University City (sometimes University Area or U-City) is an

edge city ''Edge city'' is a term that originated in the United States for a concentration of business, shopping, and entertainment outside a traditional downtown or central business district, in what had previously been a suburban residential or rura ...

mostly within the city limits of Charlotte,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, surrounding the University of North Carolina at Charlotte campus. It is found in northeastern Mecklenburg County, southeast of

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

and predominantly along University City Boulevard (

NC 49 North Carolina Highway 49 (NC 49) is a 177.8-mile (286.1 km) primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It traverses much of the Piedmont region, connecting the cities of Charlotte, Asheboro, and Burlington. Route descr ...

) and W.T. Harris Boulevard (

NC 24 North Carolina Highway 24 (NC 24) is the longest primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Traveling east–west between the Charlotte metropolitan area and the Crystal Coast, connecting the cities of Charlotte, Fay ...

Interstate 485 Interstate 485 (I-485) is a auxiliary Interstate Highway encircling Charlotte, North Carolina. As a complete loop, it is primarily signed with "inner" and "outer" designations, though at some major interchanges, supplemental signage refl ...

and US 29 (N. Tryon Street) also pass through the area. In 2019, the LYNX Blue Line was extended from Uptown Charlotte to University City. It is neighbored by the town of

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

to the east and the city of

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 ...

to the northeast. Attractions along University City's outskirts include

Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (previously known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009) is a motorsport complex located in Concord, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing includin ...

and

Concord Mills Mall 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 mall ...

. The area is managed and overseen by the University City Partners, one of the five Municipal Service Districts in Charlotte. University City is home to the University Research Park (located on the other side of I-85), one of the largest

research park The following is a list of science park, technology parks and biomedical parks of the world, organized by continent. Asia ASEAN Economic Community Report listing all the Economic Zones in the ASEAN Economic Community froUNIDO Viet Nam China ...

s in the state, and 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 ...

. IKEA opened a store in University City on February 18, 2009.Charlotte Observer: IKEA vote set for tonight (May 21, 2007)
/ref> This is the first and only IKEA in

the Carolinas The Carolinas are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina, considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia to the southwest. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east. Combining Nor ...

. University City is also one of five Municipal Service Districts in Charlotte.City of Charlotte: Municipal Service Districts (June 24, 2020)
/ref> University City has an estimated population of more than 160,000 within its unofficial borders, which includes parts of Charlotte, Concord and Harrisburg. Were it to be separated from the rest of Charlotte as its own city, University City would be North Carolina's seventh largest city. Following the opening of the LYNX Blue Line in 2019, University City has seen an increase in development, similar to that of South End. As of 2020, the corridor following the Blue Line has 338,000 square feet of office space, 200 hotel rooms, 3,200 apartments, and an entertainment district anchored by a

Topgolf Topgolf is a golf driving range game with electronically tracked golfballs and automatically scored drives that started in 2000 and grew to become a multinational sports entertainment company. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, it has locations i ...

location. On July 1, 2020, Centene Corporation announced a 130-acre, $1 billion East Coast headquarters campus in University City.https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article243910837.html

Private schools

* Cannon School, located in nearby Concord, serves University City families * Countryside Montessori, located in University City, serves University City families * Northside Christian Academy, located in University City, serves UniversityCity families

References

External links

* *
University City Partners - Official municipal service district website

{{authority control High-technology business districts in the United States University of North Carolina at Charlotte Annexed places in North Carolina Neighborhoods in Charlotte, North Carolina Science parks in the United States Economy of Charlotte, North Carolina