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

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

s of

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

and

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, within and surrounding the city of

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gastonia,

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

, 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, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, it is the largest metropolitan area in the Carolinas, and the fourth largest in the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...

. 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 In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

(MSA) and the Charlotte-Concord

Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...

(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.

is the second largest financial hub in the United States behind

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, being the headquarters for

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank ...

and

Truist Financial Truist Financial Corporation is an American bank holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company was formed in December 2019 as the result of the merger of BB&T (Branch Banking and Trust Company) and SunTrust Banks. Its ...

as well as housing the East Coast headquarters and largest employment hub of

Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California; operational headquarters in Manhattan; and managerial offices throughout the United States and intern ...

. Other Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the metro area include

Brighthouse Financial Brighthouse Financial, Inc. () is one of the largest providers of annuities and life insurance in the U.S., with $219 billion in total assets and approximately 2.6 million insurance policies and annuity contracts in-force (as of March 31, 2018). ...

, Duke Energy,

Honeywell Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance ma ...

, Lowe's, and

Nucor Nucor Corporation is an American producer of steel and related products based in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is the largest steel producer in the United States, the largest "mini-mill" steelmaker (i.e. it uses electric arc furnaces to melt s ...

. The Charlotte metro area is the largest manufacturing region in the Carolinas. The estimated

gross metropolitan product Gross metropolitan product (GMP) is a monetary measure of the value of all final goods and services produced within a metropolitan statistical area during a specified period (''e.g.'', a quarter, a year). GMP estimates are commonly used to compare ...

(GMP) of the metro area is over $170 billion. Located in Mecklenburg County, Charlotte Douglas International Airport 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 Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

and is home to the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

, Charlotte Hornets, and

Charlotte FC Charlotte FC is an American professional soccer club based in Charlotte. The team competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. The team is owned by David Tepper, who was awarded the expansion franchise ...

. The Charlotte metro is home to a number of prominent higher education institutions, including the

University of North Carolina at Charlotte The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte) is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs through nine colle ...

Queens University of Charlotte The Queens University of Charlotte is a private university in Charlotte, North Carolina. It has approximately 2,300 undergraduate and graduate students through the College of Arts and Sciences, the McColl School of Business, the Wayland H. Cato, ...

, Davidson College,

Belmont Abbey College Belmont Abbey College is a private, Catholic liberal arts college in Belmont, North Carolina. It was founded in 1876 by the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey. The school is affiliated with the Catholic Church and the Order of Saint Benedict. I ...

, 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 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,

, Gastonia and Rock Hill. The name Metrolina came into fashion when North Carolina's other two large metropolitan areas took on nicknames—the

Triangle A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non- colline ...

for

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

Cary Cary may refer to: Places ;United States * Cary, Illinois, part of the Chicago metropolitan area * Cary, Indiana, part of the Indianapolis metropolitan area * Cary, Miami County, Indiana * Cary, Maine * Cary, Mississippi * Cary, North Carolina ...

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 for

Greensboro Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in ...

/ High Point. (The Triad now goes by the name

Piedmont Triad The Piedmont Triad (or simply the Triad) is a metropolitan region in the north-central part of the U.S. state of North Carolina anchored by three cities: Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point. This close group of cities lies in the Piedmon ...

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. 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 The North Carolina Councils of Government (or the Regional Councils of Government) are voluntary associations of county and municipal governments, established by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1972 that serve as an avenue for local governme ...

, 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 Anson may refer to: People * Anson (name), a give name and surname ** Anson family, a British aristocratic family with the surname Place names ;United States * Anson, Indiana * Anson, Kansas * Anson, Maine ** Anson (CDP), Maine * Anson, Missour ...

, Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell,

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label= Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schweri ...

, Rowan, and

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

counties in North Carolina; Chester, Lancaster and

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

counties in South Carolina). The Charlotte CSA includes all the MSA counties along with the following micropolitan areas in North Carolina: Albemarle ( Stanly County) 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 The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal Statistical System of the United States, U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the Americans, Ame ...

definition for CSA) The Charlotte Regional Partnership also identifies three additional counties to the what they refer to as the "Charlotte Region"—

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

and

Catawba Catawba may refer to: *Catawba people, a Native American tribe in the Carolinas *Catawba language, a language in the Catawban languages family *Catawban languages Botany *Catalpa, a genus of trees, based on the name used by the Catawba and other N ...

counties in North Carolina, and

Chesterfield County, South Carolina Chesterfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 43,273. Its county seat is Chesterfield. The largest city in the county is Cheraw. Chesterfield County is part of the Cha ...

