Charlotte North Carolina City Profile:

Charlotte North Carolina

City Profile: Charlotte North Carolina

Since its beginnings, Charlotte has evolved into a bustling urban center of the South. It now reigns as one of the fastest growing cities on the East Coast. Charlotte has had a rich past, dating all the way back to before the Revolutionary War. Through the generations, it has continued to show promise, despite limitations such as the narrow needs of supporting the Caucasian majority of the population and fighting rising crime rates. However, recently new additions to transit systems and dedicated Police and Government officials have brought new hope to the city. More diversity is emerging out of the heart of Charlotte. Crime rates, especially murder, are decreasing from their 2005 highs.

First settled in 1755 by American pioneers, this city has had a colorful past (the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Story 2002). It was named after Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the wife of the King George III who ruled over England during the time of the American Revolution. As the war enveloped the nation, Charlotte was quick to answer the call. The city and its surrounding areas earned a fierce reputation for its staunch resistance. The actual city as we know it now was laid out in the 1770's when surveyors began mapping out the grids and dynamics of the city-to-be. Many of the new city's features were reminiscent of the patriotism seen during the Revolutionary War. Like many other East Coast cities who contributed men and moral to defeat the British crown, the names of the streets and buildings immortalize the spirit of American revolutionism.

Charlotte has a large academic population, with one of the fastest growing Universities in the nation. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte occupies its own part of town. The University offers a wide range of academic pursuits, and is considered one of the best Universities in the Southern states. However, reminiscent to the demographics of the larger city context, the majority of students in attendance at the University are Caucasian. A small percentage of African-Americans, Asians, and Hispanics make up the University's minority population.

The city has long been a center for Christian ideologies. Several different denominations of Christianity have long standing roots within the city's limits. Since the Nineteenth Century churches have been an important part of neighborhood life in Charlotte North Carolina. Protestantism took hold in the era of the Great Awakening and still serves as the major religion, although separated through its many denominations. Several evangelist preachers and ministers are located in Charlotte, and the city has a long standing tradition of evangelist ideologies. Within the context of the dominance of Protestantism, several faiths have also established themselves within city limits. There is a Jewish section of the city which is home to several major synagogues. The city also has a thriving Muslim population, with mosques scattered around the city.

Not only is Charlotte the fastest growing city in the state of North Carolina, but it is also one of the fastest growing cities in the entire nation. Charlotte is the largest city in the state of North Carolina, with a population of over 650,000 (Christie 2007). Its busy downtown center now is home to thousands of thriving businesses which continue to show promise for growth. Through exploring the U.S. Census commenced in 2005, one can see a clearer picture of the nature of life in Charlotte North Carolina. According to Census statistics, the city is continuing to rapidly expand (Christie 2007). City wide demographics show the majority of the population as Caucasian, with about thirty percent as African-American, and around nine percent as Hispanic. This statistical evidence shows the character of the city; due to numbers of the majority, most of the city's culture is geared towards the Caucasian population. However, there are several facets within the cultural structure which highlight the minority population living within the city limits. The average household in Charlotte is reported to make around fifty thousand dollars annually. The average single male makes about thirty-eight thousand, more than the average female at around twenty-nine thousand per year (U.S. Census Bureau 2005).

The development in mass transit and transportation is a major reason the city has exploded and continues to grow at a rapid pace. The main bloodlines of the city are the interstate highways which connect the city to the other Southern states around it. Several major U.S. Interstates run through the city's borders, including I-85 an I-77. These highways provide a way through several other Southern states and far into the North East as well. A new highway is currently under construction in the expanding city. Construction on the I-485 began around the turn of the Twenty-First Century, and is planned to be completed within the next five years. The city has also invested large sums of money and energy into the completion and maintenance of the rail line system called the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS). This is a state of the art light rail which feeds into various parts of the city. The local city airport is a major international hub, and one of the largest international airports in the Southern region. Charlotte/Douglas International Airport oversees arrivals and departures from all over the world. This complex transit system has opened up Charlotte not only to other areas of the South, but to the rest of the country and the world as well, bringing much needed diversity and new cultural perspectives.

Charlotte's economy really started to skyrocket in the 1990's and has continued to grow into the new millennium. Since the dawn of the Twenty-First Century, the city has seen the rising success of its financial sector. Financial institutions have boomed in the last decade or so. The financial district is one of the largest and bustling sections of the city. The downtown area of the city is covered with skyscrapers, almost reminiscent of the bustling New York skyline. Charlotte has a long history of intimate ties to financial institutions. After producing the nation's first official gold rush, the city of Charlotte opened a mint in 1837, (the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Story 2002). The discovery of gold near Charlotte was the largest deposit found in the continental United States until California stole the thunder in 1848. However, this earlier rush did help the city grow. The population increased, and as seen in the construction of the mill in the 1830's, began a tradition of an organized and complex financial industry. This tradition was carried on well into the late Twentieth Century, when the billion dollar Bank of America was formed through a series of mergers and acquisitions which solidified the city's ties to the financial sector of business relations in the United States. The headquarters of Bank of America still resides in the city limits even today. Other major banking institutions such as Wachovia and Lending Tree also have the headquarters in Charlotte. Many other well-known Fortune 500 companies call Charlotte home, such as Time Warner Cable. The city has also seen rising success in its retail markets. Commercial retail revenues have steadily risen since the economy started to resemble the fast growing urban city.