Charlotte center city
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
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.
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.
Museums, sporting venues, hotels, restaurants, and bars are heavily concentrated in uptown as well.
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[edit] The Wards
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] "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.
