The Charlotte metropolitan area is a

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

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 so ...

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 (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, containing the city of

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gastonia,

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other words Arts and media * ''Concord'' (video game), a defunct 2024 first-person sh ...

, 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 Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

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

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also known as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical List of regions in the United States, region of the United States located in the eastern portion of the Southern United States and t ...

. 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: Charlotte–Concord–Gastonia, NC–SC Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and Charlotte–Concord, NC–SC Combined Statistical Area (CSA), the latter of which additionally including

Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton metropolitan area The Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of four counties, Catawba, Burke, Caldwell, Alexander. It is located in the Catawba Valley region of western ...

(MSA) and three micropolitan areas:

Marion Marion or MARION may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Marion (band), a British alternative rock group * ''Marion'' (miniseries), a 1974 miniseries * ''Marion'' (1920 film), an Italian silent film * ''Marion'' (2024 film), a UK short People a ...

, Shelby and Albemarle. The population of the MSA was 2,595,027 and the population of the CSA was 2,754,842 as of 2020 Census. In 2023, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued new revised delineations for Combined Statistical Areas that included a 2022 population estimate of 3,333,992 for the new Charlotte–Concord, NC–SC CSA (that now includes the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Marion, Albemarle and Shelby Micropolitan Statistical Areas). The metropolitan area is slightly larger than . The new Combined Statistical Area definition is approximately 8,536 square miles (22,108 square km) in size. The Charlotte metro area is a major financial center, transportation hub, and entertainment destination.

Charlotte Charlotte most commonly refers to: *Charlotte (given name), a feminine form of the given name Charles ** Princess Charlotte (disambiguation) ** Queen Charlotte (disambiguation) *Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, a city * Charlotte (cake) ...

is the second largest financial hub in the United States behind

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, being the headquarters for

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

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 ...

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 a significant global presence. The company operates in 35 countries and serves over 70 million customers worldwide. It is a systemically important fi ...

. Other Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the metro area include

Brighthouse Financial Brighthouse Financial, Inc. is an American insurance company, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, that sells annuity and life insurance. Brighthouse is one of the largest providers of annuities and life insurance in the United States, wit ...

Duke Energy Duke Energy Corporation is an American electric power and natural gas holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company ranked as the 141st largest company in the United States in 2024 – its highest-ever placement on the ...

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 automation, industrial automa ...

Lowe's Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( ) 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. As of October 28, 2022, Lowe's and i ...

Nucor Nucor Corporation is an American company based in Charlotte, North Carolina, that produces steel and related products. It is the largest steel producer in the United States and the largest recycler of scrap in North America. Nucor is the 16th- ...

Sonic Automotive Sonic Automotive is a Fortune 500 company based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the fifth largest automotive retailer in the United States as measured by total revenues. The company was founded by O Bruton Smith and completed its initial p ...

, Albemarle and

CommScope CommScope Holding Company, Inc. is an American network infrastructure provider based in Claremont, North Carolina. CommScope employs over 22,000 employees. The company joined the Nasdaq stock exchange on October 25, 2013. CommScope designs an ...

in the Hickory area. 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 that calculates the total economic output of a statistical metropolitan unit during a specific time period. It represents the market value of all final goods and services produced within the u ...

(GMP) of the metro area is over $170 billion. Located in Mecklenburg County,

Charlotte Douglas International Airport Charlotte Douglas International Airport is an international airport serving Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, located roughly west of the city's central business district. Charlotte Douglas is the primary airport for commercial and m ...

is the seventh-busiest airport in the world by aircraft movements and the city's location at the junction of

I-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, n ...

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 ...

makes it a highway logistics center. The Charlotte metro is also one of the centers 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. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

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 Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

, and

Charlotte FC Charlotte Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team is owned by David Tepper, who was awarded the e ...

. 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, United States. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs thr ...

Queens University of Charlotte The Queens University of Charlotte is a private university in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It has approximately 1,900 undergraduate and graduate students. Established in 1857, the university offers 50 undergraduate majors, 58 minors, ...

Davidson College Davidson College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina, United States. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after American Revolutiona ...

