Night skyline of Charlotte Center City

Charlotte center city (also known as Uptown Charlotte) is the area comprising the township and original city of Charlotte, North Carolina. Its numerical distinction within the county is 1 (of 15). Its official distinction would be Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., North Carolina. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (960x720, 681 KB) Summary i shot it Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (960x720, 681 KB) Summary i shot it Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Nickname: Location in Mecklenburg County in the state of North Carolina Coordinates: Country United States State North Carolina Counties Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Government  - Mayor Pat McCrory, (R) Area  - City  280. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (901 km)  - % water 9. ... Mecklenburg County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. ...

The area, bounded by the Belk and Brookshire freeways (the I-277 loop), is further broken down into four wards. Of them, First, Third, and Fourth Wards have residential areas. The Second Ward is made up primarily of city and county government offices. The residential population of the center city is approximately 10,000. Interstate 277 (abbreviated I-277) is a 4. ...

Uptown is where Charlotte's business sector is located, largely made up of banking and other financial service industries. About 77,000 people work in Charlotte's center city. The headquarters for the Fortune 500 companies: Bank of America, Duke Energy, and Wachovia are located there. See also Banc of America Securities, Banc of America Investment Services, Inc. ... Corporate Headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina Duke Energy NYSE: DUK, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is an energy company with assets in the United States (primarily North and South Carolina), Canada and Latin America. ... Wachovia Corporation NYSE: WB, based in Charlotte, North Carolina is one of the largest banking chains in the United States. ...

Museums, sporting venues, hotels, restaurants, and bars are heavily concentrated in uptown as well.

The Wards

First Ward

First Ward was recently one of the most dangerous areas in Charlotte, but because of recent revitalization under a HUD HOPE VI grant, it has become one of the more desirable. Many new developments are planned and under construction. The most noticeable development is the new Charlotte Bobcats Arena. UNC Charlotte is planning to build a new academic building in the First Ward as part of an urban village project being developed by Levine Properties. The current plans for the urban village include a 4 acre park, 450,000 sq. feet of office space, 2,700 residential units, 250 hotel rooms, 250,000 sq. feet of retail space, and 450,000 sq. feet of civic space. Current attractions include: Spirit Square, ImaginOn Children's Learning Center, Levine Museum of the New South, and the Mint Museum of Craft + Design. The term HUD has the following meanings: Hud, an Islamic prophet, also known as Heber. ... HOPE VI is a major HUD plan meant to revitalize the absolute worst public housing projects. ... Charlotte Bobcats Arena (also known locally as The Uptown Arena or, for short, Bobcats) is an 18,500-seat entertainment and sports venue located in the Uptown area of Charlotte, North Carolina. ... The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a public university located in Charlotte, North Carolina. ... Levine Museum of the New South focus into life in the North Carolina Piedmont after the civil war. ... The Mint Museum of Craft + Design is a showplace for contemporary studio crafts. ...

Second Ward

Second ward is the location of Charlotte's "Government District" and will be the location of the new NASCAR Hall of Fame. Second Ward used to be the location of the predominantly African American neighborhood Brooklyn before urban renewal took place. Many new developments are under construction or proposed. EpiCentre, a mixed use entertainment and retail complex, is under construction on the site of the old Charlotte convention center. NASCAR has committed itself to building a Hall of Fame at some location in the southern or midwestern United States. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ...

Third Ward

Third Ward is a mostly residential neighborhood that boasts Johnson & Wales University and Bank of America Stadium. A 1.5 million sq foot mixed-use development. Wachovia is currently working on a very ambitious project that will include cultural, office, and residential. Johnson & Wales University (JWU, J&W) is a private, nonprofit, coeducational, career oriented university. ... Bank of America Stadium is a football stadium located in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina. ...

Fourth Ward

Fourth Ward is mostly residential and has many beautiful Victorian homes. New development is occurring with high rise condominium towers and the North Carolina Music Factory, an entertainment complex.

"Uptown"

Though many feel that the term "Uptown Charlotte" is a new term in the last 10 years, local residents from three or more generations past will attest to having called the center city area Uptown their entire lives. This is due to the main intersection in the original center city, Trade St. & Tryon St., having been the point of highest elevation. When people would come from outlying areas to the city, they would say they were going 'up to town', a phrase that was eventually shortened to 'Uptown'. Despite this, there are many who steadfastly believe that center-city Charlotte was called "Downtown" up until 10 years ago when there was a concerted effort to rename it "Uptown" by various groups that had come from outside Charlotte. These people feel that this was an attempt to improve the city's image. Unfortunately, that argument is illogical due to the history of calling the area Uptown that exists throughout the region.

See also

• Charlotte Route 4

Charlotte Route 4 is a 360-degree loop of primary roads in Charlotte, North Carolina; the route forms a belt with a five mile radius around Charlottes downtown (also known as uptown).[] The route was created not by the North Carolina Department of Transportation, but by the city of...

External Links

• Charlotte/Uptown travel guide from Wikitravel