Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte (pronounced /ˈʃɑrlət/) is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. Charlotte's population was estimated by the US Census Bureau to be 709,441 in 2009 (the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce insists it is higher in mid-2010, at 756,912), making it the 18th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009 population of 1,745,524.The Charlotte metropolitan area is part of a wider thirteen-county labor market region or combined statistical area that has a 2009 estimated population of 2,389,763 Residents of Charlotte are referred to as "Charlotteans".

Nicknamed the Queen City, Charlotte and the county containing it are named in honor of the German Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg, who had become queen consort of British King George III the year before the city's founding. A second nickname derives from later in the 18th century. During the American Revolutionary War, British commander General Cornwallis occupied the city but was driven out afterwards by hostile residents, prompting him to write that Charlotte was "a hornet's nest of rebellion," leading to another city nickname: The Hornet's Nest.

Charlotte has a humid subtropical climate. It is located halfway between the Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, and between Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, Georgia. Charlotte is located along the Catawba River and near Lake Norman , the largest manmade lake in North Carolina along with two other lakes adjacent to the city known as Lake Wylie and Mountain Island Lake.

History

The current land of Mecklenburg County has a long and storied history that involves being located in five different counties since 1696 or over 300 years of existence. Retracing the exact beginning of Mecklenburg goes back to its inclusion as a part of Bath County (1696–1729) of New Hanover Precinct of The House Of Hanover royalty in England. Bath County became New Hanover County (1729–present) that split into Bladen County (1734–present) and then Anson County (1750–present). The current Mecklenburg (1762–present) saw Cabarrus County split off (1792–present) and Union County (1842–present) to its current land size.

Future Mecklenburg county, once part of Bath, New Hanover, Bladen and Anson counties did not take its final form until 1842. Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard the pirate born in England in 1680, was part of the Royal Navy before becoming the most famous pirate recorded in history, took up residence in Bath County and married a local girl before being killed in 1718 on Okracoke Island in Hyde County NC after terrorizing and extorting Charleston SC harbor for months. His ship Adventure was sunk by Lieutenant Robert Maynard who cut off the head of Teach and mounted it on his ships bow.

Current Mecklenburg, in its fifth and final county namesake, was possibly inclusive of the original Bath County inhabited over 300 years ago by Blackbeard, whose massive treasures were supposedly buried in the same county and have never been found.The area that is now Charlotte was first settled by people of European descent in 1755 when Thomas Polk (granduncle of United States President James K. Polk), who was traveling with Thomas Spratt and his family, stopped and built his house of residence at the intersection of two Native American trading paths between the Yadkin and Catawba rivers.One of the paths ran north-south and was part of the Great Wagon Road; the second path ran east-west along what is now modern-day Trade Street. In the early part of the 18th century, the Great Wagon Road led settlers of Scots-Irish and German descent from Pennsylvania into the Carolina foothills. Within the first decades following Polk's settling, the area grew to become the community of "Charlotte Town," which officially incorporated as a town in 1768. The crossroads, perched atop a long rise in the Piedmont landscape, became the heart of modern Uptown Charlotte. In 1770, surveyors marked off the new town's streets in a grid pattern for future development. The east-west trading path became Trade Street, and the Great Wagon Road became Tryon Street, in honor of William Tryon, a royal governor of colonial North Carolina. The intersection of Trade and Tryon is known as "Trade & Tryon" or simply "The Square." It is more properly called Independence Square. In the 1970s, West Trade was noted for its illegal street activities, including prostitution, while Tryon was the location of the large banks. A popular word-play on the location was, "If you can't trade on Tryon, try on Trade."

Charlotte's central city grid is fairly regular for about one half mile in all directions from Independence Square, and roughly regular for an additional mile. The grid lies on an approximately 45 degree clockwise rotation, with the "north-south" streets running northeast-southwest and the "east-west" streets running "northwest-southeast." Outside the grid, Tryon Street runs more nearly NNE-SSW.

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After The American Revolution

Churches, including Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Catholics, began to form in the early 19th century, eventually giving Charlotte its nickname "The City of Churches."