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 college is affiliated with the Catholic Church and the Order of Saint Benedict. ...

Winthrop University Winthrop University is a public university in Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was founded in 1886 by David Bancroft Johnson, who served as the superintendent of Columbia, South Carolina schools. He received a grant from Robert Charles Winthrop, a ...

and many more. The larger region is also home to respected institutions such as Gardner-Webb University,

Lenoir–Rhyne University Lenoir–Rhyne University is a private Lutheran university in Hickory, North Carolina. It was founded in 1891 and is affiliated with the North Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Academics The university is acc ...

Wingate University Wingate University is a private liberal arts university with campuses in Wingate and Hendersonville, North Carolina. It identifies as a university with "Judeo-Christian heritage." The university enrolls more than 3,450 students. It offers 37 ...

, and the Hickory campus of

Appalachian State University Appalachian State University (), or App State, is a Public university, public research university in Boone, North Carolina, United States. It was founded as a normal school, teachers' college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and th ...

. The primary community college for the area is

Central Piedmont Community College Central Piedmont Community College (Central Piedmont) is a Public college, 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 ...

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

Nickname

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.

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,

, 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 corners and three sides, one of the basic shapes in geometry. The corners, also called ''vertices'', are zero-dimensional points while the sides connecting them, also called ''edges'', are one-dimension ...

for

Raleigh Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England **County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham *Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States Durham may also refer to: Places ...

/ Cary/ Chapel Hill and the

Triad Triad or triade may refer to: * a group of three Humanities * Trichotomy (philosophy), often called triads * Triad (sociology), a group of three people as a unit of study * Triad (relationship), or ''ménage à trois'' Music * Triad (music ...

for

Greensboro Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina, af ...

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 91st-most populous city in the Uni ...

/ 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, North Carolina, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Winston-Salem, and ...

to distinguish it from other tri-cities.) 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, 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 Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) 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, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...

Rowan The rowans ( or ) or mountain-ashes are shrubs or trees in the genus ''Sorbus'' of the rose family, Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the Himalaya ...

, and Union counties in North Carolina; and

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

and

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

counties in South Carolina). The Charlotte CSA includes all the MSA counties along with two micropolitan areas in North Carolina Albemarle ( Stanly County) and Shelby ( Cleveland County). (

Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

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

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. 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 ar ...

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 ...

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 community in the county is Cheraw. It is located north of the Midla ...

. 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 nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

". 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 St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

area, and placing it behind

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

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 index, house price indices for the United States. There are multiple Case–Shiller home price indices: A national home price index, a 20-city com ...

; 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 co ...

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' ...

(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 Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

and

streetcar A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...

lines. CATS is also building a

commuter Commuting is periodically recurring travel between a place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regular o ...

, 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 Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the nor ...

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

, 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

. Gastonia Transit,

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 ...

, 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 (

and

), and their 2 spurs ( I-277, and I-485).

I-40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west transcontinental Interstate Highway in the southeastern and southwestern portions of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and ...

also passes through the center of Iredell County and west through the Greater Hickory area, which is the northern region of the Charlotte Combined Statistical area. 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 t ...

(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 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 t ...

(east to Wilmington, west to Asheville and Chattanooga),

US 52 U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major United States Numbered Highway System, U.S. Highway in the central United States, Central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even ...

(through the far eastern part of the region), U.S. Route 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 c ...

(passing east of Charlotte) and

US 70 U.S. Route 70 or U.S. Highway 70 (US 70) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. It is a major east–west highway of the Southeastern, Southern and Southwestern United States. ...

(through Salisbury, Statesville and Hickory). Primary state routes include NC/ SC 49,

NC 16 North Carolina Highway 16 (NC 16) is a 143.8-mile (231.4 km) primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Traveling in a north–south direction, it connects the cities and towns of Charlotte, Newton, Conover, ...

(which extends north to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

), NC 73,

NC 150 North Carolina Highway 150 (NC 150) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It serves the Foothills and Piedmont Triad areas of the state, connecting the cities of Shelby, Mooresville, Salisbury and Winston- ...

