The 'Charlotte metropolitan area' (also 'Metrolina', 'Metro Charlotte', or 'Charlotte USA') is a
metropolitan area/
region of
North and
South Carolina within and surrounding the city of
Charlotte. Located in the
Piedmont of the
Southeastern United States, the Charlotte metropolitan area is well-known for its auto racing history (especially
NASCAR) and is the United States' second largest banking and financial hub, behind
New York City. It is also the Carolinas' largest manufacturing region
[1].
The '
Charlotte-
Gastonia-
Concord' Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is defined as five counties in North Carolina and one county in South Carolina. The population of the MSA was at 1,405,173 in the
2000 US Census; 2005 estimates place the population at 1,521,278. At present, the metro area is the
36th largest in the U.S and the city of Charlotte is the 18th largest city in the U.S.
[2]
The 'Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury'
Combined Statistical Area (CSA)
[3] is a regional population area including parts of North Carolina and South Carolina with a 2006 population of 2,191,604
[4]. The aforementioned MSA is the only metropolitan area (as defined since
2003) included in the CSA, but there are seven included
micropolitan areas:
Albemarle,
Lincolnton,
Salisbury,
Shelby and
Statesville-Mooresville in North Carolina and
Lancaster and
Chester in South Carolina.
Nicknames and regional identity
The regional area around the city was (at one time) called Metrolina, a term which has fallen out of widespread general use, though it is 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,
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/
Chapel Hill and the
Triad for
Greensboro/
Winston-Salem/
High Point. The Triad now goes by the name
Piedmont Triad to distinguish it from other
tri-cities.
The term Charlotte USA is sometimes also used as the metro's name, though again in more official and professional circles than in general public usage. The term is championed by the Charlotte Regional Partnership, a non-profit organization made up of both private- and public-sector members from throughout the Charlotte metropolitan area
[5].
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 sparingly used among locals.
Area
Counties
'Official metropolitan area'
''The Charlotte metropolitan area components include the 'Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord' MSA (Anson, Cabarrus, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Union & York Counties), along with the following micropolitan areas: Albemarle, Chester, Lancaster, Lincolnton, Salisbury, Shelby, and Statesville-Mooresville. The Combined Statistical Area includes all of those entities. Charlotte USA includes all the CSA counties along with Alexander and Catawba counties of North Carolina.
(Census Bureau definition for CSA)
2006 Population Estimates In (
★ )
|
Anchor city
★
Charlotte, ''Mecklenburg'' 630,478
Primary cities
★
Concord, ''Cabarrus'' 62,587
★
Gastonia, ''Gaston'' 69,904
★
Rock Hill, ''York'' 61,620
★
Salisbury, ''Rowan'' 28,480
Suburban towns and cities over 10,000 in population
(including county and 2005 census bureau population estimates)
★
Albemarle, ''Stanly'' 15,390
★
Cornelius, ''Mecklenburg'' 17,875
★
Huntersville, ''Mecklenburg'' 34,332
★
Indian Trail, ''Union'' 15,610
★
Kannapolis, ''Cabarrus & Rowan'' 38,547
★
Kings Mountain, ''Cleveland & Gaston'' 10,634
★
Lincolnton, ''Lincoln'' 10,194
★
Matthews, ''Mecklenburg'' 23,897
★
Mint Hill, ''Mecklenburg & Union'' 17,480
★
Monroe, ''Union'' 28,422
★
Mooresville, ''Iredell'' 20,122
★
Shelby, ''Cleveland'' 21,275
★
Statesville, ''Iredell'' 24,489
Suburban towns and cities under 10,000 in population
(Including county and 2004 Census Bureau population estimates)
★ Ansonville, ''Anson'' 626
★ Badin, ''Stanly'' 1,127
★ Belmont, ''Gaston'' 8,786
★ Belwood, ''Cleveland'' 996
★ Bessemer City, ''Gaston'' 5,120
★ Boiling Springs, ''Cleveland'' 3,851
★ Chester, ''Chester'' 6,273
★ China Grove, ''Rowan'' 3,694
★ Cherryville, ''Gaston'' 5,430
★ Cleveland, ''Rowan'' 819
★ Clover, ''York'' 4,054
★ Cramerton, ''Gaston'' 2,990
★ Dallas, ''Gaston'' 3,403
★ Davidson, ''Mecklenburg, Iredell & Cabarrus'' 8,343
★ Earl, ''Cleveland'' 236
★ East Spencer, ''Rowan'' 1,759