In 1799, in nearby Cabarrus County, 12-year-old Conrad Reed brought home a large rock he found in Little Meadow Creek, weighing about 17 pounds, which the family used as a bulky doorstop. Three years later, a jeweler determined that it was near solid gold, and bought it for a paltry $3.50.The first verified gold find in the fledgling United States, young Reed's discovery became the genesis of the nation's first gold rush. Many veins of gold were found in the area throughout the 19th century and even into the early 20th century, thus the founding of the Charlotte Mint in 1837 for minting local gold. The state of North Carolina "led the nation in gold production until the California Gold Rush of 1848," although the total volume of gold mined in the Charlotte area was dwarfed by subsequent rushes.

The city's first boom came after the Civil War, as a cotton processing center and a railroad hub. Population leapt again during World War I, when the U.S. government established Camp Greene north of present-day Wilkinson Boulevard. Many soldiers and suppliers stayed after the war, launching an ascent that eventually overtook older and more established rivals along the arc of the Carolina Piedmont.

The city's modern-day banking industry achieved prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, largely under the leadership of financier Hugh McColl. McColl transformed North Carolina National Bank (NCNB) into a formidable national player that, through a series of aggressive acquisitions became known as NationsBank and eventually merged with BankAmerica and was rebranded as Bank of America. Another bank, Wachovia, experienced similar growth, and was acquired by San Francisco based Wells Fargo. Measured by control of assets, Charlotte is the second largest banking headquarters in the United States after New York City.

On September 22, 1989, the city took a direct hit from Hurricane Hugo. Passing through Charlotte with sustained winds of 69 mph (111 km/h) and gusts of 87 mph (140 km/h) in some locations,Hugo caused massive property damage and knocked out electrical power to 98% of the population. Many residents were without power for several weeks, area schools were closed for two weeks, and cleanup took months to complete. The city was caught unprepared; Charlotte is just over 200 miles inland, and many residents from coastal areas in both Carolinas often wait out hurricanes in Charlotte. Almost no one expected a storm to strike with such force this far inland. Over 80,000 trees were destroyed in Charlotte.

In December 2002, Charlotte (and much of central North Carolina) was hit by an ice storm (which some dubbed, "Hugo on Ice") that knocked out power to over 1.3 million Duke Energy customers. According to a Duke Energy representative: "This ice storm surpasses the damage from Hurricane Hugo in 1989, which had 696,000 outages." During an abnormally cold December, many were without power for more than two weeks. Much of the damage was caused by Bradford pear trees which, still having leaves on December 4, split apart under the weight of the ice.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 242.9 square miles (629 square kilometers). Out of that, 242.3 sq. mi. (627.5 km²) of it is land and 0.6 sq. mi. (1.6 km²) of it is water. The total area is 0.25% water. Charlotte's elevation is 870 feet above sea level (at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport).

Charlotte constitutes most of Mecklenburg County in the Carolina Piedmont. Charlotte center city sits atop a long rise between two creeks, Sugar Creek and Irwin Creek and was built on the gunnies of the St. Catherine's and Rudisill gold mines.

Though the Catawba River and its lakes lie several miles west, there are no significant bodies of water or other geological features near the center of the city. Consequently, development has neither been constrained by nor helped by waterways or ports that have contributed to the establishment and growth of many cities of similar size. The lack of these obstructions, along with the fact that Charlotte is the largest urban area between Washington D.C. and Atlanta, has contributed to its growth as a highway, rail, and air transportation hub.

Climate and environment

Charlotte is located in North America's humid subtropical climate zone. The city has mild winters and warm, humid summers. January averages 41.7 °F (5 °C), with lows averaging 32 °F (0 °C) and highs averaging 51 °F (11 °C), though the temperature can fall into the upper teens, but rarely lower, or rise above 70 °F (21 °C). Spring is long and arrives early, and April is the driest month. July averages 80.4 °F (26.9 °C), with hot days that usually range in the upper 80s to lower 90s °F (31–34 °C), and warm nights, though the thermometer may read above 95 °F (35 °C) at times.

The highest recorded temperatures were 104 °F (40 °C) on September 6, 1954; August 9–10, 2007 during the August 2007 Southeastern heat wave. The lowest recorded temperature was −5 °F (−21 °C) on December 30, 1880; February 14, 1899; and January 21, 1985.

Charlotte's location puts it in the direct path of subtropical moisture from the Gulf of Mexico as it heads up the eastern seaboard along the jet stream, thus the city receives ample precipitation throughout the year but also a very large number of clear, sunny, and pleasantly warm days. On average, Charlotte receives 43.5 inches (1,100 mm) of precipitation annually (January and March being the wettest months), including 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) of snow.