, NC 18, NC 24, NC 27,

SC 9 SC-9, or variants, may refer to: * (181711) 1993 SC9 (SC9 of 1993), an asteroid * ''SC09'', a FIPS 10-4 region code * ''SC-09'', a subdivision code for the Seychelles, see ISO 3166-2:SC * Shorts S.C.9, a variation of the English Electric Canber ...

and

SC 5 SC-5, SC5, SC 5 or variants, may refer to: * ''SC05'', an FIPS 10-4 region code * ''SC-05'', a subdivision code for Anse Royale, Seychelles, see ISO 3166-2:SC * South Carolina's 5th congressional district * South Carolina Highway 5 * USS ''Cuttl ...

Air

is the main airport in the Charlotte area and the 6th busiest in the country by aircraft operations. In April 2007, Charlotte was the fastest growing airport in the US. The airport went on to surpass its sister

US Airways US Airways was a major airline in the United States. It was originally founded in History of aviation in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon became a commercial passenger airline. In 1953, it ...

hub in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

as one of the 30 busiest airports in the world in terms of passenger traffic. CLT is also supplemented by Concord-Padgett Regional Airport with service provided by

Allegiant Air Allegiant Air is an American ultra low-cost carrier, ultra-low cost airline headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. The airline focuses on serving leisure traffic from small and medium-sized cities which it considers to be underserved, using an ult ...

to several destinations. In addition, there are numerous other general aviation airports in the region including the

Hickory Regional Airport Hickory Regional Airport is three miles (5 km) west of Hickory, in Catawba County, North Carolina. It is owned by the City of Hickory. Facilities Hickory Regional Airport covers and has two asphalt runways: 6/24 is 6,401 x 150 ft. ...

(which is certified under 14 CFR Part 139 to host airline and unscheduled charter flights),

Charlotte–Monroe Executive Airport Charlotte–Monroe Executive Airport is a public use airport located five nautical miles (9 km) northwest of the central business district of Monroe, a city in Union County, North Carolina, United States. It is owned by the City of Monroe ...

, Rock Hill/York County Airport, Stanly County Airport, Lancaster County Airport, Mid-Carolina Regional Airport,

Shelby–Cleveland County Regional Airport Shelby–Cleveland County Regional Airport is a public use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) southwest of the central business district of Shelby, in Cleveland County, North Carolina, United States. It is owned by the City of Sh ...

Gastonia Municipal Airport Gastonia Municipal Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located four nautical miles (5 mi, 7 km) south of the central business district of Gastonia, a city in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is included ...

Lincolnton–Lincoln County Regional Airport Lincolnton–Lincoln County Regional Airport is a public use airport located five nautical miles (9 km) east of the central business district of Lincolnton, a city in Lincoln County, North Carolina, United States. It is owned by the City ...

, Foothills Regional Airport,

Anson County Airport Anson County Airport is a public airport located three miles (5 km) north of the central business district of Wadesboro, a town in Anson County, North Carolina, United States. It is owned by Anson County. Although most U.S. airports use ...

Chester Catawba Regional Airport Chester Catawba Regional Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located five nautical miles (9 km) north of the central business district of Chester, a city in Chester County, South Carolina, United States. It is technically a "regio ...

, Rutherford County Airport and the Statesville Regional Airport.

Higher education

Four-year institutions

;North Carolina *

Barber–Scotia College Barber–Scotia College is a Private college, private Higher education accreditation in the United States, unaccredited Historically black colleges and universities, historically black college in Concord, North Carolina. It began as a seminary i ...

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. History The college's roots date back to the 1940s, when Char ...

Catawba College Catawba College is a private college in Salisbury, North Carolina. Founded in 1851 by the North Carolina Classis of the Reformed Church in Newton, the college adopted its name from its county of origin, Catawba County, before moving to its c ...

* Elon University School of Law, Charlotte Campus *

Gardner–Webb University Gardner–Webb University (Gardner–Webb, GWU, or GW) is a private Christian university in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. It was founded as Boiling Springs High School in 1905. Gardner–Webb is classified among "Doctoral/Professional Univer ...

