Rock Hill Galleria Rock Hill Galleria is an enclosed regional shopping mall for York, Chester, and Lancaster Counties. It is located in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Opened in 1991, the mall features three anchors (Belk, Walmart, Dick's) and around 70 specialty sho ...

, Plaza Fiesta,

Carolina Mall Carolina Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Concord, North Carolina. It is one of two shopping malls in the city, the other being Concord Mills. Opened in 1972, Carolina Mall is owned and managed by Hull Property Group. The anchor stores are St ...

Monroe Crossing Mall Monroe Crossing Mall (Monroe Crossing) is a regional mall located in Monroe, Union County, North Carolina, United States. The mall houses a mix of local and national retailers and anchor stores. Monroe Crossing is on West Roosevelt Boulevard ...

, Signal Hill Mall, and

Valley Hills Mall Valley Hills Mall is a two-story regional shopping mall located in Hickory, North Carolina. It is currently managed by JLL. It is anchored by Belk, Dillard's, and J. C. Penney. History The mall opened in 1978 as the second mall in Hickory, th ...

. Concord Mills is unique in that it does not feature the typical

anchor store In retail, an "anchor tenant", sometimes called an "anchor store", "draw tenant", or "key tenant", is a considerably larger tenant in a shopping mall, often a department store or retail chain. They are typically located at the ends of malls. Wit ...

s found at other malls; it focuses more on attracting outlet store tenants. The mall is visited by over 15 million annually. Alongside enclosed malls and strip centers are several other shopping districts. Several downtowns can claim an abundance of shopping options, along with restaurants and other entertainment, and a few other specific districts have emerged: ''Central Avenue'', especially in the '' Plaza-Midwood'' area; the '' NoDa'' area of North Charlotte; and the ''Arboretum'' in southeast Charlotte (geographically, south), to offer a handful of examples. Several of these areas are at the center of the area's growing immigrant business communities.

Sports

In addition to Charlotte Motor Speedway, there are plenty of other sports venues, including

Truist Field Truist Field is a baseball stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Uptown-area stadium hosts the Charlotte Knights, a Triple-A Minor League Baseball team in the International League. It is also the third sports building to be built in Uptow ...

(home of the Charlotte Knights, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox),

Bank of America Stadium Bank of America Stadium is a 74,867-seat football stadium located on in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It is the home facility and headquarters of the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League and Charlotte FC of Major ...

(home of the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

's Carolina Panthers and MLS's Charlotte FC),

Spectrum Center Spectrum Center is an indoor arena located in Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina. It is owned by the city of Charlotte and operated by its main tenant, the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The arena seats 19,077 for ...

(home of the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

) and Bojangles' Coliseum (home of American Hockey League's Charlotte Checkers). The Charlotte Eagles of the United Soccer Leagues call the area home, and the Kannapolis Intimidators and Hickory Crawdads are Single-A Minor-League Baseball teams located in this region.

Economy

Companies with headquarters in the region include Bank of America, Belk, BellSouth Telecommunications,

Bojangles' Bojangles OpCo, LLC., doing business as Bojangles (known as Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits until 2020), is an American regional chain of fast food restaurants that specializes in cajun-seasoned fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits that ...

, The Compass Group, Carolina Beverage Corporation Inc. (makers of

Sun Drop Sun Drop is a citrus-flavored soft drink produced by Keurig Dr Pepper with a yellowish-green color. Among soft drinks, it is known for its high caffeine content. Orange juice is an ingredient in the drink, and remaining pulp matter from the orange ...

and

Cheerwine Cheerwine is a cherry-flavored soft drink by Carolina Beverage Corporation of Salisbury, North Carolina. It has been produced since 1917, claiming to be "the oldest continuing soft drink company still operated by the same family". Overview and ...

, Family Dollar, Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Lance, Inc, LendingTree,

, Meineke Car Care Centers, Muzak, Nucor,

Chiquita Brands International Chiquita Brands International Sàrl (), formerly known as Chiquita Brands International Inc. and United Fruit Co., is a Swiss-domiciled American producer and distributor of banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botan ...