A 2007 American Lung Association report ranks Charlotte as having the 16th highest levels of smog among U.S. cities; however, the region's air quality has improved significantly in recent years, and is expected to continue to do so, even with increasing travel.

Cityscape

Charlotte has 199 neighborhoods which span in all directions from Uptown. The primary historical center of Charlotte's vibrant African-American community is west of Uptown, starting at the Johnson C. Smith University campus and extending in a wide swath all the way to the airport. The eastward Central Avenue corridor is known for its international population, including East Europeans, Greeks, Middle-Easterners, and Hispanics. North Tryon and the Sugar Creek area include several Asian-American communities in the mix. The urban trendy neighborhoods include NoDa (North Davidson) and two areas of Dilworth, along South Boulevard and East Boulevard. Myers Park, Dilworth, and Eastover are home to stately mansions on tree-lined boulevards with large, beautiful churches. Nearby are the major hospitals, ancilary services, and Freedom Park, arguably the city's favorite.

Park Road and the SouthPark area have an extensive array of shopping and dining offerings, with SouthPark essentially serving as a second urban core. Far South Boulevard is home to a large Hispanic community. Many students, researchers, and affiliated professionals live near UNC Charlotte in the northeast. Though there is no specific gay neighborhood, both Plaza-Midwood and Dilworth offer friendly surroundings.

The large area known as Southeast Charlotte is home to many golf communities, luxury developments, mega-churches, the Jewish community center, and private schools. As space has become scarce, those wishing to be part of this community have expanded into the Union County towns of Weddington and Waxhaw, not technically part of Charlotte. The Ballantyne area of far south Charlotte, and nearly every area on the 485 perimeter, have seen extensive growth over the past 10 years.

Since the 1980s in particular, Uptown Charlotte has undergone a massive construction phase with buildings including Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Hearst Corporation, Duke Energy, several hotel skyscrapers, and multiple condos.

On Kenilworth and Charlottetowne Avenues, near Carolinas Medical Center-Main, the Metropolitan, a major mixed-use project, was recently completed, replacing the old Midtown Square Mall.

Demographics

As of 2008, census estimates show there are 687,456 people living within Charlotte's city limits, and 935,304 in Mecklenburg County. The Combined Statistical Area of Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury, NC-SC had a population of 2,338,289. Figures from the more comprehensive 2000 census show Charlotte's population density to be 861.9/km² (2,232.4/sq mi). There are 230,434 housing units at an average density of 951.2/sq mi (367.2/km²).

According to the 2006–2008 American Community Survey, the racial composition of Charlotte was:

• White: 55.5% (Non-Hispanic Whites: 49.9%)
• Black or African American: 33.5%
• Hispanic or Latino American (of any race): 11.2%
• Asian American: 4.1%
• Native American: 0.4%
• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: 0.1%
• some other race: 4.6%
• two or more races: 1.8%

The median income for a household in the city is $48,670, and the median income for a family is $59,452. Males have a median income of $38,767 versus $29,218 for females. The per capita income for the city is $29,825. 10.6% of the population and 7.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 13.8% of those under the age of 18 and 9.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Economy

Charlotte has become a major U.S. financial center and is now the second largest banking center in the United States (after New York). The nation's largest financial institution by assets, Bank of America, calls the city home. The city was also the former corporate home of Wachovia until its purchase by Wells Fargo in 2008; Wells Fargo is in the process of integrating Wachovia, with the two banks expected to be fully merged by the end of 2011. At that time Charlotte will become the headquarters for East Coast Operations of Wells Fargo. Bank of America's headquarters, along with other regional banking and financial services companies, are located primarily in the uptown financial district.

The following Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in the Charlotte metropolitan area, in order of their rank: Bank of America, Lowe's in suburban Mooresville, Nucor (steel producer), Duke Energy, Sonic Automotive, Family Dollar, Goodrich Corporation, SPX Corporation (industrial technology), and Domtar in suburban Fort Mill. Other major companies headquartered or with corporate operations in Metro Charlotte include Time Warner Cable (formerly a business unit of Fortune 500 company Time Warner), Speed Channel, ESPNU, Continental Tire North America (formerly Continental/General Tire), Muzak, Belk, Harris Teeter, Meineke Car Care Center, Lance, Inc, Carolina Foods Inc, Bojangles', Carlisle Companies, LendingTree, Compass Group USA, Food Lion, Coca-Cola Bottling Consolidated Company (the nation's second largest Coca-Cola bottler), and the Carolina Beverage Corporation (makers of Cheerwine, Sun Drop, and others) in suburban Salisbury, North Carolina. US Airways regional carrier CCAir was headquartered in Charlotte. Charlotte is home to several large shopping malls, with Carolina Place Mall, SouthPark Mall and Northlake Mall being the largest.