* Appalachian State University, Hickory Campus *

Johnson & Wales University Johnson & Wales University (JWU) is a private university with its main campus in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded as a business school in 1914 by Gertrude I. Johnson and Mary T. Wales, JWU enrolled 7,357 students across its cam ...

Johnson C. Smith University Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) is a private historically black university in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SAC ...

* 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 Southern Association of Colleges ...

Montreat College Montreat College (pronounced "mon-treet") is a private, Christian college in Montreat, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1916, the college offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degree programs for traditional and adult students. Th ...

Pfeiffer University Pfeiffer University is a private university in Misenheimer, North Carolina, United States. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. History Pfeiffer originated from a home school operated by Emily Prudden in the late-19th century ...

Strayer University Strayer University is a private for-profit university headquartered 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 University ...

* Wake Forest University - Charlotte Center - MBA * Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Charlotte Campus *

;South Carolina * Clinton College *

* University of South Carolina-Lancaster

Two-year institutions

;North Carolina *

Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute (CCC&TI) is a public community college in Hudson, North Carolina. It serves residents of Caldwell and Watauga counties. CCC&TI is part of the North Carolina Community College System. CCC&TI o ...

Catawba Valley Community College Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) is a public community college in Hickory, North Carolina. The college, established April 3, 1958, is part of the North Carolina Community College System. The main campus covers and includes 16 buildings. ...

Cleveland Community College Cleveland Community College is a public community college located in Shelby, Cleveland County, North Carolina. It was established in 1965 as the Cleveland County Industrial and Adult Education Center with its first classes consisting of a Licen ...

* Gaston College * McDowell Technical Community College *

Mitchell Community College Mitchell Community College is a public community college with its main campus in Statesville, North Carolina and a second campus in Mooresville, North Carolina. It is part of the North Carolina Community College System. History The school ...

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 Syst ...

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 Associat ...

* Western Piedmont Community College ;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 pr ...

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 ...

(2006–2017, private for-profit law school) * King's College (1901–2018, private for-profit two-year college)

Healthcare

* Hospitals of the

Atrium Health Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority (trade name, doing business as Atrium Health, formerly Carolinas HealthCare System) was a hospital network with more than 70,000 employees and, since its merger with Advocate Aurora Health in 2022. It ope ...

system **

Carolinas Medical Center Carolinas Medical Center, formally known as Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, is an 874-bed non-profit, tertiary, research and academic medical center located in Charlotte, North Carolina, servicing the southern North Carolina, northern So ...

(Charlotte) **

Levine Children's Hospital Levine Children's Hospital, formally known as Atrium Health Levine Children's Hospital, is a 247-bed pediatric hospital located on the campus of Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Operated by Atrium Health Charlotte-Meckl ...

(Charlotte) ** Carolinas Medical Center-Mercy (Charlotte) ** Atrium Health Cabarrus (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 Pineville, North Carolina. The hospital was opened in 1987 by the Sisters of Mercy to serve the rapidly ...

(Pineville) **

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

(Charlotte) ** Atrium Health Union (Monroe) **Atrium Health Cleveland (Shelby) **Atrium Health Lincoln (Lincolnton) **Atrium Health Kings Mountain (Kings Mountain) **Atrium Health Stanly (Albemarle) * Hospitals of the

Novant Health Novant Health is a four-state integrated network of physician clinics, outpatient centers and hospitals across the Southeast United States. Its network consists of more than 2,000 physicians and 40,000 employees at more than 850 locations, incl ...

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 ** CaroMonth Regional Medical Center (Gastonia) **Iredell Memorial Hospital (Statesville) **Lake Norman Regional Medical Center (Mooresville) **W. G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center (Salisbury) **

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

Lifepoint Frye Regional Medical Center (Hickory) **Catawba Valley Medical Center (Hickory) ** UNC Health Blue Ridge (Morganton) **

Broughton Hospital Broughton Hospital is a psychiatric hospital located in Morganton, North Carolina. It is administered by North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services. ...