★ Fairview, ''Union'' 4,122
★ Faith, ''Rowan'' 699
★ Fallston, ''Cleveland'' 612
★ Fort Lawn, ''Chester'' 844
★ Fort Mill, ''York'' 8,041
★ Granite Quarry, ''Rowan'' 2,224
★ Great Falls, ''Chester'' 2,121
★ Grover, ''Cleveland'' 696
★ Harmony, ''Iredell'' 570
★ Harrisburg, ''Cabarrus'' 4,925
★ Heath Springs, ''Lancaster'' 863
★ Hemby Bridge, ''Union'' 1,594
★ Hickory Grove, ''York'' 362
★ High Shoals, ''Gaston'' 744
★ Kershaw, ''Lancaster'' 1,638
★ Kingstown, ''Cleveland'' 850
★ Lake Park, ''Union'' 2,444
★ Lancaster, ''Lancaster'' 8,472
★ Landis, ''Rowan'' 3,047
★ Lattimore, ''Cleveland'' 419
★ Lawndale, ''Cleveland'' 640
★ Lilesville, ''Anson'' 445
★ Locust, ''Stanly & Cabarrus'' 2,525
★ Love Valley, ''Iredell'' 33
★ Lowell, ''Gaston'' 2,663
★ Lowrys, ''Chester'' 203
|
★ Marshville, ''Union'' 2,690
★ Marvin, ''Union'' 1,273
★ McAdenville, ''Gaston'' 627
★ McConnells, ''York'' 312
★ McFarlan, ''Anson'' 87
★ Midland, ''Cabarrus'' 2,729
★ Mineral Springs, ''Union'' 1,728
★ Misenheimer, ''Stanly'' 617
★ Mooresboro, ''Cleveland'' 318
★ Morven, ''Anson'' 570
★ Mount Holly, ''Gaston'' 9,639
★ Mount Pleasant, ''Cabarrus'' 1,336
★ New London, ''Stanly'' 322
★ Norwood, ''Stanly'' 2,174
★ Oakboro, ''Stanly'' 1,187
★ Patterson Springs, ''Cleveland'' 624
★ Peachland, ''Anson'' 544
★ Pineville, ''Mecklenburg'' 3,643
★ Polkton, ''Anson'' 1,897
★ Polkville, ''Cleveland'' 537
★ Ranlo, ''Gaston'' 2,191
★ Richburg, ''Chester'' 325
★ Richfield, ''Stanly'' 515
★ Rockwell, ''Rowan'' 1,976
★ Sharon, ''York'' 434
★ Smyrna, ''York'' 63
★ Spencer, ''Rowan'' 3,344
★ Spencer Mountain, ''Gaston'' 58
★ Stallings, ''Union'' 3,666
★ Stanfield, ''Stanly'' 1,113
★ Stanley, ''Gaston'' 3,085
★ Tega Cay, ''York'' 4,264
★ Troutman, ''Iredell'' 1,677
★ Unionville, ''Union'' 6,053
★ Waco, ''Cleveland'' 329
★ Wadesboro, ''Anson'' 5,328
★ Waxhaw, ''Union'' 3,046
★ Weddington, ''Union'' 7,982
★ Wesley Chapel, ''Union'' 3,175
★ Wingate, ''Union'' 2,728
★ York, ''York'' 7,028
|
Unincorporated communities
(2000 census figures)
★ Boger City, ''Lincoln'' 554
★ Elgin, ''Lancaster'' 2,426
★ Enochville, ''Rowan'' 2,851
★ Eureka Mill, ''Chester'' 1,737
★ Gayle Mill, ''Chester'' 1,094
★ India Hook, ''York'' 1,614
★ Irwin, ''Lancaster'' 1,343
★ JAARS ''Union'' 360
★ Lake Wylie, ''York'' 3,061
|
★ Lancaster Mill, ''Lancaster'' 2,109
★ Lesslie, ''York'' 2,268
★ Light Oak, ''Cleveland'' 779
★ Lowesville, ''Lincoln'' 1,440
★ Newport, ''York'' 4,033
★ Riverview, ''York'' 708
★ South Gastonia, ''Gaston'' 5,433
★ Westport, ''Lincoln'' 2,006
|
Transportation
Mass Transit
The
Charlotte Area Transit System, or CATS, is the local public transit agency that operates bus service that serves Charlotte and its immediate suburban communities in both North and South Carolina. CATS is also constructing a
light rail and
commuter rail network as a supplement to its established bus transit throughout the region. Plans are for it to stretch initially to Mooresville, Pineville, Matthews, the
University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The rail system is not scheduled to reach Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. Service is scheduled to begin operation in 2007.
Roads
The Charlotte region is also served by 3 major interstate highways, and their 2 spurs:
I-85,
I-77,
I-40,
I-277, and
I-485 - currently over budget and behind schedule -
I-85 and
I-77 intersect in North
Charlotte, with the transcontinental
I-40 passing across the northern portion of the region (linked to
Charlotte and
Gastonia via
I-77 and the
US 321 freeway). Other major freeways include Independence Boulevard (east Charlotte to
I-277), a portion of
US 321 between
Hickory and
Gastonia, the proposed
Garden Parkway loop around Gastonia, and the proposed Monroe Connector and Monroe 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 eastern part of the region),
US 321 (through Chester, York, Gastonia, Dallas, Lincolnton and Hickory),
US 601 (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,
NC 24,
NC 27,
SC 9 and
SC 5.
Air
Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the 17th busiest in the country, is supplemented by regional airports in
Concord,
Gastonia,
Statesville,
Monroe, and
Hickory in North Carolina, as well as
Rock Hill, South Carolina.