Transbotics, Royal & SunAlliance (USA), SPX Corporation, Time Warner Cable (a business unit of Fortune 500 company Time Warner), and Wells Fargo. Charlotte has gained fame as the second largest banking and finance center in the U.S., and the area's orientation towards emerging industries is seen in the success of the University Research Park (the 7th largest research park in the country) and the redevelopment of part of the

Pillowtex Pillowtex Corporation was a United States textile manufacturing company from 1954 to 2003. Beginning as a pillow manufacturer, the company diversified and manufactured bedsheets under various brand names. The company was officially declared bank ...

site in Kannapolis as a biotech research facility featuring the participation of University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

and

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...

. Reflections Studios in Charlotte played an important role in the emergent late-20th-century American musical underground – R.E.M., Pylon,

Let's Active Let's Active is an American rock group formed in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1981, and often identified with the jangle pop guitar work of the group's frontman and songwriter Mitch Easter. After disbanding in 1990, the group reformed in Augus ...

, Don Dixon and Charlotte's

Fetchin Bones Fetchin Bones was a cross-genre rock band from North Carolina. During a six-year career they produced five albums but were most celebrated for inspired live performances. One reviewer stated they were "a band that must be seen live for a full gra ...

(among many others) all recorded influential and acclaimed albums there. Charlotte-based Ripete and Surfside Records maintain important catalogs of regional soul and beach music, and the area has also played a role in the history of gospel, bluegrass and country music. The Milestone, one of the first punk clubs in the South, is located in west Charlotte, and in the past hosted legendary appearances from the likes of R.E.M., Black Flag, Nirvana, The Minutemen, D.O.A., Bad Brains, Charlotte's

Antiseen Antiseen (often stylized as ANTiSEEN) is an American punk rock band formed in Charlotte, North Carolina, by Jeff Clayton and Joe Young in 1983. The name "Antiseen" serves as a deliberate deviation of the phrase "anti-scene" - the group not wis ...

, and many others.

Notable residents

Notable people from the Charlotte metro area include: * Artists – Romare Bearden * Astronauts – Charles Duke and

Susan Helms Susan Jane Helms (born February 26, 1958) is a retired United States Air Force lieutenant general and NASA astronaut. She was the commander, 14th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic); and commander, Joint Functional Component Command for Space at Va ...

* Religious figures – Billy Graham and Steven Furtick * Musicians –

Earl Scruggs Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-fin ...

, Dababy, George Clinton, Fred Durst,

Prairie Prince Charles Lempriere "Prairie" Prince (born May 7, 1950) is an American drummer and graphic artist. He came to prominence in the 1970s as a member of the San Francisco–based rock group The Tubes, was a member of Jefferson Starship from 1992 to ...

, Blind Boy Fuller, The Avett Brothers, and

Randy Travis Randy Bruce Traywick (born May 4, 1959), known professionally as Randy Travis, is an American country music and gospel music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. Active from 1978 until being incapacitated by a stroke in 2013, he has recor ...

* Independent filmmakers –

Tim Kirkman Tim Kirkman is an American screenwriter and director. Kirkman's feature film debut, '' Dear Jesse'', was released theatrically by Cowboy Pictures in 1998. A documentary film about the political and personal parallels between the gay filmmaker ...

and

Ross McElwee Ross McElwee is an American documentary filmmaker known for his autobiographical films about his family and personal life, usually interwoven with an episodic journey that intersects with larger political or philosophical issues. His humorous an ...

* Actors –

Randolph Scott George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor whose career spanned the years from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of ...

, Dwayne Johnson, Nick Cannon,

Chyler Leigh Chyler Leigh West (pronounced ; '' née'' Potts), known professionally as Chyler Leigh, is an American actress, singer and model. She is known for portraying Janey Briggs in the comedy film ''Not Another Teen Movie'' (2001), Lexie Grey in the ...

Lauren Holt Lauren Elizabeth Holt (born March 12, 1991) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She began her career with the Upright Citizens Brigade, an improv and sketch comedy troupe in Los Angeles. In 2020, Holt, alongside Andrew Dismukes and Punk ...

and

Berlinda Tolbert Berlinda Tolbert is an American film and television actress. Tolbert is best known for her role as Jenny Willis Jefferson, the daughter of Tom and Helen Willis on the CBS sitcom ''The Jeffersons'', which originally aired from 1975 until 1985. ...