(Morganton) ** UNC Health Caldwell (Lenoir) **Mission Hospital McDowell (Marion) **Piedmont Medical Center (Rock Hill) **Piedmont Medical Center (Fort Mill) **Medical University of South Carolina Health - Lancaster Medical Center (Lancaster) **Medical University of South Carolina Health - Chester Medical Center (Chester)

Attractions

Nature and geography

The foothills of the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...

begin along the western edge of the region; the descent (the

Fall Line A fall line (or fall zone) is the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet and is noticeable especially the place rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the ...

) to the

coastal plain A coastal plain (also coastal plains, coastal lowland, coastal lowlands) is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and an upland area. Formation Coastal plains can f ...

begins along the eastern edge. Amid this varied topography, the

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden Daniel Stowe Conservancy is a conservancy and a botanical garden located on of meadows, woodlands and lakefront property in Belmont, North Carolina. Founded by Daniel J. Stowe, it includes large manicured gardens, natural surrounding areas, incl ...

and several state parks (Morrow Mountain, Crowders Mountain, South Mountains, Lake Norman, Landsford Canal, Andrew Jackson) offer recreational opportunities, along with the

Uwharrie National Forest Uwharrie National Forest ( ) Talk Like A Tarheel
from the North C ...

just east and northeast of Albemarle, and the

Sumter National Forest The Sumter National Forest is one of two forests in South Carolina that are managed together by the United States Forest Service, the other being the Francis Marion National Forest. The Sumter National Forest consists of which are divided into ...

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 Ameri ...

is partially located in York County and in Cherokee County 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 Antioch, Cherokee Falls, Kings Creek, Cashion Crossroads, Buffalo, and Mount Paran are located near the ...

Cultural attractions

Attractions in Charlotte include

Carowinds Carowinds is a amusement park primarily located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The park is owned and operated by Six Flags. Carowinds straddles the state line between North and South Carolina, adjacent to Interstate 77, with a portion of the park ...

theme park,

Discovery Place Discovery Place Science is a science and technology museum, located in Uptown, Charlotte, North Carolina. Discovery Place Science operates The Charlotte Observer IMAX Dome Theater, also referred to as an OMNIMAX theater. It is the largest IMAX ...

, Spirit Square,

NASCAR Hall of Fame The NASCAR Hall of Fame, is a Hall of Fame and Museum located in Charlotte, North Carolina that honors NASCAR and its history. Inductees to the Hall of Fame are drivers who have shown expert skill at NASCAR driving, all-time great crew chiefs ...

, the

North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center Blumenthal Arts is a not-for-profit, multi-venue performing arts complex located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Opening in November 1992, Blumenthal owns and operates 4 theaters on 2 campuses in Uptown Charlotte. History In 2012, Blumenth ...

, Children's Theatre of Charlotte, Actor's Theatre of Charlotte,

Carolina Actors Studio Theatre Carolina Actors Studio Theatre (CAST) was an independent non-profit theatre company located at 2424 North Davidson Street in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was founded in 1992 by Charlotte acting instructor Ed Gilweit as an actor's teaching schoo ...

, Theatre Charlotte, the

Charlotte Museum of History Charlotte most commonly refers to: *Charlotte (given name), a feminine form of the given name Charles ** Princess Charlotte (disambiguation) ** Queen Charlotte (disambiguation) *Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, a city *Charlotte (cake), ...

Levine Museum of the New South The Levine Museum of the New South, is a history museum located in Charlotte, North Carolina whose exhibits explore issues relevant to the history of the greater Charlotte metro area and spark curiosity about our world today. Founded in 199 ...

, the McGill Rose Garden, and the Wing Haven Gardens. 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 Charlotte. The museum b ...

and the

Mint Museum The Mint Museum, also referred to as The Mint Museums, is a cultural institution comprising two museums, located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Mint Museum Randolph and Mint Museum Uptown, together these two locations have hundreds of collecti ...

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 Charlotte Motor Speedway (known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009 due to sponsorship reasons) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It has hosted various major races since it ...