Higher education
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 Gardens 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 and in
Cherokee County near
Blacksburg, South Carolina.
Cultural attractions
Attractions in Charlotte include the
Afro-American Cultural Center,
Discovery Place,
Spirit Square, the soon to be built
NASCAR Hall of Fame, the
Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, Children's Theatre of Charlotte
[1], The
Mint Museums, the
Charlotte Museum Of History,
Levine Museum of the New South, and the
Wing Haven Gardens.
Other places of interest in the Charlotte suburbs include the
Schiele Museum (in Gastonia),
Carowinds Theme Park (in Mecklenburg County, NC and York County, SC),
Lowes Motor Speedway (in Concord), the
Carolina Raptor Center (in Huntersville),
Latta Plantation (in Huntersville),
Historic Brattonsville (in McConnells), the
North Carolina Transportation Museum (in Spencer),
Fort Dobbs historical site (in Statesville), 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
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte is located in Charlotte in the
University City community of Charlotte. The performing arts ampitheatre has hosted many popular music concerts. The
U.S. National Whitewater Center, 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 over 300 acres 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 only multi-channel recirculating whitewater river. The USOC has designated the USNWC an official Olympic Training Site.
Shopping
Regional-scale
Shopping malls include
SouthPark Mall,
Northlake Mall,
Eastland Mall (all in Charlotte),
Carolina Place Mall (Pineville),
Rock Hill Galleria (Rock Hill),
Westfield Shoppingtown Eastridge (Gastonia),
Concord Mills (Concord) and
Valley Hills Mall (Hickory).
Other important malls in the area include
Carolina Mall (Concord), Gaston Mall (Gastonia), Monroe Mall (Monroe), and Signal Hill Mall (Statesville).
Concord Mills is unique in that it does not feature the typical
anchor stores found at the other mall; it focuses more on attracting
outlet store tenants. As of 2006, the mall is the state's largest tourist attraction, 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 the Lowes Motor Speedway, there are plenty of other sports venues, including the
Knights Castle in Fort Mill (home of the
Charlotte Knights, the
Triple-A affiliate of the
Chicago White Sox),
Bank of America Stadium (home of the
NFL's
Carolina Panthers), and
Charlotte Bobcats Arena (home of the
NBA's
Charlotte Bobcats, and the
East Coast Hockey League's
Charlotte Checkers). The
Charlotte Eagles of the
United Soccer Leagues call the area home, and the
Kannapolis Intimidators, another minor-league affiliate of the White Sox, are also located in the metropolitan area.
Commerce and employment
Among the largest employers in the area (listed in order by number of local employees) are
[6]:
★
Wachovia
★
Carolinas Healthcare System
★
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
★
Bank of America
★ City of
Charlotte
★
US Airways
★
Duke Energy
★ Presbyterian Healthcare
★
Lowe's
★
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
★
BellSouth
★
Belk
★
Family Dollar
★
Food Lion
★
IBM
Companies with headquarters in the region include
Bank of America,
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 Center Car Care Centers,
Muzak,
Nucor,
Royal & SunAlliance (USA),
Time Warner Cable (a business unit of Fortune 500 company Time Warner), and
Wachovia.
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 Charlotte,
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
Duke University and
North Carolina State University.
People
Artist
Romare Bearden, astronauts
Charles Duke and
Susan Helms, evangelist
Billy Graham, musicians
Earl Scruggs (Flatt & Scruggs),
George Clinton (Parliament, Funkadelic),
Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit),
Prairie Prince (The Tubes, Todd Rundgren, Utopia),
Blind Boy Fuller and
Randy Travis, independent filmmakers
Tim Kirkman (Loggerheads, Dear Jesse) and
Ross McElwee (Bright Leaves, Sherman's March), actor
Randolph Scott, actress
Berlinda Tolbert (she played Jenny on the long-running, classic 70's sitcom "The Jeffersons"), political figures
Sue Myrick,
Harvey Gantt,
Elizabeth Dole and
Jesse Helms, U.S. presidents
Andrew Jackson and
James K. Polk, professional wrestling legend
Ric Flair and NASCAR driver
Dale Earnhardt.
R&B singers
Anthony Hamilton and
K-Ci & JoJo of
Jodeci. Novelist, playwright and screenwriter
Carson McCullers was a Charlotte resident while writing her best known works. More recently, Reflections Studios in Charlotte played an important role in the emergent late-20th-century American musical underground -
R.E.M.,
Pylon,
Let's Active,
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, Charlotte's
Antiseen and many others.
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.
See also
★
I-85 Corridor
★
Piedmont Crescent
★
The Upstate
External links
★
Charlotte Chamber of Commerce
★
Charlotte USA - The Charlotte Regional Partnership
★
NC SmartLink Metrolina traffic cameras
References
1. Charlotte Chamber of Commerce: Manufacturing in the Region
2. Charlotte Chamber of Commerce: Demographics Info
3. U.S. Census Bureau CSAs
4. U.S. Census Bureau 2006 population estimates of Combined Statistical Areas
5. Charlotte USA - Charlotte Regional Partnership
6. Charlotte USA - Regional Communities
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