* Media – Jim Nantz * Politicians – Sue Myrick,

Harvey Gantt Harvey Bernard Gantt (born January 14, 1943) is an American architect and Democratic politician active in North Carolina. The first African-American student admitted to Clemson University after attending Iowa State University, Gantt graduated wi ...

, Elizabeth Dole, Mick Mulvaney,

Jesse Helms Jesse Alexander Helms Jr. (October 18, 1921 – July 4, 2008) was an American politician. A leader in the conservative movement, he served as a senator from North Carolina from 1973 to 2003. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ...

; U.S. presidents Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk * Professional wrestlers –

Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...

, Charlotte Flair,

Tessa Blanchard Tessa Blanchard (born July 26, 1995) is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in Impact Wrestling, where she became the first female wrestler to win the Impact World Championship and is also a former Impact Knockouts C ...

, Cedric Alexander, Cody Rhodes and R-Truth * NASCAR drivers –

Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably dri ...

, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and William Byron * Professional athletes –

Stephen Curry Wardell Stephen Curry II ( ; born March 14, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, ...

Seth Curry Seth Adham Curry (born August 23, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for one year at Liberty University before transferring to Duke. ...

Kyle Seager Kyle Duerr Seager (born November 3, 1987) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played his entire career for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2011 to 2021. He was selected by the Mariners in the thi ...

, Corey Seager,

Hakeem Nicks Hakeem Amir Nicks (born January 14, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at North Carolina, and was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Nicks has also played for t ...

, Daniel Jones, Chris Canty, Dwight Clark,

Luke Maye Luke David Maye (born March 7, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for Covirán Granada of the Spanish Liga Endesa. He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Early life Maye was born in Cary, North Carolin ...

Stephon Gilmore Stephon Stiles Gilmore (born September 19, 1990) is an American football cornerback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Carolina and was selected 10th overall by the Buffalo Bills i ...

, Ish Smith, Hoyt Wilhelm,

Kennedy Meeks Kennedy Rashod Meeks (born February 5, 1995) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Cholet Basket of the LNB Pro A. He played college basketball for North Carolina. He is a native of Charlotte, North Carolina. High sch ...

Benjamin Watson Benjamin Seth Watson (born December 18, 1980) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 32nd overall in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft and won Super Bowl XXXIX with the Patriots over the Philadel ...

, Cordarrelle Patterson,

Rayjon Tucker Rayjon Tucker (born September 24, 1997) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Melbourne United of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles and the ...

, Jadeveon Clowney,

Wendell Moore Jr. Wendell Horace Moore Jr. (born September 18, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. High school caree ...

, Jaden Springer, Patrick Williams, Grant Williams,

Devon Dotson Devon Durrell Dotson (born August 2, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Capital City Go-Go of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks. High school career Dotson attended Providence Day Sch ...

, Hassan Whiteside and James Worthy * R&B singers – Anthony Hamilton, Calvin Richardson,

Stephanie Mills Stephanie Dorthea Mills (born March 22, 1957) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to stardom as "Dorothy" in the original seven-time Tony Award winning Broadway run of the musical ''The Wiz'' from 1974 to 1979. The song " Home" from t ...

and K-Ci & JoJo of Jodeci * Writers – Carson McCullers and

Ayesha Curry Ayesha Disa Curry (née Alexander; born March 23, 1989) is a Canadian-American actress, cookbook author, and cooking television personality and the wife of basketball player Stephen Curry. After guest roles in several television shows and movies ...

Government

A majority of the municipalities and counties in the North Carolina parts of the Charlotte metropolitan area belong to the Centralina Council of Governments. Cleveland County belongs to the

Isothermal Planning and Development Commission In thermodynamics, an isothermal process is a type of thermodynamic process in which the temperature ''T'' of a system remains constant: Δ''T'' = 0. This typically occurs when a system is in contact with an outside thermal reservoir, and ...

and Alexander and Catawba counties belong to the Western Piedmont Council of Governments.

References

External links

Charlotte Chamber of CommerceCharlotte USA – The Charlotte Regional Partnership
{{Coord, 35.23, N, 80.84, W, source:kolossus-nowiki, display=title Economy of North Carolina Regions of North Carolina Metropolitan areas of North Carolina