(in Concord), the Carolina Raptor Center (in Huntersville),

(in Belmont), Latta Plantation (in Huntersville),

Brattonsville Historic District The Brattonsville Historic District is a historic district and unincorporated community in York County, South Carolina. It includes three homes built between 1776 and 1855 by the Brattons ( William Bratton and Martha Bratton), a prominent fam ...

(in McConnells), the

North Carolina Transportation Museum The North Carolina Transportation Museum is a museum in Spencer, North Carolina, Spencer, North Carolina. It is a collection of automobiles, aircraft, and List of railway vehicles, railway vehicles. The museum is located at the former Southern Ra ...

(in Spencer),

Fort Dobbs ''Fort Dobbs'' is a 1958 American Western film, the first of three directed by Gordon Douglas to star Clint Walker. The other two were: ''Yellowstone Kelly'' in 1959 and ''Gold of the Seven Saints'' in 1961. Released by Warner Brothers and ba ...

historical site (in Statesville),

Catawba County Catawba County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 160,610. Its county seat is Newton, and its largest community is Hickory. The county is part of the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC ...

Firefighters Museum (in

Conover Conover may refer to: People * Conover (surname) Places in the United States * Conover, Iowa, a ghost town * Conover, North Carolina, a city * Conover, Ohio, an unincorporated community * Conover, Wisconsin, a town * Conover (community), Wis ...

), the Arts & Science Center of Catawba Valley/Millholland Planetarium (in Hickory) the Museum of York County (in Rock Hill),

James K. Polk James Knox Polk (; November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. A protégé of Andrew Jackson and a member of the Democratic Party, he was an advocate of Jacksonian democracy and ...

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

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 Ice skating is the Human-pow ...

(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 The Penrith Whitewater Stadium is located near Sydney, Australia. It is an artificial whitewater sporting facility which hosted the canoe/kayak slalom events at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. The facility is part of the Penrith Lakes Sche ...

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 Louis Vuitton Malletier SAS, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ...

, Tiffany & Co.,

Burberry Burberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry and headquartered in London, England. It designs and distributes ready to wear, including trench coats, leather accessories, and footwear. It is l ...

Hermès Hermès International S.A. ( , ) is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house established in 1837. It specializes in leather goods, silk goods, lifestyle accessories, home furnishings, perfumery, jewelry, watches and ready-to-wear. Since the ...

Neiman Marcus Neiman Marcus is an American department store chain founded in 1907 in Dallas, Texas by Herbert Marcus, his sister Carrie Marcus Neiman, and her husband Abraham Lincoln Neiman. It has been owned by Saks Global, a Corporate spin-off, spin-o ...

, 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 girls of various ethnicities, faiths, nationalities, and social classes throughout different time periods ...

. 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 A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, it began to be used as a generi ...

include Northlake Mall,

Carolina Place Mall Carolina Place (also referred to as Carolina Place Mall) is a shopping mall located in Pineville, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte. The GLA mall, in the shape of a curve, is anchored by Belk, a Dick's Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy com ...

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 ...

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,

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, and is managed by Warren Norman Company. The mall has six anchor store spots, four of which are curre ...

, 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 ...

, Monroe Crossing Mall, Signal Hill Mall, and Valley Hills Mall. Concord Mills is unique in that it does not feature the typical

anchor store In North American, Australian and New Zealand 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 ...

s found at other malls; it focuses more on attracting

outlet store An outlet store, factory outlet or factory store is a brick and mortar or online shopping, online store where manufacturers sell their merchandise directly to the public. Products at outlet stores are usually sold at reduced prices compared to re ...

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 Plaza-Midwood is a neighborhood located approximately one mile to the northeast of Uptown in Charlotte, North Carolina. The neighborhood is roughly bound by Hawthorne Lane to the west, The Plaza to the north, Briar Creek Road and the Charlotte C ...

'' area; the ''

NoDa Noda may refer to: Places * Noda, Azerbaijan, a village in Azerbaijan *Noda, Chiba, a city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan * Noda, Iwate, a village in Iwate Prefecture, Japan * Noda, Kagoshima, a former town in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan *NoDa (neighbo ...