. 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 Standard & Poor's CoreLogic Case–Shiller Home Price Indices are repeat-sales house price indices for the United States. There are multiple Case–Shiller home price indices: A national home price index, a 20-city composite index, a 10 ...

; the statistic is published by Standard & Poor's 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 The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is the agency responsible for public transportation in the Charlotte metropolitan area. CATS operates bus and rail transit services in Mecklenburg County and surrounding areas. Established in 1999, CATS' b ...

(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 A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...

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 South End (Charlotte neighborhood), SouthEnd, Uptown Charlotte, to the

. 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, Concord Kannapolis Area Transit, 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 (Interstate 85, I-85 and Interstate 77, I-77), and their 2 spurs (Interstate 277 (North Carolina), I-277, and Interstate 485, I-485). Interstate 40, I-40 also passes through the center of Iredell County, which is the northern region of the Charlotte metro. Other major freeways include US Route 74, Independence Boulevard (east Charlotte to I-277), a portion of US 321 between Hickory and Gastonia, and US 74#Future, Monroe Connector / Bypass, each projected to cost over $1 billion per project. Other important US highways in the region include: U.S. Route 74, US 74 (east to Wilmington, west to Asheville and Chattanooga), U.S. Route 52, US 52 (through the far eastern part of the region), US 321 (through Chester, York, Gastonia, Dallas, Lincolnton and Hickory), U.S. Route 601, US 601 (passing east of Charlotte) and U.S. Route 70 in North Carolina, US 70 (through Salisbury, Statesville and Hickory). Primary state routes include North Carolina Highway 49, NC/South Carolina Highway 49, SC 49, North Carolina Highway 16, NC 16 (which extends north to West Virginia), North Carolina Highway 73, NC 73, North Carolina Highway 150, NC 150, North Carolina Highway 18, NC 18, North Carolina Highway 24, NC 24, North Carolina Highway 27, NC 27, South Carolina Highway 9, SC 9 and South Carolina Highway 5, SC 5.

Air

Charlotte Douglas International Airport 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

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

Higher education

Four-year institutions

;North Carolina *Barber–Scotia College *

*Carolinas College of Health Sciences *Catawba College * Davidson College *Gardner–Webb University *Appalachian Center at Hickory *Johnson & Wales University *Johnson C. Smith University *Lenoir-Rhyne University *Livingstone College *Montreat College *Pfeiffer University *

*Strayer University *

*Wingate University ;South Carolina *Clinton College (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 *Mitchell Community College *Rowan–Cabarrus Community College *South Piedmont Community College *Stanly Community College ;South Carolina *York Technical College

Defunct institutions

*Charlotte School of Law (2006–2017, private for-profit law school) *King's College (Charlotte, North Carolina), King's College (1901–2018, private for-profit two-year college)

Healthcare

* Hospitals of the Atrium Health system **Carolinas Medical Center (Charlotte) **Levine Children's Hospital (Charlotte) **Carolinas Medical Center-Mercy (Charlotte) **Atrium Health Cabarrus (Concord) **Atrium Health Pineville (Pineville) **Atrium Health University City (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 Atlantic Seaboard fall line, 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 is partially located in York County, South Carolina, York County and in Cherokee County, South Carolina, Cherokee County near Blacksburg, South Carolina.

Cultural attractions

Attractions in Charlotte include the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Cultural, Carowinds theme park, Discovery Place, Spirit Square, 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 McGill Rose Garden (Charlotte, North Carolina), McGill Rose Garden, and the Wing Haven Gardens. The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art 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 (in Gastonia), Charlotte Motor Speedway (in Concord), the Carolina Raptor Center (in Huntersville), Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden (in Belmont), Latta Plantation (in Huntersville), Brattonsville Historic District (in McConnells), the North Carolina Transportation Museum (in Spencer), Fort Dobbs (North Carolina), Fort Dobbs historical site (in Statesville), Catawba County Firefighters Museum (in Conover, North Carolina, 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 (in Waxhaw), Glencairn Gardens (in Rock Hill), and the Reed Gold Mine (in Locust).