The Charlotte Region has an major base of energy-oriented organizations and has become known as “Charlotte USA – The New Energy Capital.” In the region there are 180+ companies directly tied to energy sector; collectively they employ 13,200+ workers. Since 2007, more than 3,500 new energy sector jobs have been announced. Major energy players in Charlotte: Duke Energy, AREVA, Electric Power Research Institute, Fluor, Metso Power, Piedmont Natural Gas, Siemens Energy, Shaw Group, Toshiba, URS/Washington Group and Westinghouse. Babcock and Wilcox just announced its relocation to Charlotte. There are a number of renewable energy firms and projects that have developed in Charlotte. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte has a long-term reputation in energy education and research; it has the “Energy Production and Infrastructure Center” on campus to train energy engineers and do research.

The area is an increasingly growing trucking and freight transportation hub for the East Coast.

The Charlotte Center city has seen remarkable growth over the last decade. Numerous residential units continue to be built uptown, including over 20 skyscrapers either under construction, recently completed, or in the planning stage. Many new restaurants, bars and clubs now operate in the Uptown area. Several projects are transforming the Midtown Charlotte/Elizabeth area.

Law, government and politics

Charlotte has a council-manager form of government. The Mayor and city council are elected every two years, with no term limits. The mayor is ex officio chairman of the city council, and only votes in case of a tie. Unlike other mayors in council-manager systems, Charlotte's mayor has the power to veto ordinances passed by the council; vetoes can be overridden by a two-thirds majority of the council. The council appoints a city manager to serve as chief administrative officer.

Unlike some other cities and towns in North Carolina, elections are held on a partisan basis. The current mayor of Charlotte is Anthony Foxx, a member of the Democratic Party.

Charlotte tends to lean Democratic. However, voters are friendly to moderates of both parties. Republican strength is concentrated in the southeastern portion of the city, while Democratic strength is concentrated in the south-central, eastern and northern areas.

The city council comprises 11 members (7 from districts and 4 at-large). The Democrats currently control the council with an advantage of 8-to-3. Of the at-large seats, Democrats won three out of four in the last election. While the city council is responsible for passing ordinances, many policy decisions must be approved by the North Carolina General Assembly as well, since North Carolina municipalities do not have home rule. Since the 1960s, however, municipal powers have been broadly construed.

Charlotte is split between three congressional districts on the federal level—the 8th, represented by Democrat Larry Kissell; the 9th, represented by Republican Sue Myrick; and the 12th, represented by Democrat Mel Watt.

City services

Emergency medical services

Emergency medical services for the City of Charlotte are provided by MEDIC, the Mecklenburg EMS Agency. MEDIC responded to over 93,000 calls for help in 2008, and transported over 71,000 patients to the major hospitals in Charlotte. The Agency employs nearly 350 Paramedics, EMTs, and EMDs. In addition to dispatching Medic’s EMS calls, the Agency also dispatches all county fire calls outside of the city of Charlotte. At any given time, between 20 and 40 ambulances will be deployed to cover the county. In addition, MEDIC will deploy tactical SWAT paramedics, bike teams, and vehicles equipped to deal with mass casualty incidents should the needs arise.

 Law enforcement and crime

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department

CMPD is a combined jurisdiction agency. The CMPD has law enforcement jurisdiction in both the City of Charlotte, and the few unincorporated areas left in Mecklenburg County. The other small towns maintain their own law enforcement agencies for their own jurisdictions. The Department consists of approximately 1,700 sworn law enforcement officers, 550 civilian personnel and more than 400 volunteers.The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department divides the city into 13 geographic areas, which vary in size both geographically and by the number of officers assigned to each division.

The total crime index for Charlotte is 589.2 crimes committed per 100,000 residents as of 2008 and has shown a steady decline since 2005. The national average is 320.9 per 100,000 residents.