'' 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

The highly popular

is the largest sports venue in the area. Other venues include

Bank of America Stadium Bank of America Stadium is a 74,867-seat multi-purpose stadium located on in the Uptown section of Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It is the home facility and headquarters of the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL ...

(home of the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

and

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United ...

Spectrum Center The Spectrum Center is an indoor arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Located in Uptown Charlotte, Uptown, it is owned by the city of Charlotte and operated by its main tenant, the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

(home of the

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

) and

Bojangles' Coliseum Bojangles Coliseum, originally Charlotte Coliseum and formerly Independence Arena and Cricket Arena, is a 10,829-seat multi-purpose arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, which al ...

(home of

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

Charlotte Checkers The Charlotte Checkers are a professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the top minor league affiliate of the ...

). The

Charlotte Eagles The Charlotte Eagles is an American amateur soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1991, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games at the ...

of the

United Soccer Leagues United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

and the Hickory FC of the

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's association football, soccer league. The league is officially affiliated to the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and has automatic qualification for the U.S. Open Cup. ...

call the area home,

Truist Field Truist Field is a baseball stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. 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 ...

(home of the

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

, the Triple-A affiliate of the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

), and the

Hickory Crawdads The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans St ...

are a High-A Minor-League Baseball team and the

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Kannapolis, North Carolina, and play their home games at Atrium Health Ballpark. The t ...

are a Low-A Minor-League Baseball team located in this region.

Economy

Companies with headquarters in the region include

Belk Belk, Inc. is an American department store chain founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, North Carolina, with nearly 300 locations in 16 states. Belk stores and Belk.com offer apparel, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, home furnishings, a ...

BellSouth Telecommunications BellSouth Telecommunications, LLC was an operating company of AT&T that serves the southeastern United States. It consists of the former operations of Southern Bell and South Central Bell. BellSouth Telecommunications was a subsidiary of ...

, Bojangles', The

Compass Group Compass Group plc is a British multinational contract foodservice company headquartered in Chertsey, England. It is the largest contract foodservice company in Europe, ahead of Sodexo, employing over 500,000 people. It serves meals in location ...

Carolina Beverage Corporation 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 an ...

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 concentrate is an ingredient in the drink. Bottled Sun Drop uses real su ...

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 an ...

Family Dollar Family Dollar Stores, Inc. is an American variety store chain founded in 1959 by Leon Levine in Charlotte, North Carolina. With over 8,000 locations in all states except Alaska and Hawaii, it was once the second largest retailer of its type in th ...

Food Lion Food Lion is an American regional supermarket Chain store, chain headquartered in Salisbury, North Carolina, that operates over 1,000 supermarkets in 10 states: Delaware, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsyl ...

Harris Teeter Harris Teeter Supermarkets, LLC., also known as Harris Teeter Neighborhood Food & Pharmacy, is an American supermarket chain based in Matthews, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte. , the chain operates 262 stores in ...

, Lance, Inc,

LendingTree LendingTree, Inc. is an online lending marketplace, founded in 1996 and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The business platform allows potential borrowers to connect with multiple lender, loan operators to find optimal terms for loans, ...

Meineke Car Care Center Meineke Car Care Centers, Inc., more commonly known as Meineke ( ) is a franchise-based international automotive repair chain with 966 locations. The chain is ranked #52 in the Franchise 500 (2014) and #54 in America’s Top Global (2013). Prev ...

Muzak Muzak is an American brand of background music played in retail stores and other public establishments owned by Mood Media. The name ''Muzak'', a blend of music and the popular camera brand name Kodak, has been in use since 1934 and has been ...

Chiquita Brands International Chiquita Brands International S.à.r.l. (), formerly known as United Fruit Co., is a Swiss company producing and distributing bananas and other produce. The company operates under subsidiary brand names, including the flagship Chiquita bran ...

Transbotics,

Royal & SunAlliance RSA Insurance Group Limited (trading as RSA, formerly RSA Insurance Group plc and Royal and Sun Alliance) is a British multinational general insurance company headquartered in London, England. RSA has major operations in the United Kingdom, Irel ...