Entertainment

The PNC Music Pavilion is located in the University City, Charlotte, North Carolina, University City area of Charlotte. The performing arts amphitheatre has hosted many popular music concerts. The U.S. National Whitewater Center (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 (Charlotte, North Carolina), 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. 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 (Charlotte), Northlake Mall, Carolina Place Mall, Concord Mills, Charlotte Premium Outlets, Phillips Place (across from SouthPark), RiverGate, Westfield Eastridge, Rock Hill Galleria, Plaza Fiesta, Carolina Mall, Monroe Crossing Mall, Signal Hill Mall, and Valley Hills Mall. Concord Mills is unique in that it does not feature the typical anchor stores 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 (home of the Charlotte Knights, the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox), Bank of America Stadium (home of the National Football League, NFL's

and Major League Soccer, MLS's

), Spectrum Center (arena), Spectrum Center (home of the National Basketball Association, NBA's Charlotte Hornets) and Bojangles' Coliseum (home of American Hockey League's Charlotte Checkers (AHL), 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

, Belk, BellSouth Telecommunications, Bojangles', The Compass Group, Carolina Beverage Corporation Inc. (makers of Sun Drop and Cheerwine), Duke Energy, Family Dollar, Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Lance, Inc, LendingTree, Lowe's, Meineke Car Care Centers, Muzak Holdings, Muzak,

, Chiquita Brands International Transbotics, Royal & SunAlliance (USA), SPX Corporation, Time Warner Cable (a business unit of Fortune 500 company Time Warner), and

. 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 site in Kannapolis as a biotech research facility featuring the participation of

, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University and North Carolina State University. Reflections Studios in Charlotte played an important role in the emergent late-20th-century American musical underground – R.E.M., Pylon (band), Pylon, Let's Active, Don Dixon (musician), Don Dixon and Charlotte's Fetchin Bones (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 (band), Black Flag, Nirvana, The Minutemen (band), The Minutemen, D.O.A. (band), D.O.A., Bad Brains, Charlotte's Antiseen, and many others.

Notable residents

Notable people from the Charlotte metro area include: * Artists – Romare Bearden * Astronauts – Charles Duke and Susan Helms * Religious figures – Billy Graham and Steven Furtick * Musicians – Earl Scruggs, Dababy, George Clinton (funk musician), George Clinton, Fred Durst, Prairie Prince, Blind Boy Fuller, The Avett Brothers, and Randy Travis * Independent filmmakers – Tim Kirkman and Ross McElwee * Actors – Randolph Scott, Dwayne Johnson, Nick Cannon, Chyler Leigh, Lauren Holt and Berlinda Tolbert * Media – Jim Nantz * Politicians – Sue Myrick, Harvey Gantt, Elizabeth Dole, Mick Mulvaney, Jesse Helms; U.S. presidents Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk * Professional wrestlers – Ric Flair, Charlotte Flair, Tessa Blanchard, Cedric Alexander, Cody Rhodes and R-Truth * NASCAR drivers – Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and William Byron (racing driver), William Byron * Professional athletes – Stephen Curry, Seth Curry, Kyle Seager, Corey Seager, Hakeem Nicks, Daniel Jones (American football), Daniel Jones, Chris Canty (defensive lineman), Chris Canty, Dwight Clark, Luke Maye, Stephon Gilmore, Ish Smith, Hoyt Wilhelm, Kennedy Meeks, Benjamin Watson, Cordarrelle Patterson, Rayjon Tucker, Jadeveon Clowney, Wendell Moore Jr., Jaden Springer, Patrick Williams (basketball), Patrick Williams, Grant Williams (basketball), Grant Williams, Devon Dotson, Hassan Whiteside and James Worthy * R&B singers – Anthony Hamilton (musician), Anthony Hamilton, Calvin Richardson, Stephanie Mills and K-Ci & JoJo of Jodeci * Writers – Carson McCullers and Ayesha Curry

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 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 Charlotte metropolitan area, Economy of North Carolina Regions of North Carolina Metropolitan areas of North Carolina