According to the Congressional Quarterly Press; '2008 City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan America, Charlotte, North Carolina ranks as the 62nd most dangerous city larger than 75,000 inhabitants.^[36] However, the entire Charlotte-Gastonia Metropolitan Statistical Area ranked as 27th most dangerous out of 338 metro areas.

Education and libraries

School system

The city's public school system, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, is the second largest in North Carolina and 20th largest in the nation. In 2009 it won the NAEP Awards, the Nation's Report Card for urban school systems with top honors among 18 city systems for 4th grade math, 2nd place among 8th graders. About 132,000 students are taught in 161 separate elementary, middle and high schools.

Charlotte is home to a number of notable universities and colleges such as Johnson & Wales University, Queens University of Charlotte, Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte School of Law, York Technical College, Winthrop University and University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Located in the nearby suburb of Davidson is Davidson College, ranked in the top 10 nationally among liberal arts colleges according to U.S. News & World Report. Additional colleges in the area include Belmont Abbey College in the suburb of Belmont, North Carolina, Winthrop University and York Technical College in the nearby major suburb of Rock Hill, South Carolina. UNC Charlotte is the city's largest higher education institution. It is located in University City, the northeastern portion of Charlotte, which is also home to University Research Park, a 3,200 acre (13 km²) research and corporate park. At 24,000 students, UNC Charlotte is the fastest-growing university in the state system and the fourth largest. Central Piedmont Community College is the city's junior college system and the largest community college in North Carolina and South Carolina.There are multiple campuses, all in the Charlotte metro area.

Pfeiffer University has a satellite campus in Charlotte and Wake Forest University, with its main campus in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, also operates a satellite campus of its Babcock Graduate School of Management in the SouthPark area. Wake Forest is currently looking to move the campus to Uptown Charlotte.^[41]

Libraries

The Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County serves the Charlotte area with a large collection (over 1.5 million) of books, CDs and DVDs at 19 locations in the city of Charlotte. There are also branches in the surrounding townships of Matthews, Mint Hill, Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson. All locations provide free access to Internet-enabled computers and WiFi and a library card from one location is accepted at all 24 locations.

Although the Library's roots go back to the Charlotte Literary and Library Association, founded on January 16, 1891,the state-chartered Carnegie Library which opened on the current North Tryon site of the Main Library was the first non-subscription library opened to members of the public in the city of Charlotte. The philanthropist Andrew Carnegie donated $25,000 dollars for a library building on the condition that the city of Charlotte donate a site, and $2500 per year for books and salaries, and that the state grant a charter for the library. All conditions were met, and the Charlotte Carnegie Library opened in a imposing classical building on July 2, 1903.

The 1903 state charter also required that a library be opened for the disenfranchised African-American population of Charlotte. This was completed in 1905, with opening of the Brevard Street Library for Negroes, an independent library in Brooklyn, a historically black area of the city of Charlotte, on the corner of Brevard and East Second Street (now Martin Luther King Blvd.) The Brevard Street Library was the first library for free blacks in the state of North Carolina, some sources say in the southeast. This library was closed in 1961 when the Brooklyn neighborhood in Second Ward was redeveloped, but its role as a cultural center for African-Americans in Charlotte is continued by the Beatties Ford branch, the West branch and the Belmont Center branch of the current library system, as well as by Charlotte's African-American Cultural Center.

Religion

The birthplace of Billy Graham, Charlotte is locally known as "The City of Churches" (Charlotte is the historic seat of Southern Presbyterianism), but the changing demographics of the city's increasing population have brought scores of new denominations and faiths to the city. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Wycliffe Bible Translators' JAARS Center, and SIM Missions Organization make their homes in Charlotte. In total, Charlotte proper has 700 places of worship.

The Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America is headquartered in Charlotte, and both Reformed Theological Seminary and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary have campuses there; more recently, the Religious Studies academic departments of Charlotte's local colleges and universities have also grown considerably.

Charlotte's Cathedral of Saint Patrick is the seat of the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte. The largest Christian congregation within Charlotte is that of St. Matthew Catholic Church. The Traditional Latin Mass is offered by the Society of St. Pius X at St. Anthony Catholic Church in nearby Mount Holly. The Traditional Latin Mass is also offered at St. Ann, Charlotte, a church under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Charlotte.

The Greek Orthodox Church's cathedral for North Carolina, Holy Trinity Cathedral, is located in Charlotte.

The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AME Zion) is headquartered in Charlotte.