(USA),

SPX Corporation SPX Corporation is an American manufacturing company, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company operates within four markets: heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), detection and measurement, power transmission and gen ...

Time Warner Cable Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC was an American cable television company. Before it was acquired by Charter Communications on May 18, 2016, it was ranked the second largest cable company in the United States by revenue behind only Comcast, o ...

(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 The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

and

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...

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

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

, Pylon,

Let's Active Let's Active was an American rock music, 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 re ...

, 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 four studio albums but were most celebrated for inspired live performances. One reviewer stated they were "a band that must be seen live for a ...

(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 Bad Brains are an American punk rock band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1976. They are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this term to describe their music. They are also an ade ...

, 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 wi ...

, and many others.

Local associations

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 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 a change in the sys ...

and Alexander and Catawba counties belong to the

Western Piedmont Council of Governments Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...

Notable residents

Notable people from the Charlotte metro area include: * Artists –

Romare Bearden Romare Bearden (, ) (September 2, 1911 – March 12, 1988) was an American artist, author, and songwriter. He worked with many types of media including cartoons, oils, and collages. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, Bearden grew up in New York C ...

* Astronauts –

Charles Duke Charles Moss Duke Jr. (born October 3, 1935) is an American former astronaut, United States Air Force (USAF) officer and test pilot, and young Earth creationist. As Lunar Module pilot of Apollo 16 in 1972, he became the tenth and youngest p ...

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 ...

* Business – Irwin Belk,

Jim Crockett Jr. James Allen Crockett Jr. (August 10, 1944 – March 3, 2021) was an American professional wrestling promoter. From 1973 to 1989, he was part owner of Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), a wrestling company affiliated with the National Wrestling Alli ...

Elisabeth DeMarse Elisabeth DeMarse is an American businesswoman and the former Chairwoman, CEO, and President of TheStreet.com. As of 2022, she is a board member of the NYC-based ad-fraud prevention and marketing company Kubient Inc. Early life and education D ...

, Jack Fulk,

Herman Lay Herman Warden Lay (March 6, 1909 – December 6, 1982) was an American businessman who was involved in potato chip manufacturing with his eponymous brand of Lay's potato chips. He started H.W. Lay Co., Inc., now part of the Frito-Lay corporati ...

, Leon Levine, and

Hugh McColl Hugh Leon McColl Jr. (born June 18, 1935) is a former business executive who was the CEO of NationsBank and the former chairman and the first CEO of Bank of America. Active in banking since around 1960, McColl was a driving force behind conso ...

* Religious figures –

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (; November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American Evangelism, evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and Civil rights movement, civil rights advocate, whose broadcasts and world tours featuring liv ...

and

Steven Furtick Larry Stevens Furtick Jr. (born February 19, 1980), known professionally as Steven Furtick, is an American evangelical Christian pastor, author, and composer of Elevation Worship. He is the founder and general overseer of Elevation Church, base ...

* 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, Ali Hillis, Chyler Leigh, Lauren Holt, Brian Huskey, Jim Rash, and Berlinda Tolbert * Media – Jim Nantz, Heather Childers, and Anna Kooiman * Politicians – Sue Myrick, Harvey Gantt, Elizabeth Dole, Mick Mulvaney, Jesse Helms; U.S. presidents Andrew Jackson and

* 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, Bobby Jones (basketball, born 1951), Bobby Jones, Walter Davis (basketball), Walter Davis, Tommy Helms, Daniel Jones (American football), Daniel Jones, Ray Durham, 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, J. R. Sweezy, Patrick Williams (basketball), Patrick Williams, Grant Williams (basketball), Grant Williams, Alex Wood (baseball), Alex Wood, 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

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

Nickname

Regional identity

Geography

Counties

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

Transportation

Mass transit

Roads

Air

Higher education

Four-year institutions

Two-year institutions

Defunct institutions

Healthcare

Attractions

Nature and geography

Cultural attractions

Entertainment

Shopping

Sports

Economy

Local associations

Notable residents

See also

References

External links