Plaza-Midwood is a neighborhood located approximately one mile to the northeast of
Uptown
Uptown may refer to:
Neighborhoods or regions in several cities
United States
* Uptown, entertainment district east of Downtown and Midtown Albuquerque, New Mexico
* Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina
* Uptown, area surrounding the University of C ...
in
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...
. The neighborhood is roughly bound by Hawthorne Lane to the west, The Plaza to the north, Briar Creek Road and the Charlotte Country Club to the east and Central Avenue to the south.
Locally known as one of Charlotte's most diverse and eclectic neighborhoods, it is filled with art galleries, funky stores, and restaurants.
Just south of Central Avenue in the Plaza-Midwood neighborhood is the 19 acre
Veterans Park.
History
Plaza-Midwood was first established in 1910 as a
streetcar suburb
A streetcar suburb is a residential community whose growth and development was strongly shaped by the use of streetcar lines as a primary means of transportation. Such suburbs developed in the United States in the years before the automobile, when ...
of
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...
. The Oakland Land Company was responsible for the layout of the roads within the neighborhood. Through the
Great Depression, Plaza-Midwood would thrive, before its decline commenced in the 1950s.
By 1975, the Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Association was established to protect and preserve the neighborhood.
Since the mid-1990s, the area has seen a dramatic comeback as reinvestment has transformed once dilapidated homes into funky urban dwellings. It continued redevelopment has spilled over into other surrounding neighborhoods, and resulted in the overall renaissance of the former inner-ring suburbs of old Charlotte.
Plaza-Midwood's Historic District is located in the western section of the neighborhood and is maintained by residents and business operators. The area along The Plaza, Thomas Avenue and parts of Pecan and Clement were designated as a Local Historic District in 1992. The district is now regulated by the Historic District Commission.
Demographics
As of 2010, Plaza-Midwood had a population of 3,993. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 84.2%
White American
White Americans are Americans who identify as and are perceived to be white people. This group constitutes the majority of the people in the United States. As of the 2020 Census, 61.6%, or 204,277,273 people, were white alone. This represented ...
, 8.2%
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...
or
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 1.6%
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous peopl ...
, and 2.8% of
some other race.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or
Latino American of any race were 3.2% of the population. The median household income for the area was $97,576.
Transportation infrastructure
Mass transit
The following buses from the
Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) serve the Plaza-Midwood neighborhood:
* #4 (Country Club)
* #9 (Central Avenue)
* #17 (Commonwealth)
* #39 (Eastway)
Five stops are planned for the future
CityLynx Gold Line streetcar
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ...
, with stations proposed for Hawthorne at Barnhardt, the Plaza, St. Julien Street, Iris Drive, and Morningside Drive. There are also possible plans for a stop along the future
Silver Line light rail in Plaza-Midwood, though an alignment for the line hasn't been finalized.
Roads
The major thoroughfares are Central Avenue, Hawthorne Lane and The Plaza.
Bars, Restaurants & Shopping
Bars
*Thomas Street Tavern
*Legion Brewing
*Pilot Brewing
*Burial Craft Beer Co
*Catawba Brewing Company Charlotte
*Common Market
*Hattie's Tap & Tavern
*Members Only Tasting Room & Social
*Resident Culture Brewing
*Rumaway Cave
*The Hop Shop
*The Workman's Friend
*Thirsty Beaver Saloon
*Whiskey Warehouse
Restaurants
*''Zada Jane's Corner Cafe''
*''Snooze A.M Eatery''
*''Bistro La Bon''
*''Midwood Smokehouse''
*''Diamond Restaurant''
*''Calle Sol''
*''SupperLand''
*''YAFO Kitchen''
*''Abugida Ethiopian Café & Restaurant''
*''Akahana Asian Bistro''
*''Central Coffee Co.''
*''Cheat's Cheesesteak Parlor''
*''Cold Hearted Gelato''
*''Dave's Hot Chicken''
*''Deli St''
*''Dish''
*''Emmy Squared''
*''Enat Ethiopian Restaurant''
*''Fuel Pizza''
*''Giddy Goat Coffee Roasters''
*''House of Pizza''
*''Intermezzo''
*''Las Delicias Bakery''
*''Letty's on Shamrock''
*''Lulu's Maryland Style Chicken & Seafood''
*''Mama's Caribbean Grill & Bar''
*''
Marble Slab Creamery''
*''Mattie's Diner''
*''Milkbread''
*''Moo & Brew''
*''Paper Plane Deli & Market''
*''Peculiar Rabbit''
*''Pho Hoa''
*''Pure Pizza''
*''ShareTea''
*''Smooth Monkey''
*''Sosu''
*''Soul Central''
*''Summit Coffee''
*''The Good Wurst Company''
*''The Grinning Mule''
*''The Pizza Peel''
*''The Amigos Mexican Grill & Cantina''
*''Two Scoops Creamery''
*''Undercurrent Coffee''
*''Warmack''
*''Vilani's Bakery''
Shopping
*Moxie Mercantile
*Book Buyers
*CLTCH
*Gumbo Goods
*Betty by Moxie Mercantile
*Black Sheep
*Boris & Natasha
*Charlotte Collective
*House of Africa
*I've Read It In Books
*Lunchbox Records
*Midwood Barbers
*Roam & Dwell
*Slate Interiors
*Social Status
*Value Village Thrift Store
*White Rabbit
Education and libraries
School system
Residents of Plaza-Midwood attend
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (abbreviated CMS) is a local education agency headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina and is the public school system for Mecklenburg County. With over 147,000 students enrolled, it is the second-largest school ...
, including Eastway Middle School, Garinger High School and Shamrock Gardens Elementary School.
Libraries
Plaza-Midwood is served by the Plaza Midwood branch of the
Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. The library is located on the corner of the Central Avenue and the Plaza.
References in popular culture
Pop musician
Jon Lindsay included a reference to the neighborhood (in which he also owns a home) in the title of his official label debut LP,
Escape From Plaza-Midwood', released August 17, 2010 on Chocolate Lab Records. Plaza Midwood was also used as Little Korea for the
USA Network
USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Mad ...
pilot for the show "The Novice" in December 2013
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
neighborhood web siteCharlotte Neighborhood Quality Of Life Studyfor Plaza-Midwood from CharMeck.org
driving tour of Plaza-Midwood
{{American gay villages
Streetcar suburbs
Neighborhoods in Charlotte, North Carolina
Gay villages in the United States
Economy of Charlotte, North Carolina
Populated places established in 1910