Also, Charlotte is home to the international headquarters of Advent Christian General Conference, a small Protestant denomination of approximately 100,000 members worldwide.

There are other religious institutions in the Charlotte area, including two Unitarian Universalist Churches and the Eidolon Foundation.

The Salvation Army's headquarters for the North and South Carolina Division is located in Charlotte, as well as many local corps community centers and Boy's and Girl's Clubs.

Charlotte has the largest Jewish population in the Carolinas. Shalom Park, in South Charlotte is the hub of the Jewish community, featuring two synagogues Temple Israel (Charlotte, North Carolina) and Beth El (Charlotte, North Carolina) and a community center. Islam is represented by an active Islamic Center of Charlotte.

Charlotte is home to Myosho-ji, Wonderful Voice Buddhist Temple http://www.myoshoji.org. This temple is recognized by both the Nichiren Order of North America, as well as the Nichiren Shu Overseas Propagation Headquarters in Japan. The temple is in the Nichiren Shu denomination. All services are conducted in English and open to guests.

Culture

Museums

Sports

Transportation

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is the agency responsible for operating mass transit in Charlotte, and Mecklenburg County. CATS operates light rail transit, historical trolleys, express shuttles, and bus service serving Charlotte and its immediate suburbs. The LYNX light rail system comprises a 9.6-mile line north-south line known as the Blue Line. Bus ridership continues to grow (66% since 1998), but more slowly than operations increases which have risen 170% in that same time when adjusted for inflation. The 2030 Transit Corridor System Plan looks to supplement established bus service with light rail and commuter rail lines as a part of a system dubbed LYNX.

 Roads and highways

Charlotte's central location between the population centers of the northeast and southeast has made it a transportation focal point and primary distribution center, with two major interstate highways, I-85 and I-77, intersecting near the city's center. Charlotte's beltway, designated I-485 and simply called "485" by locals, is partially completed but stalled for funding. The new projection has it slated for completion by 2013.^[48] Upon completion, 485 will have a total circumference of approximately 67 miles (108 km). Within the city, the I-277 loop freeway encircles Charlotte's uptown (usually referred to by its two separate sections, the John Belk Freeway and the Brookshire Freeway) while Charlotte Route 4 links major roads in a loop between I-277 and I-485. Independence Freeway, which carries US 74 and links downtown with the Matthews area is undergoing an expansion and widening in the eastern part of the city.

Air

Charlotte/Douglas International Airport is the 8th busiest airport in the U.S. and ninth busiest in the world as measured by traffic. It is served by many domestic airlines, as well as international airlines Air Canada and Lufthansa, and is the largest hub of US Airways. Nonstop flights are available to many destinations across the United States, as well as flights to Canada, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, Mexico, and South America.

Intercity rail

Charlotte is served daily by three Amtrak routes:

• The Crescent connects Charlotte with New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C.; Charlottesville, and Greensboro to the north, and Greenville, Atlanta, Birmingham and New Orleans to the south.
• The Carolinian connects Charlotte with New York; Philadelphia; Baltimore; Washington, D.C.; Richmond; Raleigh; Durham; and Greensboro.
• The Piedmont connects Charlotte with Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro.

The city is currently planning a new centralized multimodial train station called the Gateway Station. It is expected to house the future LYNX Purple Line, the new Greyhound bus station, and the Crescent line that passes through Uptown Charlotte.

Sister cities

List of sister cities of Charlotte, designated by Sister Cities International:^[50]

Larger cities

• Gastonia, Gaston 69,904
• Rock Hill, SC, York 69,210
• Concord, Cabarrus 62,587
• Hickory, Catawba 41,469

Smaller cities and towns

• Albemarle, Stanly 15,390
• Cornelius, Mecklenburg 17,875
• Huntersville, Mecklenburg 34,332
• Indian Trail, Union 15,610
• Kannapolis, Cabarrus & Rowan 38,547
• Kings Mountain, Cleveland & Gaston 10,634
• Lincolnton, Lincoln 10,194
• Matthews, Mecklenburg 23,897
• Mint Hill, Mecklenburg & Union 17,480
• Monroe, Union 28,422
• Mooresville, Iredell 20,122
• Newton, Catawba 13,229
• Salisbury, Rowan 28,480
• Shelby, Cleveland 21,275
• Statesville, Iredell 24,489
• Stallings, Union-Mecklenburg 4,691